What is the duration of pregnancy in cats?

To make such an important event in the life of your cat as the birth of kittens, did not become an unexpected surprise and did not take you by surprise, gather at least a minimum of information about the course of pregnancy and, first of all, about how many days the cat has a pregnancy.

Term of gestation

Trying to find the answer to the question of how long the pregnancy is in a cat, you, of course, refer to the special literature where it will be clearly indicated: "the average indicator of the duration of pregnancy in a cat is 9 weeks." But! There are also data, which are based on the practical experience of veterinarians and professional felinologists. So, as practice shows, the cat nurses offspring 58 - 72 days. And, oddly enough, for short-haired cats, the duration of pregnancy may be less than for long-haired cats (58-68 days against 63-72). / Once again, note that this is data based on practical observations. / In addition, the number of kittens in the proposed litter may also affect the duration of the period. Thus, a large litter, as a rule, is born before the average period and vice versa - the reason for a somewhat prolonged pregnancy can be the "presence" of only one or two kittens.

Pregnancy and cat breeds

The timing of the bearing of kittens can also be influenced by the breed of the cat. Although this fact also has a clear scientific justification. So, for example, in Scottish cats the gestation period is 65 days (plus or minus one or two days). But in cats of the breed "Sphinx", in particular Canadian, the gestation period is slightly less - 62-63 days. Approximately the same terms of pregnancy and in cats Britons. If you consider the pregnancy of a cat, in particular the British, for weeks, then the following picture is observed. Clearly diagnose pregnancy can be approximately for a period of three weeks. Until then, the possible onset of pregnancy is judged only by external signs - a longer sleep in a secluded place, sometimes a refusal to eat, there may be vomiting (like toxicosis in women). Approximately in the second week the appetite returns, and the urge to vomit, on the contrary, ceases. With a three-week pregnancy, the cat has a noticeable rounding of the abdomen and a swelling of the nipples. For 20-30 days before childbirth (or for 3-4 weeks), the kittens begin to move, and approximately a day before the happy moment of delivery the stomach strongly sags.