Taking Care of a Pregnant Queen

The gestation period of a cat usually lasts 63 to 64 days, beginning from the day of conception. Sometimes, a queen won’t give birth until the 67th day of her pregnancy. This is still considered normal, and is rarely a cause for worry.

Queens expecting a small litter will not begin to show an enlarged womb until the latter phase of their pregnancy, whereas queens expecting a large litter will have a heavy womb early on in their pregnancy. Four weeks after mating, it is ideal that the queen be brought to a vet for examination. The vet will be able to confirm whether or not she is pregnant, and will also be able to assess her health.

As soon as your queen is confirmed to be pregnant, you must take extra care to prevent anything or anyone from bumping into her by accident. If a queen is jostled too much during the first few weeks of pregnancy, she may give birth to stillborn kittens.

Be sure that your queen always has enough food and water. You will have to increase her food intake as her pregnancy progresses in order to help her keep up with the nutritional demand of the growing kittens.

Consider feeding your queen only the highest quality of cat food you can acquire. You can also research the basic principles of the raw feeding diet in case you are looking for an alternate, more natural way to feed your cat. Remember that your queen’s diet will affect the health of her kittens as well. You can also consult your vet regarding supplements and other such vitamins that will help ensure your queen has enough milk after she gives birth. Invest in your queen’s immune system. See to it that her immediate environment is always clean and free of fleas, and other parasites.

Make it a point to record any obvious changes in your queen’s behavior and body, especially during the last leg of her pregnancy. Keeping a record of your queen’s pregnancy details will help the vet in case of an emergency. It is of importance that you have someone check on your queen every so often, whenever you cannot stay with her. Exercise her regularly in order to stave off obesity, and to help alleviate her stress.

Above all, exert as much effort as needed in order to make your queen’s pregnancy an easy and pleasant experience. Prepare for whelping a week before her due date, and bring her to the vet at once if you notice anything strange with her body or behavior.