PREGNANCY

 

If you know or suspect that your cat has been impregnated, you can intervene within the next 3-4 week timespan by having your cat spayed. This spaying operation will cause an abortion. Your vet's advice is very important. If you find out too late, try to make the best of the situation. I want to call your attention to this fact: a female cat can go into heat and get pregnant again immediately after delivery while still nursing her kittens !!  This of course endangers her health. During the beginning of the pregnancy the mother will eat and sleep a lot. Her nipples will become a bit darker and larger, and around them the hair will disappear. It's very important that she gets high-quality food during her pregnancy. Be careful what you use for cleaning, against parasites and what kinds of medicine. Not all products may be used during pregnancy. On approx. the 50th day of the pregnancy she'll start eating less because her womb is becoming larger with the kittens inside. Because she still needs her nutrients, it's important to feed her smaller amounts more often during the day.   She'll become larger, and will start having problems licking herself clean. Keep an eye on this and help her if necessary by cleaning her bottom and nipple-area with a warm damp cloth.  You can now feel the kittens in the womb quite well. On approx. the 60th day of the pregnancy milk may start flowing from the nipples. Body temperature starts to change. Mother cat should not be allowed to go outside any longer, to prevent her from delivering there. On approx. the 63rd day of the pregnancy you may expect her to deliver. The body temperature may go down to 37.5 to 38.5 (Celcius). Around the time of delivery someone should be home at all times. Have phonenumbers ready of vets, and ER's (day and night !!) in the area just in case something goes wrong. Delivery should take place between the 59th and the 70th day. But call and alert the vet after the 65th day.  A cat sometimes can't handle the delivery by herself, and may need your help very desperately. So see to it that there's allways someone at home !!    A few days before the expected delivery-date the mother will start looking for a suitable place to deliver. You'll notice her turning her nest upside down and inside out until it's exactly the way she wants it. It's nice if she can have several boxes (cardboard or selfmade) to her disposal. Chips boxes (supermarket) have a nice size and are good and strong. Do *not* use fruit/bananaboxes; these have been sprayed with insecticides. Of course the most beautiful box is the self-made box of 50 x 50 x 50 cm, made well in advance. Use material that's easy to clean and hygienic. Watch out that she doesn't start to make a nest in a place you can't have access to, like the bottom-box of the climbing-tree: you can't see what happens in there and can't help the mother if necessary. Put some towels in the box, and on top of that a thick flannel cloth. Don't use towels as a top layer, because tiny kittens can't pull in their little claws yet and keep getting tangled in the towel. Once the mother's time is due and she starts delivering she'll become very restless. She may start losing some fluids. Delivery is about to begin once she breaks her waters. Go sit quietly with the mother, and try to stay calm and composed ...and don't faint :-) ...

 

© M.A. de Boer 2003-2004. All rights reserved.  Nothing may be copied in any form without permission of the author who can be contacted via the email-link above.