liz@tove.UUCP (Liz Allen) (02/12/85)
Probably one of the best early signs that a cat is pregnant is that her nipples will stand out. When you see that, it's probably 5 to 6 weeks before the kittens will be born. You should probably get a box ready, but there's a very good chance that she won't use it. In fact, she may well have her kittens in the closet or in your bed. Be sure to put the box in some out of the way, quiet place otherwise your cat will move them someplace else constantly. (My cat once found a way into the ceiling and kept putting her kittens up there...) You should also change whatever you have in her box every few days (and a little while after the kittens are born if she did have them in the box). The cat won't like the kittens in a dirty box. I don't know how you can avoid handling the kittens; my cat trusts me enough that it's no problem. Her kittens start getting used to people *real* early. I'm not sure what the best thing to put in the box is -- my cat book says torn up newspapers (use a yardstick to guide the tearing) and never towels or blankets since the kittens could suffocate? Only problem is that the mother cat seems to prefer towels. I compromise and put the towels in very flat (and try to keep them that way). Before the kittens are born, the cat will look for a place to have them -- and look and look, but it will be hard to guess what she will decide. You can give her hints by putting her in your box, but... When she's in labor, you can tell because you can see the contractions (that is if she'll let you close enough). The biggest thing to watch for is if she goes into labor and isn't getting anywhere. If she hasn't yet had any of the kittens, this is harder to tell, but if she has and she's stays in labor for two hours and hasn't had any more, that's a warning sign. About a half hour between kittens is average, but I've seen four kittens born in the span of half an hour(!) but longer than half an hour is not unusual either. Still, if it's been a long time, there might be two kittens trying to be born at once or something like that. You might want to try to help her or take her to a vet. Once the kittens are born, try and make sure that they don't get too cold. They dry off pretty quick (with mom's licking) and settle down to nurse. If they do get cold, warm them up by moving them (and mom!) to a warmer place (mom might have moved them to the cold place...). If they're too sick to nurse, you can squirt milk into their mouth from mom and that will help them get the idea again as well as some much needed nourishment. Feed the mother cat plenty of liver and things like that. She'll start eating a lot more than her usual. You can give her milk, but watch out for diareha and stop if she has it. I can't give my cat milk, but she loves yogurt so I give her some of that. My cat book says that during the first week after the kittens are born, you should give her less than usual, but I'm not convinced at this point. Make sure you give her high protein food so she doesn't have to eat as much to get the nutrition. My cat seems to eat about the right amount without restricting her. You probably don't want to increase the amount of food you give her until after the first (or second?) week -- I increase it when the cat let me know that she was hungry. Be careful though that you don't let her get to thin because it will be a *long* time before her weight gets back to normal and after that she may even become overweight... The kittens won't start eating solid food until they're about 4-5 weeks old (depending on how much milk mom has for them). They'll probably continue nursing until you find new homes for them. If you keep any of them, they'll keep nursing on and off as long as mom lets them and she has any milk. They'll stop at about 6 months, but sometimes even try later. One "kitten" of about 9 months all of a sudden got a very bright look about her, went over to mom and tried and tried to nurse... All in vain... Believe it or not, the kittens will hardly need to use the litter box until they start eating solids. At that point, if you have an enclosed litter box, take the enclosure off and either move it or their food bowls so they are fairly close to each other. Also, put a brick or something to act as a doorstep into the box so the kittens can get in! Then, you might want to put the kittens in after they eat. They catch on pretty quickly, but the sooner the better or they'll get into the habbit of going elsewhere and it's harder to teach them then. I start looking for homes for the kittens when they're about 6 weeks old with a mind to place them at about 8 weeks. Put up a note at the vet's office -- you might not get a lot of response there, but the response you do get will be people with good homes. If you put an ad in the paper, sell them rather than trying to give them away. Also, be sure to take the kittens to their new homes rather than having having people come to pick them up. That way, you know what kinds of homes the kittens will have and you also aviod giving them to the people who will sell them to research labs... Pet stores can be kind of funny about taking kittens -- they won't take kittens if they have any fleas at all, but I've seen some unhealthy looking kittens in those places... You can spay the cat when the kittens are 8 weeks old. It will stop her flow of milk so it's not good to do it sooner. However, she *can* go into heat again much sooner, so it is possible to have some trouble getting her spayed between pregnancies... For that reason, it is better to get her spayed before she starts, but... Well, enjoy watching the kittens grow! And, if you are planning to spay, do it as soon as possible... -- -Liz Allen Univ of Maryland, College Park MD Usenet: ...!seismo!umcp-cs!liz Arpanet: liz@tove (or liz@maryland) "This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all" -- 1 John 1:5
rcd@opus.UUCP (Dick Dunn) (02/13/85)
