Congrats! You are a cat parent and now you are going to become a cat grandparent … Ha Ha… do not worry…. It doesn’t mean you are growing old, but you are sheltering more kitties to come.
Just to know what your mommy cat is going to go through, here are the five stages of cat pregnancy.
Stage 1: Fertilization
Before the actual process of fertilization, vets talk about “heat” or the time when cats feel the need for sexual maturity the most. Typically, cats go into heat after six months of their age. Once she is tested positive for pregnancy, you may expect a cute kitten in two months or nine weeks of time.Stage 2: Early stage
During the first two weeks, she may suffer from nausea/morning sickness. So, she may eat less. But from next week, she will start eating more and put on weight. In fact, you can feel the baby bump on her belly due to the growing kittens inside.Cute and astonishing right…? Exactly, I know!
Stage 3: Middle stage
From the third week, she will gain weight also due to the developing little kitten babies. She will start “looking pregnant” with a belly like a stuffed football. If you are excited to see them, you can request an X-Ray or scan, with your vet.Stage 4: Pre-labor
This is a tentative period that cannot be clearly predicted/determined. Because we are unsure about the exact day of labor. This starts around 6 days before she gives birth. You may notice that she is restless and looking for a safe, warm place to cuddle her babies.Also, a couple of days before her delivery she may stop eating. You may also notice that her nipples are more pronounced. These are a few signs that she may go into labor soon.
Stage 5: Labor
Of course, this is the climax that you will easily know when she goes through it. She will start licking her genitals and make noises in discomfort. The long wait will be over when she delivers all her kitties one by one. If this is her first time of delivery, she may be anxious and pace around. She must be delivering all the kitties within an hour after her first baby comes out.
If you notice that she is not facing labor around the due date or she is facing difficulty in delivery, rush her to your vet and help her out to smoothly undergo the labor.
NOTE:
Make sure that the kittens are with their mum at least for 12 weeks so that they are weaned properly. You can then get her spayed to avoid immediate pregnancies that may be demanding for her health.
So, happy cat parenting and cat grand parenting… hehe… Cat cheers and kudos…. :)