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Cat Pregnancy - How Long Does it Last?

This is the biggest question owners want the answer to. How long before you need to be fully prepared for the birth of your kittens?

Have you any idea at all? Has your cat been pregnant before and previously given birth to kittens?

One thing is definite though, knowing the length of a cat's pregnancy from beginning to end will be of no use at all unless you are certain of the date of conception.

Generally speaking, your cat keeps that information to herself!

Just when you think that your life is on track, your cat comes home with more than she went out with.......

Your affectionate cat has been coming into season and all that cute rolling around hasn't been for your benefit at all - she's been working up to attracting every Tom, Dick or fur-covered Harry that she can get her paws on.

And now, out of the blue, you strongly suspect that you're going to be a grandparent to a litter of kittens and you have no idea when that might be.

So, just how long will it be before you can gaze on your tiny new kittens?

Feline pregnancy is generally 63-65 days in length - about nine weeks - but it is not unusual for kittens to be born after only 58 days gestation or as late as 70 days gestation.

But as a midwife-in-waiting, it's up to you to make the best guess at the delivery date that you can and unless you happened to see (or hear) your promiscuous puss-cat in action with the local toms, you're likely to be a day or two out.

It's far more usual not to have any idea that your beautiful, pregnant cat is 'with kittens' until she is 35-42 days into her 65 day pregnancy and starts to show certain signs.

By the time you begin to recognise the physical changes in your cat she will already be over halfway through her pregnancy.

If you are very vigilant, you may have noticed your cat's nipples looking significantly pinker than usual. This occurs around 3 weeks into the pregnancy as her milk glands begin to change in readiness for full-scale milk production when her kittens arrive.

At the same time, your cat's appetite may change and she may start to become picky about her food. Puss-cat morning sickness, perhaps?

Mind you, most cats go through phases of turning their furry noses up at whatever choice morsels you place in front of them, so it's highly unlikely that you associate a lack of appetite with pregnancy at this stage.

It is very unlikely that you will understand the significance of these subtle changes in your cat unless you have had previous experience of feline pregnancy.

It will be around weeks five and six that you will become certain that your lovely pet is expecting kittens and by this time, you will only have 21-28 days to go before they are born.

Naturally, as a loving and responsible cat owner, you will want to make sure that you are fully aware of what care you will need to give during the birth and to your newly born kittens and their mother. So make sure that you have equipped yourself with the knowledge you will need by finding a comprehensive ebook that will easily guide you through all the stages of pregnancy, labor, birth and nursing.

But best of all, just savor the anticipation of the joy that your new kittens will bring!

Article Source: http://www.uberarticles.com/articles

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