How To Take Care Of A Pregnant Cat? – Keep Your Pregnant Cat Healthy And Happy With These Tips

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Dr.Alkhawaldeh

The happiest moment for any cat owner is when their cat gives birth for some cute little kittens. I bet you are the happiest person right now! Why not and soon you will have more fluffy cats inside your home! You will be a mom for some little fluffy kittens with a cute cat mom!

However, these fluffy daydreams come with responsibilities toward your cat! She is pregnant, and I am pretty sure almost everyone knows how pregnancy can be difficult. How To Take Care Of A Pregnant Cat? This question is crucial. Today we will talk about tips on how to care for a pregnant cat for a healthy pregnancy.

It doesn’t matter how this happened! The only important thing now is to make sure your cat is in good health during her pregnancy to give birth to some healthy, fluffy kittens!

So now, let us talk about these tips to care for pregnant cats.

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Signs Your Cat Is Pregnant

Knowing your cat is pregnant is essential to start giving your pregnant cat special care! There are several signs you can notice when your cat is pregnant. One of the first signs is that her heat cycle will stop. Then you will start seeing some changes in her nipples; they will swell, and color will change to a dark red.

Some of the early signs are changes in your cat eating habits; she will start to eat more or ask for more food. Also, some cats can show morning sickness. After several weeks (mostly five weeks), you will notice bulging in the stomach! Yes, those are the small kittens growing up, and the stomach will keep growing until she gives birth!

Changes will also be in her behavior. Behavioral change is a common thing in pregnant cats, most cats become more affectionate than before, and they tend to be around you more often. In some cases, your cat can become reclusive and irritable. But don’t worry, these changes are a regular thing! Just imagine a pregnant woman and all the changes she goes through.

However, it is best to get in contact with your veterinarian to confirm the pregnancy and make sure everything is fine. They will also give you some advice on caring for your pregnant cat and the kittens after birth!

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Veterinary Care for Your Pregnant Cat

After confirming your cat’s pregnancy from the signs we mentioned. The first step to do is to take your cat to your veterinarian. Your vet will start by confirming the pregnancy. Caring for a pregnant cat is vital, to begin with, this step, to have a better understanding of what you are going to face during this pregnancy, with expert advice.

Your vet can confirm the pregnancy with a physical examination by palpating your cat’s abdomen at around three weeks of pregnancy. If they have an ultrasound, your vet will use for that matter.

Some vets may talk to you about the option of pregnancy termination and spaying your cat. You can decide what you want. If you decide yo continue with this pregnancy, your vet will explain everything you need to take care of your pregnant cat as well as the kittens after birth. 

Your vet may recommend taking an X-ray for your cat to look at the number of kittens expected at 42 days of pregnancy. That way, you will have a better idea of how to take care of your cat and kittens, and you can determine if there is a problem while giving birth.

Also, you will get some information about vaccinations during pregnancy; most of the vaccinations are not recommended as they may affect the kittens’ growth. So, with your vet advice, you will know which vaccines are recommended and which are not.

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Feeding Your Pregnant Cats

Your cat is pregnant, and she needs special care as well as special food with high-quality food formulated for growth. You can look for the AAFCO Nutritional Adequacy, saying that this food is complete and balanced for growth. 

In general, wet food is always a better choice than dry food. If you want to feed your cat dry food, then you have to search for the highest quality dry food with the highest quality ingredients in it. When you cat in her sixth week of pregnancy, you should increase the amount of food around 20-25%, at least. Also, it is best to make sure the food contains high protein and calcium for both the mother and kittens. Protein and calcium are essential for the pregnant cat’s lactation.

One of the famous mistakes cat owners may do unintentionally is overfeeding their pregnant cat during early pregnancy. Giving your pregnant cat extra calories is bad for your cat health as well as your kittens’ health.

With that been said, you need to monitor your cat weight and behavior to determine the amount of food you can give her and how much you can increase. Also, it is always better to consult your vet about this to avoid overfeeding your cat.

It is recommended for a gradual transition to the kitten food (Kitten food contain high-quality ingredient help growth) after confirmation of your cat pregnancy. With the help with your vet, you can monitor all changes in your cat body and find the best way to keep her healthy.