A few additions to the parent article on dealing with pregnant cats: > Probably one of the best early signs that a cat is pregnant is that > her nipples will stand out. When you see that, it's probably 5 to > 6 weeks before the kittens will be born. If you actually know when she was bred, it's possible to be more precise-- gestation in cats is 63 days, and they generally hit it pretty close. > You should probably get a box ready, but there's a very good chance > that she won't use it. In fact, she may well have her kittens in > the closet or in your bed... Or some place worse (for you, her, or both)...it's a good idea to try to forestall this by confining her to the general area where you would like the kittens born when the time draws near. Someplace warm, out of commotion, and somewhat enclosed will be preferred. A cat's attachment to its owner will show up at this time--this is why they may choose your bed if given free choice. > I'm not sure what the best thing to put in the box is -- my cat > book says torn up newspapers (use a yardstick to guide the tearing) > and never towels or blankets since the kittens could suffocate? Towels or small blankets will work, but as the parent article suggests, straighten them periodically. > ...The biggest thing to > watch for is if she goes into labor and isn't getting anywhere. > If she hasn't yet had any of the kittens, this is harder to tell, > but if she has and she's stays in labor for two hours and hasn't > had any more, that's a warning sign. About a half hour between > kittens is average, but I've seen four kittens born in the span of > half an hour(!) but longer than half an hour is not unusual either. This is a hard one to call. Particularly for the first litter, a queen may have one or two kittens, then wait/rest for several hours. Second and succeeding litters are easier. > The kittens won't start eating solid food until they're about 4-5 > weeks old (depending on how much milk mom has for them). They'll > probably continue nursing until you find new homes for them... Of course, there's no harm if they want to start eating it sooner--they're not likely to start on it before they can handle it. On litterbox training, you may have to help a little, but generally as long as the litterbox is accessible and mom is well-trained, she'll take care of 99% of the training. > Believe it or not, the kittens will hardly need to use the litter > box until they start eating solids... (Because mom takes care of the problem, in a way which humans don't find all that appetizing!) Overall, remember that cats have been having kittens without human assistance for a long time. The main things you need to do are to accomodate the mother's needs and give her attention. -- Dick Dunn {hao,ucbvax,allegra}!nbires!rcd (303)444-5710 x3086 ...Cerebus for dictator!
liz@tove.UUCP (Liz Allen) (02/13/85)
A couple more remarks. >> = Liz Allen > = Dick Dunn >A few additions to the parent article on dealing with pregnant cats: >[...] >> ...The biggest thing to >> watch for is if she goes into labor and isn't getting anywhere. >> If she hasn't yet had any of the kittens, this is harder to tell, >> but if she has and she's stays in labor for two hours and hasn't >> had any more, that's a warning sign. About a half hour between >> kittens is average, but I've seen four kittens born in the span of >> half an hour(!) but longer than half an hour is not unusual either. > >This is a hard one to call. Particularly for the first litter, a queen may >have one or two kittens, then wait/rest for several hours. Second and >succeeding litters are easier. Right! But, you can usually tell if she is in labor or not by observing her. After each kitten is born, she will rest a little then clean off the kitten. After that, she'll go into hard labor again to have the next kitten. If she is in labor -- restless, contractions, and, after a while, distressed -- and it's been a couple hours, you might want to think about getting her some help. When my cat's having kittens, my primary concern is for her. After the kittens are born and I know my cat's fine, then I start thinking more about the kittens -- you don't really want anything to happen to them, but it's not unusual to lose a kitten. I lose one about every other litter. >[...] >Overall, remember that cats have been having kittens without human >assistance for a long time. The main things you need to do are to >accomodate the mother's needs and give her attention. Right again! My rule of thumb is to take care of the mother and let her take care of kittens. -- -Liz Allen Univ of Maryland, College Park MD Usenet: ...!seismo!umcp-cs!liz Arpanet: liz@tove (or liz@maryland) "This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all" -- 1 John 1:5
ashby@uiucdcsp.UUCP (02/22/85)
Good sign that your feline is pregnant: she looks fatter than normal. Second sign: there are little kittens where there didn't use to be any.
larryg@teklds.UUCP (Larry Gardner) (02/26/85)
Well, my cat is not pregnant, she is still in heat. Does anyone know about their peculiar behavior. What I am wondering is my new room mate has a male neutered cat and I am noticing that Chee Chee is not accepting him as readily as she has other cats in the past. Is she mad because he's fixed or is she just in a bad mood because of it being "that time of the year"? karen p.s. when is she ever going to come out of heat. She started around the beginning of February.
wong@rtech.ARPA (J. Wong) (03/05/85)
> karen > > p.s. when is she ever going to come out of heat. She started around the > beginning of February. I noticed when my cat was in heat, she seemed to go through a two-week cycle. That is, she was in heat for about a week, and then relatively normal for a week, before starting the cycle again. This went on for three months before I had her spayed. I have a feeling that most animals, including cats, go through this estrous cycle until they get pregnant, unless they're very seasonal. Cats aren't very seasonal. You probably have several months of her being in heat ahead of you. Maybe you can stand it; I couldn't. -- J. Wong ucbvax!mtxinu!rtech!wong **************************************************************** You start a conversation, you can't even finish it. You're talking alot, but you're not saying anything. When I have nothing to say, my lips are sealed. Say something once, why say it again. - David Byrne ****************************************************************