How Long Are Cats Pregnant?

Once you do determine that your cat is pregnant (or if you found a pregnant stray cat), you may have a lot of questions. You may wonder how long she’ll stay pregnant, how feline labor and birth work, not to mention what to expect after she gives birth. Understanding the stages of pregnancy, the signs to look for, and the care your cat will need along the way can help prepare you for what’s to come.

Read on to answer all your questions about cat pregnancy, in addition to how you can ensure that brand-new kittens find loving, adoptive homes.

How long are cats pregnant?

The average cat pregnancy lasts 65 days. However, most of the time, we do not know exactly when a cat mated, so the precise start date of most cat pregnancies is unknown. A pregnant cat, also known as a queen, has an estimated gestational period of approximately 57 to 72 days.

Cats are seasonally polyestrous, which means they have multiple heat cycles within a breeding season. For cats in the U.S., this breeding cycle typically lasts from late winter through the following fall. Their heat cycles are stimulated by the longer length of days which typically occur in spring and summer, though this may extend slightly into other seasons as well.

Veterinarians do not typically use the trimester system to describe the stages of pregnancy in cats, although it may be useful for pet parents to think about pregnancy in this manner. This can help differentiate early pregnancy from the more advanced stages of pregnancy. Here’s a breakdown of a cat’s pregnancy stages and the signs of pregnancy to look for.

Early pregnancy, or the first trimester (days 1 to 21)

During the first few weeks of pregnancy, fertilization occurs and embryonic development begins. From days 15 to 17, your vet may be able to detect the pregnancy and confirm fetal heartbeats via ultrasound. As the pregnancy progresses, your vet may be able to feel the fetuses by palpating a pregnant cat’s belly. This is most reliable between days 21 to 35 of the pregnancy. 

Advanced pregnancy, or second trimester (days 22 to 42)

Starting around the third week of pregnancy, the queen will begin gaining weight and experiencing a heightened appetite. She may also become more vocal and increasingly seek out the attention of her pet parents. Her belly will enlarge and her mammary glands may also begin to swell. 

As the pregnancy advances, your vet may be able to detect the developing fetuses’ heartbeats with a stethoscope. Around this time, your vet may recommend increasing the queen’s feedings to accommodate her additional caloric needs. It is important to provide a diet rich in protein, fats, and the other nutrients needed during pregnancy — so be sure to feed her a diet labeled specifically for pregnant cats and kittens, or all life stages. 

Late pregnancy, or third trimester (days 43 to 65)

During the final weeks of a cat’s pregnancy, you’ll likely notice increased nesting and grooming behaviors. It’s important to provide the queen with safe, comfortable, and secluded places for her to rest. This could be as simple as a large cardboard box lined with soft bedding, or a quiet room where she can come and go freely. Be sure she has access to food, water, and a litter box in her nesting area, and clean and replace the bedding frequently. 

In the last few days of pregnancy, the fetal kittens will be fully developed. You can often see and feel the kittens moving as little undulating waves and spasms across the queen’s abdomen. By this point, the queen will have a very large belly and may spend most of her time lying down and resting.

Around day 65, most cats will begin labor. It’s crucial to provide a safe, enclosed, comfortable, quiet, and clean area in your home where your cat can give birth. Ideally, this area will be tucked away to provide the queen with privacy. It is very important to give her space while she is giving birth: Mom and kittens should not be handled during the labor and delivery process unless there is a medical emergency. Stress during labor and delivery can actually stop a cat’s labor and/or interfere with her caring for her newborn kittens. In extreme cases, she might abandon the newborn kittens if she feels especially scared or stressed.

Yakov Knyazev / Stocksy/

Kittening

The birthing process for cats, also known as kittening, is split into three phases.

1. In the first phase, intermittent contractions begin. Your cat may appear restless, pant, and frequently paw at — and circle in — her bed.

2. In the second phase, contractions become intense, the mother cat will begin to push, and the first kitten will be born. The queen will break the amniotic sac (if present), chew through the umbilical cord, and lick the kitten clean. 

3. In the third phase, the placenta will pass and the queen usually eats it. After this, the second phase repeats with another kitten being delivered every 30 to 60 minutes until they are all born. If a cat is pushing for more than 60 minutes without another kitten being delivered, it is important to watch her closely and contact your vet, as this can be a sign of a problem with delivery. 

