The owner of a cat who is pregnant for the first time does not yet know what to expect during this period and during the birth of his pet. Moreover, many people generally have little idea of how long a cat's pregnancy lasts.
If you are the owner of a cat that you plan to mate after a while, or your pet is already pregnant, then you are probably wondering how long her pregnancy will last. Usually nine weeks pass from the moment of mating to the appearance of kittens, but this is an average, that is, an inaccurate period.
In fact, a cat carries its babies from 58 to 72 days, and in some cases this period may take even longer - this is already a pathology and requires medical intervention.
In order to have an idea of exactly when your pet's kittens should be born, you should know exactly the date of her mating with a cat - it is from this day that the countdown begins. In some cases, pregnancy in sphinxes and short-haired cats lasts slightly less than in long-haired cats. In addition, the duration of its course may be influenced by the number of fruits; the more kittens a cat bears, the greater the load on her body and the more quickly the completion of pregnancy is usually. Be that as it may, even if there are about a dozen kittens in a litter, then in no case should they be born before 58 days from the beginning of pregnancy - premature babies are most often unviable and soon die.
Quite often, a cat "walks over" a pregnancy; it can be caused by stress or a small - two or three - number of pups in the litter. What should be considered an overly prolonged pregnancy? For the formation of a viable kitten, it is necessary that at least 58 days have passed from the moment of conception to delivery; a week beyond this period, during which childbirth does not occur, is not considered a pathology and does not require a call to the veterinarian. If, on the 66th day of pregnancy, the cat did not lamb, then it is better to consult a specialist about this.
Pregnancy in a cat is usually divided into three periods of the same duration - trimesters. During the first of them, the fetus reaches a centimeter size; by the end of this period, his head is formed and the formation of limbs begins, as well as the external genital organs. In the second trimester, the fetus acquires a face and even teeth; its dimensions increase to five to six centimeters. In principle, by the end of this period, the fetus is visually a greatly reduced copy of a common domestic cat. During the third trimester, the kitten develops fur, and the ears and tail become longer; by the 58th day of pregnancy, he is fully formed and viable.
Interestingly, females develop faster than males, and when born, they are generally generally stronger and more active than their little brothers.
Comparing the timing of puberty for the average cat and its average life span, it is easy to calculate that one animal can hypothetically become the mother of more than a hundred kittens. In fact, it is not recommended to knit a cat more than once or twice a year, because pregnancy and childbirth greatly wear out the animal's body. In the event that your cat is not a valuable representative of its breed and there is no queue of those who would like to take a kitten from her, it is better not to breed animals that nobody needs and sterilize your pet in a timely manner.
