Fertility cycle and pregnancy

The heat
Cats can have several fertile (in heat) periods per breeding season. Each fertile period lasts between 5-14 days. If the female cat is covered; the heat will usually stop within 24 hours. The breeding season for cats in the northern hemisphere starts in early spring and ends in fall (March-September). Inside cats or cats which can live in warmer climates might have several fertile periods. A number of signs show that a cat is in heat. These signs can vary between breeds and even between individual cats. The signs can be:
•  The famous calling (loud miaowing)
•  Enlarged appetite
•  Restlessness
•  Rolling over the ground
•  Being very affectionate (even demanding attention…
•  Spouting urine around the house If the cat is covered but doesn’t get pregnant, she can repeatedly, every 2-3 week, get in heat. This means that if your cat gets in heat, you cannot simply solve this by keeping her locked up in the house until it is over! Your cat will get in heat almost every month, unless you neuter her!

Pregnancy
A pregnancy usually lasts 63-65 days. The pregnancy length, from ovulation until birth can vary between the different breeds. Everything between 58-70 days is considered to be normal. From the second or third pregnancy week you will be able to notice if a cat is pregnant, since the teats of the pregnant female cat get larger and dark pink. Later, the belly will grow and you will not have to doubt anymore. Take your cat to the veterinarian for a prenatal checkup. Your veterinarian will confirm the pregnancy by means of an ultrasound or other test. He will check some things and see if future checkups will be necessary.

Phantom pregnancy
Sometimes a phantom pregnancy occurs. The cat shows symptoms which resemble a pregnancy a lot. This is caused by temporary increased hormonal values. This condition might last a couple of weeks and will gradually disappear.

Care during pregnancy
A young and healthy pregnant cat doesn’t need much special care. Extra care for her food is necessary though. Sickness and morning sickness may bother her a couple of days halfway the pregnancy, due to hormonal changes. Her appetite may be less and she can even fully stop eating a couple of days before delivery. If she doesn’t eat longer than a couple of days we advise to contact the veterinarian. You should never give a cat medicines, unless your veterinarian insists on  it. This is highly important especially during pregnancy; even the “safe” medicines which are on sale everywhere might be harmful. Each pregnancy suspicion must be told to your veterinarian so that he knows which medicines to prescribe.