How many weeks until you can begin feeling kittens in a Queens womb?
I recently came home from out of state, to find my cat (whom I left with my mother) pregnant! I am unsure of how far along she is, she has a vet appointment in 2 days, but I would like to know some things now. I'm rubbing her belly right now and feeling a LOT of movement, I can even sort of see movement (she is a Persian, so it's a little difficult to see past the fur). She is not lactating yet, but her nipples are definitely larger and protruding, but only a light pink. Her stomach is also pretty huge. I couldn't find too much on the time line of cat pregnancy via google, so help me, Yahoo! :P
More Questions From This User See All
Answers & Comments
Verified answer
A cats gestation is between 63 and 68 days with the average being about 65.
If she is very large and you are seeing movement then she is quite far into the pregnancy maybe 6 - 7 weeks out of about 9 in total.
Her mamary glands will swell approximately 1 week before birth and she may secrete some milk in preparation for the birth, this first milk is called colostrum and carries vital nutrients and antibodies which help to protect the newborn kittens.
Signs that labour is imininent are restlessness, pacing being more affectionate than usual and wanting to be near you, a loss of appetite, vaginal discharge and frequent grooming of the vaginal area. A drop in body temperature to under 100F generally indicates labour within 48 hours - try to make sure that you are on hand to help her should she need you especially if this is her first litter of kittens.
If you need to help, you will need the following things:
clean warm towles
anticeptic soloution - to clean the umbilical cord
sissors - dull - to cut the unbilical cord
un waxed dental floss - to tie off the umbilical cord
surgical gloves
your vets emergency number
a pen and paper
scales - to weigh the kittens and check if they are thriving.
A large box with a clean blanket in for your queen to labour in.
a small spare box with a clean blanket in it and a hot water bottle (not too hot or you'll burn the kittens) - this is so that you can move the kitten slightly away from the queen once she has finished cleaning it after birth to allow her to concentrate on the care of the next kitten - this can occasionally be an issue with an inexperienced queen.
Food and clean water nearby.
You will know when your cat is in labour as you will be able to see the contractions, you must ensure that a placenta is delivered after each kitten as a retained placenta can cause serious infection and even death if left untreated - if she strains excessively for more than 45 minutes without producing a kitten then you should call your vet.
Your cat will not usually require any asstance but you should be on hand should she need you.
If you have any more questions just ask.
This site should help you with information on cat pregnancy:
http://cats.about.com/od/reproduction/tp/catsrepro...
I think the vet is going to be the one to give you the best estimate as to how far along your cat is, I'm afraid. I am only guessing when I say she is well past the halfway mark.