Maomao overcame many difficulties and finally embarked on the "cat birth road" of "having children and raising children", and is about to usher in the happiness of a family with "a house full of children and grandchildren". What a joy! But what should owners do when faced with the important event of cat pregnancy? It is essential to give cats special care and careful care. The key is that as owners we should know how to do it! Let’s learn it together!

1. Pregnancy test

As the name suggests, it is to see if the cat is pregnant and to see what symptoms the cat has of pregnancy. Within three weeks of mating, the color of a pregnant cat's nipples changes from light pink to dark pink, and the hair next to the nipples will fall off, making the nipples particularly prominent. 3-4 weeks after conception, the cat’s belly will be obviously round. After this, the fetus is not so easy to feel out, but it can still be touched.

If necessary, the cat can also use ultrasound equipment to see the fetus within 2-3 weeks of pregnancy; 5 and a half weeks after pregnancy, X-rays can be taken to check the number of fetuses.

2. Nursing and nutrition

Generally, the pregnancy period of cats is 63-66 days, and some may last as long as 71 days. If it is a premature birth, most will be stillborn or die soon after delivery. Therefore, the nutrition of the female cat must be ensured during the cat's pregnancy period, and more protein and calories need to be supplemented. High-quality protein, such as appropriate amounts of dairy products, eggs and meat, can be added to dry feed (about 10% of the amount) to increase the protein content and taste of the food without destroying the nutritional balance.

The amount of feeding should gradually increase as the pregnancy lengthens. By the end of pregnancy, the female cat should eat twice as much as before pregnancy. However, due to the growth of the fetus and the pressure on surrounding organs, the female cat cannot eat all the food in two meals. Eat the required portion, so you must increase the frequency of feeding, or leave the food outside for the female cat to eat freely.

3. Expecting to give birth

When a cat is about to give birth, it is also a very important task. First of all, we must ensure that the female cat does not overfeed during pregnancy, or does not exercise enough to cause obesity and muscle relaxation, which will cause difficulties in giving birth. A cardboard box is the best and simplest delivery room. There is an opening 10-15 cm from the bottom to facilitate the entry and exit of the mother cat and prevent the kittens from falling out. It is best to have a lid that can be opened to take care of the kitten when necessary. It is best to let the female cat adapt to the box one week before giving birth. You can try to put a clean soft towel to encourage her to sleep in it.

4. Production

Usually 1-2 days before cats give birth, they will lose their appetite for food, be more restless than usual, meow more, or tear up the things in the birth box, or even vomit, etc.

The closer it is to giving birth, the more they will lick the abdomen and reproductive organs. If you do not place the female cat in the delivery room in advance, she may give birth on your bed, cupboard or other places!

5. Childbirth

Once the kitten is born, the fetal sac should be broken immediately to allow the kitten to breathe freely. Usually female cats will do this immediately, but some inexperienced or nervous female cats may forget it. If this is the case, parents should break the membrane sac immediately, otherwise the kitten will suffocate and die. If the umbilical cord has not fallen off at birth, the mother cat will clean the kittens after giving birth and bite the umbilical cord naturally.

If the mother cat has not started to clean the kitten 15 minutes after giving birth, parents can use clean thread or unwaxed dental floss to tie the umbilical cord 1-25 cm away from the body, and then quickly cut it off. Long umbilical cord. Note that an umbilical cord that is too short is prone to infection, so the remaining umbilical cord should not be too short! In addition, soak the broken end with iodine solution or disinfectant water to prevent the cat from being infected.

That’s basically all the preliminary work for cat pregnancy. If your cat is about to embark on this “cat birth road”, be sure to take a good look!