How Did This Happen?

Having Kittens

How Did this Happen?

The feline reproductive system is designed that females only give birth during the warm months (spring through fall). A female cat begins cycling when she has reached 80% of her adult size and the days are longer. This tells a gland in the cat’s brain that warmer weather is here and it is time to start the reproductive cycle. Cats can go into heat as early as 5 months. Indoor cats often don’t cycle as frequently as outdoor cats because they are sheltered from the light cycles of the sun.

Proestrus: This is the time in the cycle when the female begins attracting males but is not yet receptive to their advances. Estrogen is building up and she is preparing for ovulation. This is the time when the female becomes extra affectionate, rubbing her head and sticking her rear end in the air. During this phase it is also common for females to mark urine and vocalize loudly and frequently. This period can take as long as 2 days.

Estrus: At this point the rubbing and crying behavior continue however this is when the female accepts the male when approached. This behavior usually lasts about 7 days and during that time the female’s behavior is usually objectionable to the owner. The female cat is now ready to ovulate but can not do so unless a male cat breeds with her.

Interestrous Period: This is the period between times of behavioral estrus. If the cat is not bred during estrus and can not ovulate she will usually begin the cycle again in about 8-10 days. This means that the rubbing, crying, and urine marking behaviors continue for about a week, and then discontinue for about a week, and then begin again, on and off throughout the Spring, Summer, and Fall until the cat is either spayed, bred, or winter approaches.

Diestrus: If the female cat is bred and ovulates she goes into a different reproductive stage. Her ovaries prepare for possible pregnancy and she will stay out of heat for approximately 35-37 days even if she in not pregnant. If she is pregnant, she will carry the kittens for 64-66 days before giving birth to the litter.

The female cat in estrus is a very flirtatious creature. She looks for territory that has been urine marked by a male of her choice. She approaches the male rubbing and nuzzling him. If she is in the receptive point in her cycle she will allow the male to bred with her. She will then turn and attack him backing him off to wait for another chance. After some rolling around the female will allow him to breed again. This process can go on multiple times and last and entire day. While being bred the females will often make yowling noises very loudly this behavior is normal.

Pregnancy: The owner may notice that the unspayed female is becoming rounder than usual and that her nipples are becoming more prominent. These clues however may not show up until advanced pregnancy. Often, a veterinarian can palpate a female 20-25 days after the breeding to see if there are any developing kittens. Ultrasounding can be done around this time also. After about 45 days of pregnancy x-rays can be taken to determine how many kittens to expect.

Typically, female cats have relatively few needs during pregnancy. It is recommended to feed a food intended for growth such as kitten food. She will need extra calories through out her pregnancy but especially after delivery while she is nursing the kittens. Nursing actually is more taxing on their bodies than being pregnant so during this time it is important to always have food available for the mother. Flea control is also very important during pregnancy. One of the leading causes of death in neonatal kitten is flea anemia. Please consult your veterinarian on the best choice of flea control during pregnancy and after delivery if you are having problems controlling fleas on the kittens.

Never Vaccinate a Pregnant Cat.

Hopefully the cat’s vaccines are up to date prior to pregnancy. Kittens can be vulnerable to many of the diseases that are typically vaccinated for. If the mother cat becomes infected with, or vaccinated against these disease the kittens can be born with serious birth defects.

Most mothers will begin to seek out a nesting area in the last week or so of pregnancy. If you wish assist her expect her to require soft bedding, in an area with minimal human traffic, and separated from other pets in the home.

Labor: Several hours or even a whole day before delivery of restlessness, grooming, nesting, pacing, panting, vomiting, and crying indicate that labor has begun. Like the in dogs a drop in temperature (to less than 99°) indicates that contractions will begin in the next 12-36 hours. The female cat will then seclude herself in her selected nesting area and begin to purr.

This above mentioned first stage of labor will progress to the second stage with hard contractions and the birth of a kitten. The third stage of labor refers to the passing of the placenta. The entire litter is usually born within about 6 hours with kittens every 30-60 minutes apart. However, if the mother is startled or stressed during labor she is able to stop it and restart it up to 24 hours later. The new mother usually eats the placenta and membranes of the kitten’s sac. Do not attempt to move her and the kittens to a “better” location after labor has started. This may stress her into delaying labor or even worse scare her into neglecting the litter. You should contact a veterinarian if strong contractions continue for more than 60 minutes without production of a kitten.

Most of the time labor is normal and does not require any intervention. Kittens may begin solid food around 4 weeks of age and may be adopted to new homes from 6-8 weeks. Vaginal discharge is normal for up to 3 weeks post-partum. This discharge should be black or reddish and consist mostly of old blood. If the discharge seems particularly bloody, have a veterinarian assess her blood loss. If the discharge looks like pus, she may have a uterine infection and should be brought to the vet right away.

Consult a veterinarian if any of the following conditions arise:

Vaginal bleeding is not normal during pregnancy and suggests that the mother may be aborting the litter. If this happens later in the pregnancy it can suggest premature labor and that also needs to be addressed by a veterinarian.

If the mother has been having strong contractions for greater than 60 minutes she may need help passing the kitten. It is important to take her and the kittens to a veterinarian right away because a cesarean maybe needed.

If the mother retains a placenta, she can develop and infection, fever, loss of appetite, and kitten neglect. If this occurs she may need to be spayed right away and possibly even hospitalized to remove any infection.

Getting Her Spayed

Many people are surprised by their cat’s pregnancy, and do not really want the kittens. When allowing her to have the kittens it is often the owner’s intention to have her spayed when the kittens are weaned. Often the female cat has other plans. Nursing generally suppresses their return to cycling but the average cat is back in heat about 1 month after delivery. If she accesses another male cat during this time she will become pregnant before she has finished weaning the current litter. Ideally, the mother should be confined until she can be spayed which should ideally be about 1 month after the kittens are weaned. This gives the mammary tissue time to go back to normal, which decreases the risk of certain complications with the surgery. However, if it comes down to spaying her with mammary development versus having another unwanted litter, spaying is usually a better choice.