Your vet may suggest more frequent small meals for your cat by the sixth week of pregnancy to avoid unnecessary pressure and problems due to a full stomach. Also, due to the pressure from the kittens on her stomach, your cat will feel full fast, but she still needs more food and nutrition for her body and the kittens. So, offering small meals six times a day will solve this little problem.

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Your Pregnant Cat’s Environment

Now, to continue our answer to (How To Take Care Of A Pregnant Cat), you must know that this is beyond proper nutrition and visiting your vet. 

You already took care of all that necessary for your cat’s health with your vet and nutrition changes she and her kittens need. The next step is to prepare a suitable environment for both your cats and her kittens. 

When your cat is close to giving birth, she will start to search for a better environment for her kittens. She will look for a safe and quiet place to begin “nesting.” All this process will happen days before giving birth, somewhere between 2-3 days before giving birth.

You can begin helping your cat by preparing a laundry basket or a big cardboard box filling it with warm blankets and putting it in a safe and quiet area of your home. However, if your cat didn’t use it and gave birth in the most inconvenient area, that is normal for most cats! After all, they do whatever they want. 

Also, here is another tip or a piece of advice. Keep all outdoors closed during the last week of your cat’s pregnancy; your cat may sneak out and find a place away from your home. 

All you can do is to make sure to give your cat the best place for her and her kittens. If your cat started to act weird and anxious, that is normal. You provide her with everything that may need, and she will do the rest.

So, the next step to our answer to the question in your mind (How To Take Care Of A Pregnant Cat) is talking about how to take care of her when your cat is ready to give birth.

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When Your Cat Is Ready to Give Birth

Now everything is ready for your cat to give birth. After going through all steps and tips to answer your question of (How To Take Care Of A Pregnant Cat), There is only this last step before we start taking care of our small fluffy kittens.

You will have to leave her alone and observe her from a safe distance, after doing everything you can for her. Fortunately, almost all cats can do everything by themselves from this point without any intervention from their owners.

Your last job to your cat is to observe and make sure everything goes smoothly and that your cat doesn’t need any help. You can do that from a safe distance and watching and counting kittens after each birth ( Make sure you know how many kittens to expect, as we mentioned above from visiting your vet). 

You should contact your vet immediately if you notice your cat’s visible contractions for more than 30 minutes without kitten birth. Also, another alert for you to contact your vet directly is when more than two hours pass by without the next delivery. 

The next important thing to know is if the kitten is stuck in the birth canal for more than 2-3 minutes without being pushed, you need to take your cat immediately to the vet. Also, keep in mind that any strange thing happens is an alert for you to contact your vet asking for a piece of advice.

Finally, Take your cat and her kittens to the vet after one day of giving birth to a check-up. Try not to separate kittens from their mother’s first few days.

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YaaY … New Fluffy Kittens In The House

How To Take Care Of A Pregnant Cat is an important question for every female cat owner. As we mentioned above, all these steps from feeding your cat to taking care of its environment are essential for a healthy and happy pregnancy. Cats are just humans; they have feelings, and they have needs. We have to give them what they need.

Caring for a pregnant cat can be tricky and maybe a burden for some people. But remember this, your cat is your family. Taking care of your cat during pregnancy is an important thing for your cat’s overall health and happiness.

So finally, I hope you found this article useful and informative. Let me know your answer. What do you think? Do you have more information or tips about How To Take Care Of A Pregnant Cat? Write them down below.

If you have any other questions or different opinions about it, leave a comment below.

Today’s Quote:

All cats love fish but fear to wet their paws.” — Chinese Proverb

 

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Kathy
4 years ago

Thank you for sharing this information on pregnancy in cats. It’s amazing how similar the changes in behaviour for a pregnant cat are to that of a woman. Even nesting and sudden bizarre desires for a certain food! I agree that over feeding your cat during pregnancy would be very bad, just as it would for a pregnant woman. The idea of feeding your kitty small, regular meals during the last stages sounds very good. Yes, a laundry basket or cardboard box is the ideal birthing place for your cat.

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