What Affects The Size Of The Cat Litter
There are various factors that influence the size of a cat's litter. First of all, each kitten is from different eggs, so when a female cat mates with its male, its eggs are released. Thus, the more exposed a female cat is to the male, the larger the litter will be.
Secondly, age also plays an important role in determining the size of the cat litter. If your cat is old, the litters are smaller. If your cat is giving birth for the first time, you can expect just one to three kittens at a time.
Thirdly, some breeds tend to have more kittens than others. For example, Siamese cats typically have a larger litter of babies, which are more than five, while Persian cats only give birth to one to three babies per litter.
Next, the health status of your cat can affect how many kittens there are in a litter. If your furry friend is healthy, she can produce larger litters.
If your cat has infections such as feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) and feline panleukopenia virus (FPV), there can be smaller or stillborn kittens. If your cat is infected during pregnancy, surviving kittens still can have disabilities and poor cognitive improvement.
In addition, stress can negatively influence your cat's pregnancy, which means she feels insecure or unsafe, the size of litters can be smaller. The fathers are important as well. His health, fertility, and genetics can affect the size of the litters.
The environment is crucial for the cat to give birth. If your cat stays indoors, which is often exposed to artificial lights, it can have year-round cycles.
How to Tell How Many Kittens Your Cat Will Have
You can expect to have small furry balls after 60 to 67 days into pregnancy. Nevertheless, it's best to ask your vegetarian to predict how many babies there will be. The vet can confirm pregnancy 16 days after pairing and the exact number within a month.
Some common measures to calculate are the number of kittens in the previous litter, palpation, X-ray, and ultrasounds.
Checking the number of kittens is vital. There are many possibilities such as the kittens in the tummy are too big to go through the canal, or some of the kids stay in the mother's womb and can't come out. Knowing these things will help you prepare in advance.
Help Your Friend In This Difficult Time
A cat's pregnancy lasts about 60 to 67 days. Nonetheless, you can tell her labor time is coming by various signs. For example, she is eating less, her appetite decreases, she starts nesting, etc.
Since cats like to sleep more often, you can prepare a nice, cozy bed with quiet surroundings for your friend. Moreover, she likes to hide a lot, so you can consider building her a cat cave to hide. Providing nutritious food is crucial as well.
When a cat is in labor, panting is extremely normal. Your cats will clean up their kids themselves and eat the placenta. Also, newborn kittens need a lot of care and attention until they grow up. Kittens are born with their eyes closed, but they will gradually open between 9 to 14 days.
It's essential that you research all the problems that may occur during her pregnancy. Contact your vet regularly for more information.
