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The cat is a very good example of a mother. She will defend her kittens selflessly until they are old enough to feed themselves and fend for themselves. The male cat takes no part in the raising of the kittens. When the queen becomes pregnant she becomes increaingly sensitive to dangers. Her appitite increases as well and she grooms herself more often and with more precision. The gestation period usually lasts nine weeks and towards the end of those weeks, the mother cat will explore every possible nesting area. Cats don't always show the best judgement, and the owner should confine the heavily pregnant queen to one room with many dark boxes with plenty of paper for her to choose from. The room should be comfortable, and without children, dogs, teenagers or any hustle that may make the cat uneasy. When birth is practically upon the queen she will pace restlessly and use her litter box frequently.The cat will rarley accept food during this time. This stage is commonly long and drawn out and she will most likey go into her nesting box with a little encouragement. With a first litter, the first kitten may take a long time to arrive.Kittens may be born head first or tail first; both are common. Before the birth of the first kitten, the mother may pass a sac of fluid to make way for the birth. The sac may even be licked away before the owner even notices.The membranes of the sac are licked away from the body of the newborn kitten to encourage regular breathing. The placenta is passed, which is eaten by the mother, and then she chews the umbilical cord one to two inches from the kitten's body. The rest of the litter may follow at a regular or irregular pace. Either way, the mother deals with them in the same business manner. When all the kittens are born, she will clean her own genital region and gather all her children around her to nurse. Eating the placenta provides her with enough nourishment to last at least a full day after her kittens birth. Young kittens only urinate and deficate when stimulated to do so by their mother's tounge. After nursing, the mother will wash and groom each kitten with the same precison, and swallows all the excreted material. Her nest will be kept spotlessly clean. Once the kittens start eating solids,at the age of about four to five weeks, this cleaning routine is ceased and the kittens are encouraged to go away from the nest. As the kittens grow and eat solids, the mother weans them off of her milk and encourages them to play-hunt and mock fight, initially to make them more independent. |
    
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