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Happy Spring Equinox! Spring is the season of new life, and that includes new kittens. Two weeks ago, we looked at the reproductive cycles and mating behavior of cats. Now, we look at what naturally comes next. I’ll cover the stages of cat pregnancy, birth, and the basics of kitten development. Additionally, I will continue to debunk common myths about feline reproduction.
Cat Pregnancy
A she-cat carrying or raising kittens is called a queen. Queens are pregnant for approximately nine weeks (2, 5, 6, 9). About three weeks in, queens begin to show signs of pregnancy (9). This is also when it first becomes possible to confirm pregnancy because a veterinarian can then feel the kittens inside the abdomen (8, 9). An ultrasound will also do the trick (8). The symptoms of a cat pregnancy include:
- Weight gain (4, 9)
- Increased appetite (2, 9)
- Dark/pink, swollen nipples (2, 4, 9)
If you have a pregnant queen on your hands, make sure to feed her food approved for “growth and reproduction” life stages. This is usually labeled as kitten food, but it has the nutrients queens need to nourish themselves and their kittens as well. As her pregnancy progresses, she will need her food delivered in frequent, small meals (8). There is less room for food in there, after all!
As a cat nears the end of her pregnancy, she begins looking for a nesting site (2, 5, 8, 9). In the wild, a queen seeks out a dry, safe, hidden, and defensible location to kit. She usually picks out several so that she has places to move her kittens if danger threatens the original nest. An indoor cat will exhibit essentially the same behavior. She may appreciate being provided with a box, basket, or bed lined with soft bedding (5, 8, 9). Or she may choose to have her kittens under the kitchen sink, or some other weird place. She will pick wherever she thinks is safest. When the time comes, cats give birth to an average of four kittens (2, 4).
Birth
When a queen is near to kitting, she will probably visit her nest site(s) repeatedly and make adjustments to the bedding (4). She may become restless or anxious (8). Queens with humans may act more affectionate and seek comfort, or do the opposite and become withdrawn (4, 9). They may meow, purr, or pant (4, 5). The queen cleans around her vulva and nipples (5). This is thought to strengthen her scent there and lay a trail for the newborn kittens to follow toward the milk supply (5). During this time contractions begin, but no kittens appear (5). This first stage of labor can last as long as 36 hours in new mothers (4).
When the queen enters the next phase of labor, the contractions strengthen and the first kitten is born (4). The placenta soon follows (4). As soon as she pushes each kitten out, the queen bites open the amniotic sac that surrounds them, licks their mouth and nose clear, and bites off the umbilical cord (4, 5). The queen eats the placentas and licks her kittens to clean them and stimulate them to breathe (4, 5). The time interval between kittens varies from ten minutes to an hour (4). Sometimes, labor may stop after one or more kittens, only to resume as much as 36 hours later to deliver the rest (4).
With the exception of some purebred cats, queens usually kit without a hitch. If you have a pregnant cat, though, make sure you know the phone number of both your veterinarian and the nearest emergency vet just in case. If you think anything seems wrong, call. Make sure you know ahead of time how many kittens to expect so you know if somebody hasn’t arrived yet. Get in touch with a vet if your queen has had contractions for more than an hour with no kitten arrival or if two hours have gone by without the next birth (8). If a kitten has been in the birth canal more than a minute or two, take your cat straight to the vet (8).
Myth #1: If you touch very young kittens, the mother cat will abandon them.
Scent is very important to cats. There’s no doubt about that. And queens do occasionally abandon one or more kittens for a variety of reasons: the kittens may be sick, deformed, or unresponsive (3, 5). But if this is your cat and her kittens we’re talking about, there’s no need to worry about touching the kittens. Your own cat who is familiar with your scent has no reason to be alarmed at finding it on her offspring (3). It will not cause her to reject them (3). You can even move the kittens to a safer nesting site if you need to–although there’s no guarantee their mother won’t move them again somewhere she likes better (3). Try not to separate the queen and kittens for the first few days if you can help it, however (8).
Myth #2: If you spay a cat that has kittens, she’ll stop producing milk for them.
This is a common belief that sometimes causes problems for people. It makes perfect sense, but it isn’t true. A queen can go on feeding her kittens even after she’s been spayed. In fact, spayed she-cats that have never given birth will start producing milk if a kitten suckles them long enough (3). They can help surrogate orphan kittens this way (3). She-cats start going back into heat shortly after giving birth, so this misconception can be dangerous. People who think they need to leave their she-cat intact to feed her kittens may get stuck in a cycle of perpetual kitting. Nobody can find homes for that many unplanned kittens. This is a myth we really need to dispel.
