Get Ready For Kittens - Your Cat's Treading on Her Bedding! | Cats

By JaneTompsett
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Word Count: 434

So your extremely round cat has been lying around the house for the past two weeks, eating enough food to keep a small donkey alive and generally looking very, very pregnant.

You've distinctly been able to see and feel her kittens moving about in her belly for some time now and you've calculated their date of birth as accuractely as you are able.

Then, without warning, your beautiful cat heaves herself up from her favorite resting place and starts to move around, appearing to be nervous or excitable.

She'll start calling to you and, although your first reaction will probably be that she asking for more food, you'll find that she has no interest in the tasty morsels that you put down for her.

Don't be puzzled by her apparantly unusual behavior. Bide your time and wait for just a short while longer until you see her seek out her chosen birthing place - her nesting box.

Naturally, you will already have provided a good nesting box, won't you? Any well-prepared owner will want to have guided their pregnant cat towards choosing a place that they can easily manage for her - not leave it to her, as she may well choose your bed as her birthing place...... A large, strong cardboard box will do the job well. Cut away the top and one side, leaving a lip at the bottom to prevent any small kittens from escaping. Use lots of old newspapers to line it with - maybe shredding some - and use an old towel to cover the top for warmth and privacy.

But no matter where your cat has chosen to give birth, as she feels her labor begin, she will make straight for her nesting place. Once there, she will begin to 'tread' on her bedding. Once you see this happening, you will know without a shadow of a doubt that her kittens are on their way.

You'll certainly recognise this unmistakable behavior as looks like a cross between digging in her litter box and the kneading action you see when she is relaxed and purring.

It is a bit of a mystery why a pregnant cat will tread her bedding immediately before her labor begins. The truth is probably no more mysterious than her wanting to arrange her surroundings as comfortably as possible and to her own liking.

After all, giving birth is hard work and your cat will probably want to make herself as comfortable as she can!

But for whatever reason, treading on her bedding is the one sign that can tell you that your cat's labor is about to begin. She's ready - are you?

About the Author

Be certain that you are 100% prepared to help your pregnant cat give birth to her kittens. Learn all about treading behavior and subscribe to Jane Tompsett's free Cat Owners Confidential newsletter by following these links.

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