Caring for your cat and kittens after birth

After your cat has given birth, she will probably be exhausted and quite hungry. It’s crucial that the recovery area be quiet (removed from noises and distractions) and comfortable, so your cat feels safe nursing and bonding with her babies. Make sure the bedding is warm, dry, and clean.

If she is in an acutely stressful environment and doesn’t feel safe, there is a risk the mother will reject the kittens or become too stressed to allow them to nurse. Clean water and food should be available at all times and within her reach while she is nursing. Free feeding is often beneficial for the first month of the mother’s lactation.

After kittening, make sure your cat has everything she needs to recover, bond with, and care for her kittens. Give her some space during this sensitive time, unless she is actively seeking to be close to you. You can observe from a distance to ensure all the kittens seem to be nursing, gaining weight, and that the queen is eating and healthy. It is normal for the queen to have vaginal discharge after giving birth, and this may last up to three weeks.

Additionally, separate the mother and kittens from other pets in the home to reduce the risk of disease spread to the newborns. Avoid handling the newborn kittens as much as possible, and wear gloves if you do need to handle them.

Photocreo Bednarek / AdobeStock/

Finding homes for the kitties

Once the kittens reach eight weeks of age, you can wean them from their mother and put them up for adoption. Well before this point, the kittens will have started eating solid food, and by eight weeks of age, they no longer need to nurse at all. At this point, they should have received several doses of dewormer and one set of vaccines. Because of the overwhelming number of cats and kittens in shelters needing homes, it’s also a good idea to set up spay-and-neuter appointments for the mother cat and her kittens, to prevent future litters.

Rehome the kittens

Through Adopt a Pet’s Rehome service, you can create eye-catching, informative adoption posts and directly place your kittens into adoptive homes, sparing them from being surrendered to a shelter or rescue. This option will allow you to personally review applicants and find the perfect home for each kitten.

Reach out to a shelter or rescue

Because young kittens are especially vulnerable to infections in shelter environments — many of which are already full of pets needing homes — it’s best to avoid taking them there if you foster the cats yourself. A shelter may be able to provide you with food, supplies, and veterinary care so that you can keep the kittens in your home until they’re ready to be adopted.

If you cannot keep the kittens in your home, the shelter or rescue group can place the cats in other foster homes in the area. These organizations often have extensive foster networks to find other foster families to care for the kittens as they look for permanent homes. Shelters and rescue groups can also post about these available kittens on their websites and social media pages to reach more potential adopters in your area.

Commonly asked questions

How many times can a cat get pregnant in a year?

Depending on their heat cycles, a cat can become pregnant multiple times within a year. For outdoor cats, this usually maxes out at around three times per year, based on the seasons and duration of longer days. In planned breeding programs, it could be more often since they can use exposure to artificial light to induce additional heat cycles.

What is kitten season?

Kitten season describes the time of year when most kittens are born, which in the U.S. typically lasts from April through October. This coincides with the time of year when the days are longer and the sun sets later, which stimulates female cats to go into heat.

How many kittens can a cat have in one litter?

The average litter size for cats is four kittens. Older cats tend to have fewer kittens per litter, and some breeds are also known for having small litters. In rare cases, cats can have much larger litters of kittens too. The largest documented litter included 18 kittens.

At what age can a cat get pregnant?

A cat can get pregnant as young as four months of age. Because they have not reached full physical maturity at this point, pregnancy at this age can be risky. Most cats have more infrequent heat cycles starting around age eight, so they are less likely to become pregnant after that age as well. It is still possible, however, and they are more likely to have pregnancy complications with advanced age.

What do I do with a pregnant stray cat?

If you find a pregnant stray cat, you may want to reach out to a shelter or rescue and ask if they have a foster program. Through a foster program, the rescue may be able to supply you or another foster with the vet care and food that the mother cat and kittens need until they are old enough to be adopted. 

References

Root Kustritz, Margaret V. “Clinical Management of Pregnancy in Cats.” Theriogenology, vol. 66, no. 1, July 2006, pp. 145–150, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.theriogenology.2006.03.018.

Johnson, Aime K. “Normal Feline Reproduction: The Queen.” Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, vol. 24, no. 3, 25 Feb. 2022, pp. 204–211, https://doi.org/10.1177/1098612x221079706.

‌Holst, Bodil Ström. “Feline Breeding and Pregnancy Management: What Is Normal and When to Intervene.” Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, vol. 24, no. 3, 25 Feb. 2022, pp. 221–231, https://doi.org/10.1177/1098612x221079708.