Signs of Cat Pregnancy

So far we have seen cats’ common abnormal behaviours, including clawing, hiding, running out of the house, sleeping all day, litter box avoidance, and destructive chewing, and the things we can do to prevent them from repeating the behaviours that hurt themselves. Now we come to the last but not least issue that every female cat would normally face, cats’ pregnancy.

Pregnancy comes with some signs, and of course we are not going to do something to prevent the signs of pregnancy or stop cats from being pregnant! What we will do here is to look fairly closely what signs cats will show within their biological calendar when they are pregnant, and what we can do to ensure they are safe until the kitten is born. As we will see, some signs for cats are similar to humans, and they include both physical and psychological symptoms. And they will be shown one after another on around the third week of pregnancy.

Week 3 (Days 15-21): Darker and Swollen Nipples – One instant, observable, visible and earliest sign in the breasts is that the nipples will turn from flat to swollen and change their colour from pale pink into a darker hue. This is mainly because of hormone change and milk formation. This will lead to slightly moisturous and sticky nipple end. Be watchful! They will also become sensitive when they are touched.

Heat Cycles Stop – Female cats aged one year or above should normal have a heat cycle (also know as estrus cycle or simply estrus), which is comparable to human females’ menstruation. The frequency of the cycles depends on a number of factors, such as their age, overall health, environmental temperature, the number of daylight hours, and their intimacy with other intact male and female cats.

Once female cats enter an estrus cycle, some of them may be in heat for several days to two or three weeks, some others may remain heat until they are bred or become pregnant. Therefore, check the cats for their regular heat cycles (it is supposed to be more than two cycles if they are way older than one years of age) and if they stop, it is likely that they are pregnant.

Increased Appetite – As in the case of humans, the mother needs the increased amount of food (usually around double) and nutrition for the foetus’s growth, it is the same for cats. Unborn kittens need nutrition directly from the mother cats, who are then expected to require more food.

Week 4 (Days 22-28): Swollen Abdomen – Normally, the cats’ belly, or abdomen, will grow noticeably larger over time, starting from the fourth week of pregnancy.

In around Week 5 (Days 29-35), it is recommended we seek veterinarians’ advices on the proper diet especially for pregnant cats, which is sometimes referred to as the “growth-formula” for the unborn kittens. This would enhance the growth of the unborn kittens as well as the supportive mother cat.

Repeated Vomiting – The hormone interactions start and increase in amount and frequency, which would induce cats to vomit, even though oftentimes there is nothing really to throw up. This phenomenon is similar to “morning-sickness” in human females.

Week 6 (Days 36-42): Behavioural Changes – The cats’ pregnancy has now become more obvious at this stage, and they would start to show some behavioural changes. Understandably, as in humans, the pregnant cats will start to move around more carefully, avoiding some risky actions such as stretching and twisting movements. If the cats are normally an “outgoing” type that usually likes going outside, they would probably prefer to stay indoors. At this stage, their appetite will keep increasing.

Starting from Week 7 (Days 43-49): “Quickening” Stage – The greatest behavioural changes will be displayed in cats at this stage. They start to show some signs of excitement, which is often referred to as the “quickening” stage of cat pregnancy because it is the stage when the foetuses start to move inside the mothers’ wombs. They would usually roll and stretch and start to look for a place to give birth. It would be safe for the cats as they start to stay indoors from the previous week, which could save a lot of complications.

Increased Privacy – Let us be reminded once again here that cats regard privacy highly, and it is note-worthy that they not only love, but need, privacy even more at this stage, especially towards the end of the whole pregnant period (that is, approaching delivery or labour), as they need a safe place for delivery where there is absolutely no disturbance. In this instance, they will show the sign of hiding, which is normal for pregnant cats (see “Why is a Cat Hiding?“ for abnormal instances where cats are not pregnant).

The “D” Day (Days 61-70): Delivery – The big day, the delivery or labour day, can start as early as the 61 days after cats conception, and as late as 70 days.

Unusually Affectionate – As mentioned, cats show physical and psychological changes during pregnancy. Besides the common signs that are mentioned above, cats can also show an unusually strong affection towards their favourite targets. They will show this by rubbing their bodies against the people’s feet, toys, other pets and/or furniture. Likewise, they will also seek more affection from others.

Of course, this may be simply a sign for cats to enter the heat cycle, but combined with other signs that are stated above, it is probably another sign of pregnancy.