Cat Pregnancy Symptoms

“How can I tell if my
healthy cat is pregnant?”

Cat Pregnancy Calendar Cat pregnancy symptoms are first noticeable at about three weeks of pregnancy. The average feline gestation time is 63 days.

Here's a pregnant cat symptoms timetable you can use to detect cat pregnancy signs. (For other feline health issues, click on the "Cat Health" link in the navigation bar to your left.)

• Week 3: Your pregnant cat's nipples will start to become enlarged and pinkish in color. Her belly will not show any signs of swelling at this point.
  
  
• Week 4: Her belly will now start to show a slight swelling. The swelling of her nipples will start to be more evident. Her appetite will start to increase.
  
  
• Week 5: Some cat experts recommend that you consult your vet for a "growth formula" to satisfy your pregnant cat’s increased diet; this will help with your cat pregnancy diet.
  
  
  
• Week 6: Your cat's pregnancy will become obvious at this point. Cat pregnancy symptoms will now include behavioral changes. The pregnant cat will now start to move around with more care. She'll avoid stretching and twisting actions, and if she usually goes outside, now she'll probably want to stay inside. Her appetite continues to increase through the sixth week.
  
  
• Week 7: The greatest sign of cat pregnancy is now your cat's behavior. You should see a noticeable change in behavior as she starts to show some signs of excitement. This is also called the "quickening" stage of cat pregnancy as the fetuses start to move. She'll roll and stretch and start to search for a spot to give birth. This is another good reason to keep your pregnant cat inside so that she doesn't make a nest outside.
  
  
• Day 61: Labor can start as early as 61 days after conception and as late as 70 days.

• Stage 1 of Cat Labor: Your pregnant cat will start to show signs of restlessness, and start to growl or purr rhythmically. This stage may last for a few hours and may even last up to 24 hours.
  
  
• Stage 2 of Cat Labor: Contractions will start now. Initially, the contractions may only be once every 30 minutes or even longer. Gradually, the contractions will become more frequent until just before the first kitten is born. At this point, the contractions will be happening every 30 seconds. She may continue to growl and she may repeatedly lick her vaginal area to stimulate the birth of the kittens.

  The mother cat may give birth to her kittens in rapid succession or there may be long intervals and the contractions may stop between kittens. It may take as long as 24 hours of labor for all the kittens to be born, especially if the litter is large (four is the typical size of a litter).

This is a summary of cat pregnancy symptoms to answer the question: how to determine cat pregnancy. For more information about how to take care of your cat during pregnancy, please see our article about taking care of your pregnant cat.

For more extensive feline pregnancy information, see How To Take Care of Your Pregnant Cat.

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