Knowledge of cat care becomes vital if you posses a cat as pet. Special treatment is required when it comes to cat illnesses, nurturing, feeding, vaccination or neutering. More over if your cat is pregnant you have to work harder. There are various stages of cat pregnancy and at every stage the requirement of nutrition changes.
A cat remains pregnant generally for 62 to 67 days or around 9 to 10 weeks. Consult a veterinarian if the gestation period exceeds the time frame. Here is a brief description regarding various stages of cat pregnancy.
1st week: In the first week fertilization takes place and the fertilized egg move towards the uterus.
2nd week: In the uterus the fertilized eggs gets implanted. Here the eggs start growing as embryos.
3rd week: In the third week “pinking” (or rosiness and swelling) of the nipples can be noticed. The mammary gland has started to grow.
4th week: During this week the cat may not feel good. If it is vomiting a number of times in a day, take it to a veterinarian.
5th week: Now the babies have grown to the size of a walnut. A veterinarian can count the number of babies in the womb.
6th week: The babies have grown and so is the food requirement of mother cat. Cat now needs good quality food. Quantity of food also increases with respect to what it was before pregnancy.
7th week: The size of the womb increases.
8th week: Now if you touch the cat’s belly, you can easily feel the small kittens inside it. The requirement of water grows during this period.
9th week: In the ninth week the mother starts refusing food. Cat diet decreases during this period. This indicates that the time of birth is very close. Within 24 to 48 hrs the litters should start arriving.
10th week: If still the babies have not arrived then take your cat to a good veterinarian to avoid any complications.
Now as you know the various stages of cat pregnancy, you can calculate the period when the delivery can occur. In case you have to assist your cat’s birthing process stay prepared. Always have your veterinarian’s number nearby. Keep clean towels cut into squares. Large towels will be needed for the nesting box. Keep sterile gloves, gauze and scissors. Ear bulb syringe will be needed to clean the mucous. Also keep hot and cold water in clean bowls.
After the various stages of cat pregnancy are over, it is very exciting to see the cat giving birth to kittens. But this happiness brings lots of responsibility along with it. After the birth of the kittens keep feeding the mother cat with good cat food. Give her plenty of water. Her feedings must increase from 3 times to 5 times a day. Feed her in small quantities and take good care of the new family.
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