Kittens
Neonate (0-2 Weeks)
Kittens are born with their eyes closed and their ears folded shut. They can barely wriggle; walking is certainly out of the question. They also can’t control their body temperature or eliminate waste on their own (1, 7). Newborn kittens rely on their mother for everything, not just food. She keeps them warm and clean, she stimulates them to urinate and defecate, and she defends them from any danger. For the first 4-5 days, neonates (from the Greek for “new” and Latin for “born”) will still have the remains of their umbilical cords attached (7). It will then fall off on its own (7). These tiny kittens weight on average 100 grams (5, 7). They can’t do much and sleep most of the time. They can purr and make distress calls, though, so they can communicate with the queen (1).
During the first week, kittens’ ears slowly start to open up (1, 7). Their eyes follow suit a couple days later (1, 7). All kittens are born with blue eyes. At the end of the first week, kittens will have doubled their birth weight (1, 5, 7). Over the course of the second week, their eyes and ears will finish opening, although their vision will take a while to reach its full potential (1, 7). Two-week-old kittens can walk a bit, but they are awfully wobbly (1, 7). Kittens this age will also start to hiss at unfamiliar scents or sounds (1). They can knead, but they cannot retract their claws yet (1).
Baby Tiger (3-5 Weeks)
A kitten’s first teeth, their incisors, come in at three weeks (1, 6, 7). They start to be able to eliminate on their own, and kittens in an indoor environment may experiment with the litter box (1, 7). They begin to be able to regulate their own body temperature as well (7). Kittens will start exploring and playing in earnest around this time (1, 6, 7).
A queen starts weaning her kittens when they are about four weeks old (5). In the wild, she also teaches them how to hunt (5). For pet cats, this is a good age to begin socializing kittens (1). Kittens at this age don’t have to be at their mother’s side every moment, so their people can start to spend some time getting them used to being handled. This is also the age when kittens’ fur coat fills out and things like markings and coat length become more apparent (1). At five weeks, a kitten’s eyesight is fully-developed, and the playtime starts to get wild (1).
Older Kitten (6-8 Weeks)
A six-week-old kitten has all of their baby teeth (7). This is typically the age when kittens are brought to the veterinarian for their first exam and vaccinations (1, 8). Kittens this age know how to clean themselves and will groom their littermates, too (1). At seven weeks, their adult eye color starts to develop (7). Some cats will keep their blue eyes, but most will change to another eye color.
At eight weeks, kittens are usually fully weaned (1, 6, 7). Kittens are sometimes adopted out at this age, as they are pretty independent from their mother. It is possible to spay/neuter kittens at eight weeks if they have reached two pounds (0.91 kg) (1, 7).
Teenager (3-12 Months)
Although growth slows down a bit, a lot still has to happen before a kitten’s first year is over. They will shed their baby teeth and grow permanent ones (6). They’ll go through puberty around six months old and she-cats will have their first heat cycle (6). By that age, kittens are 80-90% of their final size (6). Teenage cats push boundaries and try new things, trying to get a sense of the world and their place in it (6). They’ll put on more muscle mass (6) and start to lose their kitten fluff. Kittens are quite fully mature at the end of their first year, but they’re almost there (6). A few more months and they’ll be all grown up (6).
Myth #3: Kittens must be six months old before they can be spayed/neutered.
It used to be the conventional wisdom that kittens needed to be six months old to be sterilized. Sometimes veterinarians may still recommend this. However, we now know that she-cats can have their first heat as early as four months old, and they can have kittens the first time they go into heat. In other words, it’s possible for a kitten to have kittens, which can lead to complications that a full-grown queen would not have. These days, it is becoming more common to instead recommend that a kitten be at least eight weeks old and at least two pounds (0.91 kg) to be sterilized (1, 6, 7). This prevents a lot more unwanted heat cycles and pregnancies.
Works Cited
- Alley Cat Allies. (n.d.). How old is that kitten? Kitten progression: At-a-glance. Alleycat.org. https://www.alleycat.org/resources/kitten-progression/
- Bukowski, J. A. and Aiello, S. (2011, July). Breeding and reproduction of cats. Merck Veterinary Manual. https://www.merckvetmanual.com/cat-owners/routine-care-and-breeding-of-cats/breeding-and-reproduction-of-cats
- E-staff. (2007, June 21). Mothering myths & truths. CatWatch. Retrieved from https://www.catwatchnewsletter.com/features/mothering-myths-truths/
- International Cat Care. (2018, July 31). Cat birth. https://icatcare.org/advice/cat-birth/
- International Cat Care. (2018, July 31). Cat pregnancy. https://icatcare.org/advice/cat-pregnancy/
- Moore, A. (2001). The kitten owner’s manual. Storey Publishing: North Adams, Massachusetts.
- Shaw, H. (n.d.). Determining a kitten’s age. Kitten Lady. http://www.kittenlady.org/age
- Stregowski, J. (2020, October 17). How to care for a pregnant cat. The Spruce Pets. https://www.thesprucepets.com/care-of-a-pregnant-cat-555417
- Syufy, F. (2019, October 22). Cat pregnancy stages. The Spruce Pets. https://www.thesprucepets.com/cat-pregnancy-stages-555411
Published March 21, 2021
Very i formative especially for folks who have never been through the kitten process.