Pet talk

I was asked to write a brief description of what to expect in a situation where you find out your cat is pregnant.  Usually one suspects that the cat is pregnant when she starts expanding and not really getting any taller.  A quick palpation by a veterinarian is usually enough to diagnose it and if caught early enough, the cat can still be spayed.  Of course the decision to spay a pregnant cat is completely up to the veterinarian and the client.  I have no problem spaying a pregnant cat as most females (once they become mature), are almost always pregnant.  But some veterinarians will not do them because of their own moral issues.  And that is fine.  If you want your pregnant cat spayed, call around until you can find a veterinarian to do the job.

Sometimes the cats condition will not allow a major surgery such as a spay, and the pregnancy must be allowed to continue not so much for the unborn kittens, but for the mother herself.  If the mother is in a very poor body condition, the kittens may experience still birth, malformations or dystocia (difficulty birthing), as a result.  

The normal gestation for cats is around 63 days.  Have your cat evaluated by a veterinarian to determine whether she is a candidate for an immediate spay or if she needs to carry the kittens to term.  Your veterinarian may recommend vitamins, or may just have you switch to a high quality kitten food to add extra nutrients to her diet while the kittens develop.  I prefer to free choice the food, but many people recommend that the cat be fed in small amounts frequently throughout the day to accommodate the smaller stomach size she experiences during the pregnancy.  The food should be fed until the kittens are weaned to provide the extra calories for good milk production as well.

As the delivery approaches, the cat will start looking for a nice quiet place to have her kittens.  Usually it is in a closet, or some type of enclosed area like a drawer.  When you see this type of behavior, go ahead and provide her with a nest box in some quiet area of the home or basement.  Use clean towels for bedding.

In the days right before giving birth, your cat should show a change in attitude.  Either an outgoing cat will become a recluse and want to sleep all the time, or a normally stand-offish cat will want to be with you all the time.  Hormones will do this to anyone!

And just hours before the cat gives birth, the mammary glands will fill and milk may leak from the nipples.  

The actual birthing process may be quick or quite long depending on the cat.  She will lay down in her nest and you may see actual contractions.  But usually this all happens at night and you wake up to a litter of kittens in the laundry basket.  If you are present, don’t help unless there is obvious trouble.  Kittens born in a sac and not cleaned by the mother are a sign that you should step in and remove the sac.  Dry the kitten off with a clean towel and give it back to its mother right away.  If you see that she is in active labor for more than 4 hours without producing a kitten, or if it has been more than four hours since the last kitten appeared and there are more kittens in there–go to an emergency clinic right away.    (The usual time between kittens is 10-60 minutes)

Mother cat will consume the birth sacs and any placental pieces and this is a good thing, as it stimulates milk production.  Watch for the common problems of mastitis (infection of the mammary glands), infection of the uterus (possible retained placenta?), or a calcium deficiency called eclampsia, which may cause incoordination, irritability, vomiting, and death if left untreated.  Mother cat should eat, drink, and take good care of her kittens.  If she is acting abnormally, take her in for a check up right away–then schedule that spay as soon as the kittens are weaned.  

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 17th, 2007 at 4:24 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.