Symptoms of cat pregnancy are just as important to recognize as the symptoms of a cat in heat that we talked about before.
If you have an intact female, and she was outside for any length of time for any reason, you’ll need to watch her to ascertain if she is or isn’t pregnant.
Knowing the symptoms of cat pregnancy is key to spotting cat pregnancy early so you’ll know what’s happening with your cat.
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Symptoms of Cat Pregnancy
It’s important to note that all of the following symptoms work together to let you know if your cat is pregnant.
On their own, each of these symptoms don’t necessarily mean that your cat is pregnant, and can, in fact, be a sign of an illness of some sort.
So the key to assessing if your cat is pregnant is to look at the overall picture and how many signs of possible pregnancy are existent simultaneously.
Pinking Up
Anywhere from 15 to 18 days into pregnancy, your cat will show one of the first symptoms of pregnancy – Pinking Up. Pinking Up is a process in which your cats nipples become enlarged and red.
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Vomiting
Cats can sometimes have the feline equivalent of morning sickness. While not limited to the morning, pregnant cats will often have vomiting stage in their pregnancy which generally comes early.
Never assume that vomiting is pregnancy related, especially if your cat shows other symptoms of distress.
Abdominal Swelling
Of course, as her kittens grow, so will your mama cat’s belly. On its own this is not necessarily one of the symptoms of pregnancy, so take her overall healthy into account.
Increased Appetite
Increased appetite can be a strong sing of pregnancy when couple with other symptoms. To support their babies’ growth and milk production, pregnant cats will show an increased appetite.
However, on its own, this could be a sign of worms or another underlying condition.
Weight Gain
Along with increased appetite, one of the stronger signs of cat pregnancy is weight gain. A pregnant cant will generally gain between 2.5 to 5 pounds.
If you notice your cat gaining weight but you’re not feeding her extra food, this could be a sign of pregnancy. However, if no other signs are present, this could be a symptom of another problem.
Extra Friendly Kitty
Similar the increased demand for attention while she’s in heat, a pregnant cat will become extremely friendly and demanding of your attention.
Her hormones set off a cascade of maternal instincts in her body, one of them being an extra friendly demeanor.
Symptoms of Cat Pregnancy – The Big Picture
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On their own, most of the individual of cat pregnancy can point to other health issues, so it’s important to take the big picture into account when trying to determine if your cat is pregnant.
If your cat is truly pregnant, you should see more than one sign. If you only see one of the symptoms of pregnancy such as weight gain, vomiting, or abdominal swelling, for example, they could be signs of something else.
In any event, never try to diagnose your cat, or any pet for that matter, on your own. If your cat shows one or even all of the symptoms of cat pregnancy it’s still vitally important that you take her in to the vet as soon as possible to either get confirmation of your cat’s pregnancy or determine the underlying cause of her current symptoms.
Have you ever dealt with cat pregnancy? Share your experiences below!
Ben is an animal lover, blogger, and all around geek. He divides his love equally between his family, his animals, and his video games. In his spare time he is attempting to get a blog off the ground. Boy, are they heavy!
My cat always gets super sweet during the first part of her pregnancy
I am not a cat person but my best friend owns a cat. She is definitely going to love your post.
While we have three cats of our own, all have been spade. These are such great signs to watch out for if you’re someone who has a cat that hasn’t been!
Aw! It’s always great to know the symptoms of animals being pregnant. I recently started to like cats so I didn’t know anything about them; great info!
It is so sweet to see that you care about cats so much to write such a generous post about them. Love it.
I don’t have kitties but I do want to own some cats and dogs in the future so knowing when they are pregnant will come in useful. Its sad they go through nausea and sickness too :/ x
Now I know! If I ever get cats I will be vigilant and will spot the first signs! I’ll have to show this to my mom, she has a young kitten Thanks for the post!
I don’t have a cat or ever had but this information is good to know for my own general knowledge 🙂
Interesting info I could def share with my cat-loving friends! I’ve never had a cat and am slightly allergic but love all animals <3
I never thought about the various things that cat were experiencing during pregnancy. I do know that I had a few cats who ended up having kittens. I didn’t notice about whether they were more clingy then. Very interesting post.
Oh it is so great that your post is covering the pregnancy of cats. Will share this post with my friends who love cat.
Hope she’s in a good condition. Congrats for the expectant mommy kitten and you as well. Looking forward for the little ones.
Don’t have a cat but maybe one day I will, thanks for sharing!
Thanks for the info. And why are people who dont own cats commenting or even reading this 😂
I have a cat but i don’t know if she is pregnat . She got really heavy and will not let me pet her stomach.