How to Tell If Your Cat Is Pregnant & What to Do Next

Signs of Fertility

Determine if your cat has matured enough to be fertile. Once a cat reaches about 80% of her adult weight, she can go into heat—as early as 4 months of age! If your cat isn’t spayed and has recently been in heat, she might be pregnant. Domestic cats typically go into heat as the days get longer and the weather gets warmer, usually between spring and fall.

Watch for mating behaviors. If your cat is in heat, she will try to attract a mate by “calling” (insistently meowing or mewling). She’ll also seem more affectionate and may lose her appetite. This lasts for about 4–6 days. Tell if your cat is about to go into heat by looking for signs of restlessness, increased affection, and a bigger appetite. She will also begin making low calls. A cat in heat will roll around and prop her hindquarters up in the air while treading her back paws and holding her tail to the side.

Pay attention to your cat's behavior to determine her fertility phase. After being in heat, a cat enters a “quiet phase” lasting about 8–10 days, and her behavior calms down. Following the quiet phase, your cat will go into heat again and continue to go into heat approximately from April to September. If your cat was recently in heat and had the opportunity to interact with male cats, pregnancy is a definite possibility. The length of time from the beginning of one heat cycle to the beginning of the next typically falls in the range of 12–22 days. To prevent your cat from getting pregnant, spay your cat as soon as it’s safe to do so. It's best to hold off until at least 2 weeks after the mating season, as surgical complications are more common while your cat is going through her heat cycles.

Signs of Pregnancy

Check for enlarged nipples. About 3–4 weeks into the pregnancy, a pregnant cat’s nipples will “pink up,” or become red and enlarged. Enlarged nipples are also signs of being in heat, so bear in mind that growing nipples are not exclusively indicative of pregnancy. The mammary glands enlarge and may produce colostrum (a milky liquid).

Look for weight gain and a "pot belly." From the side, pregnant cats frequently look somewhat swaybacked, with a slightly round and bulging abdomen. Meanwhile, her ribs and spine may look bonier. Many female cats assume this "burro shape" later in pregnancy. If your cat is merely overweight, she’ll be heavier all over, including her neck and legs, and not just in her abdomen.

Watch for signs of “morning sickness.” Around the third week of pregnancy, some cats experience “morning sickness” like humans do. Your cat may vomit because she has an upset stomach. Keep an eye on her water intake and make sure she stays hydrated. Test whether your cat is dehydrated by gently lifting the skin over her shoulders and seeing whether it quickly snaps back to its original position. If your cat is well-hydrated, that will happen almost immediately. Entice your cat to drink more water by adding a splash of low-sodium chicken broth to her water dish.

See whether your cat seems sleepier than usual. Growing kittens takes a lot of energy! If your cat is spending more time snoozing, she may need the extra rest if she’s pregnant.

Notice any nesting behavior. A few days before giving birth, your cat will begin to show nesting behaviors as she prepares for the arrival of her litter. She may find a quiet place like a closet and start arranging blankets, towels, or other fabric to create a cozy place for her kittens. If you notice nesting behavior and you hadn’t previously realized your cat was pregnant, take your cat to the vet as soon as possible for a prenatal checkup.

Caring for Your Pregnant Cat

Take your cat to the vet if you suspect pregnancy. At 17–25 days gestation, an experienced veterinarian can usually feel the embryos. The vet will also provide advice on caring for your queen cat and helping your cat during delivery. Leave feeling for embryos to the vet—your prodding could lead to a miscarriage.

Ask for an ultrasound. If the vet is unsure after feeling your cat for embryos, they can instead use an ultrasound to determine whether or not your cat is pregnant and, if so, with how many kittens. A vet can detect fetal heartbeats by day 20 of gestation with an ultrasound.

Ask the vet to take radiographs (x-rays). At approximately 45 days of gestation, the skeletons of the kittens can be seen with an x-ray, which will confirm the pregnancy and the number of kittens in the litter. X-rays won’t hurt your cat or her kittens. The vet will typically take 2 x-rays in order to get views of the abdomen and count kittens while also looking for potential problems. An x-ray is better for counting fetuses than an ultrasound, though it still isn’t 100% accurate.

Avoid feline medications and vaccinations while your cat is pregnant. Vaccines in particular may be dangerous to the queen or her kittens during gestation. Consult your vet before giving your cat medication, including dewormer.

Increase her caloric intake in the last few weeks of her pregnancy. You may notice your cat consuming more food and gaining weight as she gets closer to giving birth. Because the kittens are developing rapidly during the last third of pregnancy, it's best to feed your pregnant cat a growth (kitten) formula to provide sufficient calories.

Keep your queen inside during the last few weeks of pregnancy. As your cat gets closer to going into labor, keep her indoors so she won’t deliver her kittens outside. Prepare a whelping box for her inside the house. Place a box in a warm, dry, quiet place in the house and line it with newspaper or an old towel or blanket. Set your cat’s litter box, food, water, and nearby and encourage her to sleep in the whelping box in the days leading up to the birth.