Understanding cat pregnancies and their reproductive cycles
Domestic cats are what we call seasonal polyoestrous breeders; this means that their reproductive cycles are affected by the changing seasons, and they can have multiple cycles in one season.
We are rapidly approaching the domestic cat breeding season. It is very important to understand when and how our feline pets reproduce. This allows you to make well informed decisions when it comes to managing and caring for them at home, and aids in supporting the community to control the number of stray cats and in turn the spread of feline diseases.
Domestic cats are what we call seasonal polyoestrous breeders; this means that their reproductive cycles are affected by the changing seasons, and they can have multiple cycles in one season. In this case the lengthening of the days around spring time stimulates queens (females) to begin their cycle and become receptive to tomcats (males).
Queens only ovulate when they are mated by a tomcat; this leads to an almost immediate stop of heat signs followed by pregnancy. Heat cycles often go undetected by owners and pregnancies occur without the owner’s knowledge. Queens can be reproductively mature by the age of 4-6 months and fall pregnant during their first heat cycle. Heat cycles last 7 days and occur every 2-3 weeks in queens until they are pregnant – even late in their lives.
Pregnancy lasts for about 57 days and kittens wean at 4-5 weeks of age. Queens can fall pregnant within 4 weeks after delivering the previous litter.
Tomcats tend to roam far during the breeding season. This exposes them to contagious diseases like FIV/FeLV, Snuffles, Feline Panleukopenia virus, Rabies etc. They can also fall victim to car accidents or traumatic wounds.
The problem exists
Stray cats are a big problem in our community. We often see severely neglected stray cats with a litter of kittens. These kittens are often underfed and not cared for. They fall sick and are presented to the vet for treatment (commonly with snuffles) without an owner. Part of the problem is that cat owners are not aware of their cats’ reproductive behaviour. This causes unplanned pregnancies and produces a large number of cats that roam and adds exponentially to the stray cat population.
Gateway to success
The only solution to this problem is to sterilise your cats at the earliest appropriate age. Male cats require a surgical castration at the age of 6 months or older and female cats require a surgical spay at the age of 6 months or older. These procedures are safe for any healthy pet in good condition.
Please phone your vet for an appointment to have your cat sterilised.
