How To Tell When A Cat Is Ready To Give Birth

Introduction

When it comes to cat pregnancy, many pet owners don’t know what to expect. As your cat moves through her pregnancy, the physical changes will be gradual and subtle—and can be easily missed if you aren’t observant. The signs and symptoms of an impending birth are much more evident than the signs of a newly pregnant cat, but they’re still subtle in most cases. Knowing what to look for is essential so that you can make sure you’re prepared when your cat starts giving birth.

Weight gain: The Queen’s belly should feel heavy and round, not lumpy.

You can tell if your cat is pregnant by observing her weight gain. A cat’s pregnancy lasts between 61 and 67 days, with the average being 65 days. The Queen should feel heavy and round, not lumpy.

You may notice that she gains weight at different rates depending on the size of her litter and how fast she is nursing them back to health after birth.

Most cats gain 10% of their body weight during pregnancy, but some can gain as much as 25%. In rare cases, cats only gain 2% of their body weight during this time period! Once they give birth, they will typically lose up to half their body weight within two weeks after giving birth due to lactation.

Loss of appetite: You will notice a loss of appetite in the last 24 – 48 hours before birth.

You will notice a loss of appetite in the last 24 – 48 hours before birth. Cats usually eat less in the last week of pregnancy, and can lose up to 30% of their body weight in the last week of pregnancy. A cat that’s pregnant is already eating for two, so it’s no wonder she will have some cravings! If you’re not sure whether or not your kitty is pregnant yet or if she is still nursing her kittens from an earlier litter, then this may not apply to you.
Cats may not want to eat anything at all during these final days before labor begins—and that’s okay! Some cats do want to keep eating until the very end of their pregnancies; others don’t feel like eating at all. Try feeding them small meals throughout each day rather than large ones once per day; this might help prevent nausea if they do eventually develop it (which has been known to happen).
Offer your cat something different every day; nothing makes me happier than trying new foods with my cats and seeing how excited they get about trying new flavors! Here are some ideas:

Nervousness and behavior changes: She may become restless and want to move around more than usual.

The first sign that a cat is going to have kittens is that she may become restless and want to move around more than usual. She may also act nervous or anxious, which can be difficult to distinguish from her normal behavior. Cats are very good at hiding their pregnancies, so you may not notice any of these behaviors until the very end of her pregnancy.

Some cats will become more affectionate with their owners as well as other cats in the household during this time period, but others will experience the opposite effect—becoming irritable and aggressive towards their owners or other pets in the house. In some extreme cases, they can even lash out at people they know well enough that they wouldn’t normally behave aggressively towards them!

Another common sign that a cat is due to give birth soon is increased vocalization (mewing) or crying out abruptly when touched on certain areas of her body such as behind an ear flap or underneath her chin area where you would typically find long whiskers rather than shorter ones like those found elsewhere around your face area if human were looking directly into someone else’s eyes while talking about something serious like death instead of just joking around about something silly like how much fun it would be if both humans lived together forever without ever going anywhere else except maybe driving somewhere far away once every couple weeks just because there’s nothing else better worth doing around here anyway besides sleeping all day long every single day since everything else seems boring compared against playing video games after school lets out early every Friday afternoon so we don’t have time left over between classes finishing up early then start again Monday morning before sunrise happens today instead tomorrow morning after sunrise happens tomorrow night when darkness falls upon us all equally equally equally equally equally equally equally equally equal parts equal

Nesting behavior may begin 48 hours before birth when the signs below occur.

As you’re reading this, your cat might already be nesting. If so, she’ll begin to keep her nest clean and comfortable for the kittens. Nesting behavior may begin 48 hours before birth when the signs below occur:

The queen may move her kittens around in the nest.
She may start to clean the kittens or lick them vigorously on their faces and paws. This is called grooming behavior and it’s a good sign because it indicates that she’s confident about having her babies soon!

These are all pre-birth signs

As the due date approaches, your cat will begin to show signs that she is ready to give birth. Some may be obvious while others are not as clear. As a cat owner, it’s important to pay attention to these and any other changes in behavior because if you notice something unusual, there could be an underlying medical reason behind it. Here are some signs your cat may exhibit around the time she gives birth:

Weight gain—Cats typically gain a little over 5% of their body weight during pregnancy, so if you notice that your cat has been gaining weight steadily over the previous two months or so this can indicate that she’s getting ready for labor. If you don’t see any other changes in her behavior (see below), then take her into the vet just in case!
Loss of appetite—This isn’t always present but is often seen as a sign when combined with other signs like nesting behaviors or increased nervousness during this time period (see below).

Conclusion

The thing to keep in mind is that the timeline for this whole process can be quite variable. Cats are very good at taking care of themselves and their kittens, so don’t worry too much about monitoring every detail or reading into what seems like changes in behavior. However, it is worth being aware of the basic stages in case your cat needs extra help or you want to get a jump start on preparing for the big day.