How Long Are Cats Pregnant
Feline pregnancy lasts about 63 to 65 days. What happens week by week, how to prepare for the birth, and the signs that labour is going wrong.
Is this an emergency?
Strong contractions for more than half an hour with no kitten, more than two hours between kittens, or dark green discharge with no kitten all mean labour is not progressing. Call without waiting.
- Days 21 to 25An ultrasound confirms the pregnancy and shows the heartbeats.
- Week 5Weight gain becomes visible; move her onto kitten food.
- Day 45An x-ray is the reliable way to count the kittens, and that number matters during the birth.
- The day beforeHer temperature drops, she becomes restless and looks for the nest.
Sixty three to sixty five days on average. If nothing has started by day seventy, call.
Feline pregnancy lasts about 63 to 65 days, roughly nine weeks. Anything from 61 to 70 days can be normal.
How pregnancy is confirmed
Ultrasound from around day 21 to 25 confirms pregnancy and shows heartbeats. X-ray from around day 45, once the skeletons have mineralised, is the reliable way to count kittens, and knowing the number matters at the birth: it tells you whether one is still inside.
Nipples become pink and enlarge from around the third week, which is the earliest visible sign, but it is not reliable on its own.
Through the pregnancy
Weight gain becomes obvious from around the fifth week. From the sixth week the abdomen enlarges noticeably and movement may be felt.
Energy requirements rise substantially in the second half. A pregnant queen should move onto kitten food, which is more energy dense, and be fed to appetite. She cannot fit large meals in as the pregnancy advances, so feed small amounts more often.
Do not give any medication, including worming and flea products, without checking that it is safe in pregnancy.
Preparing for the birth
Set up a nesting box a week or two beforehand: a cardboard box in a quiet, warm, dim place, with low sides she can step over and clean bedding. Put it where she chooses, not where you would prefer.
Have to hand: clean towels, a box, the clinic number and your notes.
Signs labour is starting
Body temperature drops in the day before. She becomes restless, seeks the nest, refuses food, may pant and vocalise, and grooms her rear intensively.
First stage can last several hours with no visible straining.
Second stage is active straining. A kitten normally arrives within thirty minutes of strong contractions starting.
Between kittens, ten minutes to an hour is normal, and queens can pause for longer. Each kitten is followed by its placenta; count them.
When to call
- Strong contractions for more than 30 minutes with no kitten
- More than two hours between kittens when you know more are due
- Dark green or black discharge with no kitten following
- Fresh bleeding
- A kitten visible and stuck for more than a few minutes
- The queen is exhausted, collapsed or in obvious distress
- Pregnancy has passed 70 days with no labour
Flat faced breeds and queens carrying a single large kitten are at higher risk of needing a caesarean.
After the birth
Kittens should nurse within a couple of hours; the first milk carries the antibodies that protect them. Keep the room warm, since newborns cannot regulate their own temperature.
Watch the queen for fever, a foul smelling discharge, or a hot painful mammary gland. Watch the kittens for steady weight gain, weighing daily for the first fortnight.
If you did not intend to breed
Queens can come back into season while still nursing, so an unspayed cat can be pregnant again very quickly. Talk to us about timing a spay once the kittens are weaned.