Cat Gestation
After one whole day of baking cakes, I was ready to retire at four in the afternoon. As I was cleaning up, my two and a half year old little rascal came running into the kitchen, eyes filled with glee and screaming at the top of her lungs: She had found kittens in the basement! I was absolutely at a loss for words.
When I decided to bring in a new family member and brought home a cat, I didn’t fully realize that it could get pregnant and have little kitties. My daughter named her cat, Miming (a name coined from the word meowing) and spent most of her days playing with the newest baby. The cat seemed like a small kitten and I wasn’t really rushing to get her spayed. Now, we have 5 little kitties and the mother cat, which I learned is called a “queen” during its pregnancy.
Gestation period for cats lasts approximately 65 days, or 9 weeks. This period is the developmental stage for the kittens inside their mother’s small tummy. Most queens would have an average of 5 kittens, but they are known to give birth to a number, from one kitten to eight kittens per pregnancy.
I have learned that during the mating season, we can identify the two week period during which our female kitten is in heat. There is endless meowing that surely does not resemble the normal purring of a cat, and the exhibition of strange behavior and restlessness. Until the female cat finds a male companion that can satisfy this need, this will go on for weeks.
Once the female becomes pregnant, she retreats into a more subtle behavior and exhibits the characteristics of a pregnant woman: sensitive, affectionate and yes, demanding. At about two weeks after the conception, Miming became more demanding. She started eating more and demanding more food and milk. She also stopped her incessant meowing. At this time, her nipples would have settled into a deep pink in shade and have engorged. Her little tummy also was becoming bigger.
My daughter could not fully understand the change in Miming’s behavior, and I was also a bit in denial that she may be pregnant. So we decided to take her to the veterinarian about two weeks later. The diagnosis was made by feeling Miming’s abdomen and the doctor informed us that we can return two weeks later when Miming will be six weeks pregnant to have her X-ray taken.
By this time, we were already marking our calendars with Xs as to when the kittens will be due. According to the veterinarian, the cat’s gestation period will be anywhere from 65 to 69 days, though Miming gave birth at 63 Days exactly.
I noticed that a few days before Miming reached her 63rd day of pregnancy; she became restless and was constantly in search for the right and most comfortable position to relax. And Miming was sleeping more than the usual too. She wanted to be left alone most days and spent most of her time relaxing on the specially covered box we prepared for her.
The vet suggested it to us that we make a new box for Miming to sleep in. Instead of her usual sheets, we lined the box with newspapers to make it easier to clean up when her litter arrives. The Vet explained to me that we would know Miming is ready to give birth when she starts meowing constantly and using a rectal thermometer, we could see that her body temperature starts to drop.
Once a milky discharge is being excreted by her already engorged nipples, it is the clearest indication that she is ready to have her babies.
When I rushed to the basement, I found Miming with 5 little kitties. We thought she surely must be exhausted, so we brought her fresh water and kitten food- to avoid giving her an upset tummy. Also, kitten food has a high level of protein and vitamins that will enable Miming to get her energy back and care for her kittens properly.
I and my little daughter gave Miming the space and quiet she deserves as she takes care of her little ones and I set an appointment with the vet for my queen and her litter to receive the proper medical care that they need.
