INTRESTING AWNSER

Q: What is the gestation period of a cat (How long is it pregnant)

A: A pregnant female cat has a gestation period of between 60 to 67 days. She could have a litter of babies just about every two months. That's six times a year a cat can have more kittens. Take that one step further, and assuming she has six kittens each time, she can give birth to a possible 36 kittens a year. So that's why Bob Barker was always telling his TV audience to get animals spayed and neutered!

More about cat pregnancy:
Several changes will occur in your pregnant queen. You may be able to tell right away that she is pregnant by her nipples swelling and becoming rosier in color. Breeders call this pinking'. Much like a human mother to be, a queen can have periods of morning sickness for a little while. But if this continues, the queen needs to be seen be a vet, because something could be wrong.

The Mom to be will want to eat more because she is carrying a litter of babies inside her. She will need a good nourishing diet, and plenty of protein now to create healthy thriving kittens. You can give her smaller more frequent meals, because she won't be able to eat large meals anymore. She will also need plenty of clean fresh water to stay hydrated.

By the 17th to 20 the day a veterinarian will be able to feel the babies inside your queen. An ultrasound can be done as early as two weeks to count how many kittens she has. As early as three weeks heartbeats can be heard. If your queen is healthy before becoming pregnant you may not have to take her to the vet during the pregnancy. But, if she has a large litter or is experiencing any problems you will want to get her checked out by a vet.

Your queen's personality may change also during the gestation period. She may crave more affection now. By all means make sure she gets all the attention she needs. Some pregnant females actually do the opposite and hide for two months. Much like a female human during pregnancy cats have hormones and many body changes occurring. Sometimes a female cat during pregnancy just feels really tired, and wants to be left alone.

During the queen's pregnancy she will also be nesting. Once she starts searching for a place to give birth to the kittens, then it is time to create a warm comfortable area for the birthing process. She might just create a birthing area on her own, by taking over old clothes left in a heap in a corner. Watch her carefully in the final days because she will be very uncomfortable and may start moving around a lot more in search of a proper place to give birth.

Once she has the kittens, she will continue to need loving care, desiring a diet high in protein to feed the newborn babies.

Now that your queen has given birth to beautiful kittens, and she has become a warm loving Mother, it's time to think about getting her spayed. Depending on whether you want her to have more litters of kittens is your choice. Talk to the vet about when the right time is to have her spayed. Then this way she won't be populating the neighborhood with an overabundance of kittens.