Care of Your Pregnant Cat

Due Date

To calculate the due date of your cat, count 65 days from the FIRST date the two cats were bred. It is not unusual for a cat to go as long as 70 days from the FIRST date of breeding. Many breeders will breed their queen for 1-4 days. I usually do not go past four days because kittens could be born on the first day of breeding as well as the later days and those younger kittens might not survive.

Here is a link to the Cat Gestation Calendar.

Confinement

I usually put my pregnant queen into an enclosure about 2-3 weeks before her due date. Confinement gets the mom used to her birthing area and her birthing box before she has the kittens. I do not believe that it is safe for pregnant cats to be jumping and running around because they may not be used to the extra weight they are carrying. Do not put any shelves in the birthing enclosure to prevent the mom from jumping. My enclosures for a birthing mom are approximately 30” x 30” x 62” (32.3 sq ft.), but a smaller size around 20 sq ft is about the smallest I would go if no other options were available.

Litter

Whatever you do, do not allow your cat to have clumping or clay litter. If she decides to have her kittens in the litterbox, the kittens will be a mess and it will be very difficult to get them cleaned up. I use the Tidy Cats Breeze Litterbox system. This litterbox uses pellets which are safe for kittens.

If you use clumping litter and do not want to switch, then as soon as a “bubble” appears on your queen then either remove or cover the litterbox to prevent her from having her kittens in it.

Birthing Box

I use a pet kennel without the lock/nuts on them, so the top just lifts off to allow you to check on the queen and the kittens. I put a folded towel draped over the top to provide privacy for the cat and put another towel or pee-pee pad on the bottom of the carrier for the cat to birth on. I prefer a pet carrier that has a top creating a “den” for the cat. Afterall, in the wild they would be giving birth in a small hole. I also like using towels better than a pee-pee pad for the queen to birth on as they absorb the birthing fluids better. At least, I think so.

Here is a link to the Kennels I use. PetMate Vari-Kennel, 21"L x 16"W x 15"H

Some breeders like to use an over-sized UNUSED litterbox as a birthing box.

Diet

I feed an All Life Stages cat food to my cats and I do not believe in “special” diets. But that is just me. Many breeders supplement their normal dry food with calcium-rich items: yogurt, cottage cheese, goat’s milk, etc.). However, to me that is a good way to cause (1) diarrhea and / or (2) Hypercalcemia. If your cat is healthy and you are feeding a premium diet, there should be no need for supplementation in her diet.

Medications

I usually have Oxytocin on hand. This can assist a queen if she gets dystocia (stalled or slowed labor) which can be caused by an obstruction (a kitten) or a functional deficiency of the uterine muscle. Your veterinarian can prescribe Oxytocin and tell you the dosage to use. I also give what is called a “clean out shot” after the last kitten is born to make sure the queen has passed all placentas and tissue. This can help to prevent infection (pyometra). I also give my queens a shot of long-acting Penicillin at the end of labor. I usually will put the mom on Clavamox for 7-10 days post-delivery. Some breeders do not do this and others do. It is an individual breeder’s choice.

Ultra-Sounds or X-Rays

I do not take my queens to the vet for ultra-sound or x-ray as I do not want to expose them to possible germs, etc. at the veterinarians. UNLESS I suspect there may be an issue with the mom.

Some breeders do take their queens into the vet to get these tests so they know the size of the litter, size of kittens, etc.

Veterinarian

Make sure you have an established relationship with a veterinarian prior to your cat’s queening date in case of emergency or a c-section.