If you have no children or are just interested in starting a breeding business, you will also experience the birth of living creatures. Cats in particular are fascinating and the average cat pregnancy length is 65 days.
Gestation
The whole process of the development of a kitten can vary anywhere from 61 days to 69 depending on the cat giving birth. Several sites on the internet offer cat pregnancy calendars, which is a helpful tool if your cat is expecting kittens.
This may not however be helpful if the pregnancy was unintentional. If that is the case, there are several signs to look for to tell when your cat may give birth. The first is the changing of color of your cat’s nipples.
They generally turn pinker than usual after about 21 days after getting pregnant. This means that the babies are not far off and that you should start getting ready for kittens.
Signs of Pregnancy
Aside from the change in the color of the nipples, there are also some other changes that occur in cats when they become pregnant. One sure sign is if your cat has been in heat and suddenly stops after having been in contact with an unneutered male then she is most likely pregnant.
Another sign is if your cat becomes hungrier than usual and if they experience vomiting. These both also occur in humans. Another sign is if your cat becomes more affectionate or shows signs of nesting like carrying things off to make a comfortable bed. Aside from all of these, there is also the obvious distended abdomen that gives it away.
If you intentionally got your cat pregnant, you can also use these signs to tell if the breeding was successful. When you have a cat that is pregnant there are several things that you need to do to make sure that the pregnancy goes as planned.
First, take your cat to the vet. There is nothing more important. If your cat does not receive the proper attention, you may not be able to detect birth defects or possible complications. Going to the vet can also help you determine when the cat got pregnant for a more specific date for delivery.
After you have taken the cat to the vet, you can start to make your home more kitten-friendly. One thing in particular that you should do is make sure there are no places for your cat to hide the kittens. Some mother cats like to hide babies and if you cannot get to them, they may end up getting hurt.
Another thing that you can do is read about how to help take care of kittens. Odds are your cat will have it handled but it is always nice to know what to do in the event that your cat cannot take care of the babies.