You can begin to feel your cat's fetuses by touching their abdomen gently around days 17-25 of their pregnancy. Of course, your cat may not want you touching their bellies, so read their body language because they can become protective.
Love and affection is a big part of caring for a pregnant cat, and it's important to remember that as her body changes, you will have to be careful how you handle her. Whilst it's safe to stroke your pregnant cat, make sure that you avoid her tummy.
During the final stage of your cat's pregnancy, you may notice that if you place your hands on the sides of her abdomen, you can feel the kittens moving. Additional signs of pregnancy in cats include: Swollen or larger abdominal area. Enlarged breasts, preparing to nurse.
Week 5: The kittens now take up a lot of space and the mother's belly starts to look swollen. Week 6: This is a period of rapid growth when the kittens are fully formed and continue to grow and mature. Week 7: Entering the final third of pregnancy, the growing kittens drain a lot of energy from the mother.
There are a few clues that you may notice, too. The cat's belly will get big around 30 days after they mate. Another symptom that appears as the pregnancy continues, 2 to 3 weeks after they conceive, is their nipples enlarge and redden (also called "pinking up").
Generally you're looking between 7 and 9 weeks anyway if you're going to feel them at all. I didn't feel the kittens in my cat (small, carrying four) until about the end of week 7.
Around three weeks of age is usually when kittens start to take their first shaky steps. While they start out wobbly and unsure, as balance begins to improve during the fourth week they become more confident and eager to explore their surroundings.
Between weeks 4 and 6 of a cat's pregnancy, the foetuses of the future kittens will start to grow rapidly. This brings about significant physical changes for the mother to be: her back hollows out, her pelvis becomes wider and her abdomen swells.
During the final week of the pregnancy, your cat might become reclusive (hiding out as much as possible in a secluded place in the house) or she might become extremely affectionate, which happens most if she has a close relationship with one particular caregiver – Cats that become more affectionate will want the ...
In cats the average length of full parturition (delivery) is 16 hours, with a range of 4–42 hours (up to three days in some cases may be normal). It is important to consider this variability before intervening. The third stage is delivery of the fetal membranes.
Your cat is domesticated, so she may not have all of the instincts of a “wild” cat; however, most cats require no intervention at all while giving birth. In fact, your cat may purposely seek out solitude when she goes into labor.
However, kittens can seldom be felt until at least 26 to 35 days after breeding and fetuses can be difficult to feel in some cats. Abdominal ultrasound can be used to diagnosis pregnancy after 21 to 24 days post breeding.
When looking from above, you'll see that a pregnant cat's tummy is distended slightly more than halfway from the neck to the tail. From the side, pregnant cats will look a little swayback with a slightly round and bulging tummy. If a cat is just fat, then she'll be fat all over including her neck and her legs.
Cats are crepuscular, which means they are most active at dawn and dusk. Some kitties are more active through the night, but that doesn't make them nocturnal animals (a popular myth about our feline friends).
However, they still spend most of their time asleep. Their ears will start to unfold and they will start to play, develop fine motor skills, and take their unsteady first steps. At this age, kittens' sense of smell is developing and they will hiss at unfamiliar scents and sounds.
They have doubled their birth weight to around eight ounces. Kittens are becoming more aware of their surroundings, but they will huddle together for warmth and comfort and rarely venture far from their mother, their nest, or each other. They still sleep most of the time.
It is a common misconception that a mother cat will not care for her kittens if they are touched, but don't worry she doesn't mind. However, don't be surprised if they're moved the next time you check on them! If you find neonatal kittens the best thing to do is leave them alone! Mom will most likely come back.
Your cat's labour should go smoothly, but it's useful to have help on hand to keep her calm and in case she runs into any complications. Get hold of your vet's out-of-hours phone number prior to your cat giving birth, as delivery often happens during the night, or they might need an emergency helping hand.
Try not to worry too much - some cats carry quite "neat" and you hardly see/feel anything. A few of my girls kittens have become very quiet in the few days leading up to the birth, there's not much space in there to wriggle around. It could also be that she's maybe only having a small litter.
How to tell your cat is pregnant? Although there might not be any signs in the first weeks, there are some common early pregnancy symptoms that can appear: Noticeable weight gain in a few weeks. Swollen, pink nipples that appear around three weeks into the pregnancy.
It's all about the nipples: One of the first and most obvious indicators of pregnancy in your cat is changes to her nipples. Around two to three weeks into pregnancy your pussycat will start showing enlarged and red/pink nipples. Morning sickness: Just like humans, cats can experience sickness during pregnancy.
Provide a quiet environment for your cat as much as possible during her pregnancy. Keep her in a quieter part of the house away from daily chaos, but make sure to spend plenty of time with her, too. If you have other pets in the home, consider separating them from her unless they get along very well.