Getting Your Cat to Give Birth in a Suitable Place

My cat is pregnant, and I don't want her giving birth where I can't find her what can I do? You can provide your cat with a maternity box.

Cats will generally pick their own place to give birth, and there is not much you can do about this. However, you can give her a little push in the right direction by providing a maternity box. You should consider placing the cat maternity box in various places around your house, but the most important factor for your cat will be that the box is away from the rest of the household, it should be quiet and away from draughts. You should try to get your cat accustomed to this maternity box while she is pregnant to prevent any shocks when she is about to give birth. When your cat finds the area she prefers, place the maternity box in that area and she will soon take it up as a new residence during the time of her pregnancy.

The ideal type of box for a cat maternity box is one made from thick cardboard or a wooden box. The box itself should measure about 12 x 20 inches and the sides should be at least 8 inches high, although varying on these sizes a little should be fine. The cat maternity box needs to be long enough for your cat to comfortably stretch out. However, it must not be too large for your cat, because your cat will need to be able to touch the sides of the box with her legs during the birth.

You will need to furnish the box a little for your cat, as it will be very unappealing to her and rather unhygienic to the new kittens if it is just left bare. You need to provide your cat with a firm pillow to lye on, this should have a waterproof cover, which you can wipe clean regularly. Cover the bottom of the maternity box with a thick layer of newspaper, and on top of the newspaper you should lay towels or terry nappies. Everything in the box needs to be easily removable, as after the birth she will want to carry on using the maternity box to nurse the kittens until they are a few weeks old. You will need to replace any soiled towels or newspaper at regular intervals to maintain good hygiene for both the mother cat and the new kittens.

If you have the facility you can try to install a small infrared lamp about 38 inches above the cat maternity box. This is not a necessity, however infrared will ease your cats' pain during labour and it will also keep the new kittens warm.

Once you have provided a suitable maternity box for your cat, she should settle in to using it quite happily which means you can check up on her progress regularly with out worrying about the location she may choose.

Written by Laura Marsh. For more information on cat breeding visit http://www.caringforyourcat.info