Care of a Pregnant Cat

During a cat's heat cycles, Queenie's entire focus will be on escaping the house to mate, or to mate with a male companion, if you are careless enough to have whole (unneutered) males in the same household. She will be single-minded in her need to mate, will loudly vocalize (call), and lurk near doors, just waiting for the chance to meet up with one or more of the noisy feline Romeos who will cluster near your house, fighting for the privilege of impregnating your queen.

A Matter of Conception

The Mating Game
What is oestrus? What happens when cats mate? Is it true a litter of kittens can be fathered by different cats? Can my cat become pregnant while still nursing her kittens? Answers to all these questions on mating and conception in cats.

Heat Cycles, Estrus, Oestrus

Heat Cycles in Cats
Female cats can start heat cycles at a very early age, and, until spayed or they become pregnant, the cycles will occur with frequent regularity. Learn more about heat cycles, also called oestrus, or estrus cycles in cats.

How To Tell if Your Female Cat is in Heat
Female cats that are not spayed will eventually come into heat (technically called oestrus), and the signs are unambiguous, once you know what to look for. Here are some behavioral symptoms to watch for if you suspect your diva is in heat.

FAQs on Heat Cycles

Help! She's in Heat!
A reader writes requesting help for an unspayed female cat that is apparently in heat.

Can I spay my 10 month old kitten in heat?
This reader had planned on spaying her kitten in a few weeks and she is wondering if the kitten is in pain because of her heat cycle. Should she spay the kitten now?

Quick Quiz

Test your knowledge of mating and the feline heat cycle with this short (6 questions) quiz.

If you have found this page through a search, you may want to go back and start the course from the beginning.

Care of a Pregnant Cat Lesson Index

Care of a Pregnant Cat Course Navigation

1. What to Expect From This Course
2. You are Here: Mating in Cats
3. Is She Pregnant?
4. Care During Pregnancy
5. Delivery Day
6. Postnatal Care of the Queen and her Kittens
7. Placing the Kittens

Next > Lesson 3: Is She Pregnant?
Care of a Pregnant Cat Lesson Index