Are you wondering if your cat is pregnant?
You may have stopped to wonder if a human pregnancy test will work for them. That’d give you a heads up on whether you can expect kittens in the near future.
The hormones between felines and humans aren’t compatible for a pregnancy test.
You won’t get accurate results from it.
The best way to get the answer you’re seeking is by taking your cat to the vet and having them make the determination. It would be handy if there were an at-home test that could confirm your suspicions or tell you reliably that they’re not pregnant.
Unfortunately, it just doesn’t exist. Not even your vet has one.
Perhaps some day in the future they’ll figure out how to test cats for pregnancy, but right now there just isn’t enough profit motive apparently or someone would have figured it out by now.
There are some specific signs you can look for that will make it easier to rule it out. Cats are very private and will try their best not to do anything out of the ordinary.
BUT, there are some physiological reactions that they simply can’t hide.
Can I Give My Cat a Pregnancy Test? Answer: No
Your vet is the only one that can give you an accurate answer on this.
They’ll verify the symptoms and also have several methods to check in on the kittens if they indeed are pregnant.
They won’t be using a blood test or a urine pregnancy test the way humans do to find out if they’re pregnant. They’ll be looking for additional signs that your cat is pregnant, and that the kittens are healthy if your cat is pregnant.
Signs of Pregnancy in Cats
The most obvious signs that your cat is pregnant is when her nipples turn pink.
This is in preparation for the nursing she’ll be doing soon. It’s a telltale sign that your cat won’t be able to hide from you.
The other symptoms are more subtle, and are basically behavior cues that your cat may display, such as sleeping more than they usually do, or becoming more quiet than they usually are.
If you’re a keen observer of your cats then you will be tipped off that something is up. If you work a lot and only see your cats occasionally, a pregnancy might sneak up on you and you might not know anything is different until she starts popping out the kittens.
Sounds crazy but it has actually happened for some owners.
Spaying Your Pet Cat
It’s a good idea to have your cat spayed if it turns out that they are not in fact pregnant.
There are simply too many kittens and cats, and there aren’t enough homes for all of them. You may think that it’s an exciting time to have your cat pregnant and have babies. But at the same time there just isn’t a place for all of them to go.
The average cat produces 6 or more kittens per litter!
That’s a lot of homes needed to house all of those future cats. That’s a lot of food and a lot of kitty litter that will need to be bought.
Caring for a Pregnant Cat
If it turns out that your cat is indeed pregnant then you’ll want to turn your attention to properly caring for her until she has her babies.
Luckily you don’t have to do too much differently than you already do, until the big day, which is when you’ll want to set aside a special place just for her so that she can be comfortable and not be stressed out.
You don’t need to be there to catch the kittens as they come out, as it’s a very natural process for a cat to have kittens, and they take it in stride. It’s very different from the birth of human babies.
No epidural is needed.
I’m a cat breeder and a lot of my cats get morning sickness at the start so this gives me a good clue and also they stop going in season so all that yiwling stops. Also standing directly above the cat and looking down on her I can see the slight bump either side quite early on.
As time passes it gets much more obvious and the the pink nipples and the cat cleaning fur away from around the nipples are good indicators that kitty are soon to arrive ! The last signs , if you haven’t noticed she now looks like a watermelon on legs, is her looking for a place to birth so she will be going in any hole she can find.
A cardboard box with blanket in a quiet safe place will suffice. Keep an eye on her bit try to resist interfering unless its really necessary! Once it starts they can come all at once or a couple of hours between but if shes straining with no kitty arriving for over an hour ring the vet! She may need help and the vet will advice you.