Being part of an unspayed cat’s (known as a queen) birth can be a magical experience. It is also one of the most stressful times in the life of a pet parent. Worries about whether your cat, and her upcoming litter, will be safe and healthy can leave you on the edge of your seat during the entire process.
Fortunately, for queens, there’s a lot of information available to help keep kitties happy and healthy during this time. One of the most common questions people ask when their cat is pregnant is how many kittens are born in a litter. A healthy mother cat can have anywhere from 1 to 9 kittens in a litter, or more. Luckily, though, the average litter size is 4 to 6 kittens which may make pet parents breathe a little easier.
Now that you know the average litter size for expecting cats, let’s take a look at the influential factors that determine how many kittens will be prowling your home.
The Age and Overall Health of the Mother Is Important
One of the most important factors determining how many kittens are in a litter is the mother. A healthy, young, momma cat will often have a larger litter than a cat who isn’t well taken care of. Normally, first-time mothers will have fewer kittens than those who have given birth before but this isn’t always the rule. A healthy cat, even if it’s her first time, may provide her awaiting family with several kittens to love and spoil.
Breed Can Also Play a Role in Birth
Genetics come into play when it comes to litter size. Certain breeds are known to have more kittens than others. Siamese and Burmese have on average between 4 and 5 kittens, according to research conducted on pedigree cats in Brisbane.1 Although Siamese cats may produce more kittens than other pure breeds based on these results, the number of breeds looked at in the study wasn’t very big, and domestic shorthair cats of mixed parentage weren’t included.
Unfortunately, breed type can affect litter size in negative ways as well. Brachycephalic breeds can be at particular risk, as well as breeds like Manx cats. A study published in 2016 has looked at the likelihood of birthing difficulties in certain cat breeds often requiring c-sections, with British Shorthair, the Oriental group, Birman, Ragdoll, and the Abyssinian group being most affected.
How the Seasons Factor In
Like many animals, cats come into estrus, or heat, seasonally. Cats who live outdoors in the Northern Hemisphere normally start cycling from January onwards until the fall, but this greatly depends on the outside temperature, seasons, daylight hours, and geographical location. Most outdoor queens stop going into their heat cycle when the weather turns cool and the days become shorter. For cats that live their lives indoors, they have no idea when the time and seasons begin to change. This allows the cats to easily go into heat more often throughout the year than other felines, or even all year round for cats living in tropical regions.
Cats Are Induced Ovulators
A tidbit you may not know about cats is that they are induced ovulators. Simply put, the breeding act itself will make your cat release eggs from the ovaries. The more breeding your cat is involved in, possibly the higher the chances of increased litter size. It is also possible for your cat to birth kittens from multiple males. This is called superfecundation and explains why kittens from the same litter can look so different.
Illnesses Can Endanger the Litter
Certain feline infections and diseases can, unfortunately, impact litter size for queens, leading to miscarriage, stillbirth, or sick kittens. The causes could be viral, bacterial, or parasitic, and some of the most common infections are due to feline leukemia virus, feline immunodeficiency virus, panleukopenia, feline herpesvirus, and feline enteric coronavirus.
These infections can reduce the number of live and healthy kittens, cause stillbirths, or even abort entire litters when a queen is infected during the early stages of her pregnancy. The after-effects on surviving kittens can also be severe. Brain and mobility development can be altered if the mother cat is infected during the later stages of her pregnancy.
Determining Litter Size Before Birth
A queen’s pregnancy will last anywhere from 64 to 71 days. During this time, a visit to the veterinarian can help you, the pet parent, know how many kittens to expect and how your girl is doing with her pregnancy.
One of the most common ways a veterinarian determines how many kittens a queen is carrying is through an X-ray. These X-rays should be conducted later in the pregnancy for the best accuracy. Knowing a rough estimate of how many kittens are on their way helps ensure the mother has the safest and most comfortable pregnancy and delivery possible. This can give you and the vet a great idea of how many kittens are set to arrive.
Often an ultrasound is used as well, but just like with humans, ultrasounds can be inaccurate in estimating the number of kittens. They are usually used to assess their vitality rather than the expected count. Often, an ultrasound count can be off by a couple of kittens, so always expect the unexpected, unless an x-ray was performed as well.
Final Thoughts
If your cat is an expectant mother, keeping her healthy is your number one priority. Knowing how many kittens are born in a litter on average is a great starting point. With the average litter size being 4 to 6 kittens, you know what number to prepare for. Once the kittens are part of the family and your queen is back to herself, remember that spaying is the best way to ensure your cat has a happy and healthy future.
Related Reads:
- How Many Kittens Usually Survive in a Litter?
- Is It True That Male Cats Kill Kittens? The Surprising Answer
Featured Image Credit: Tiplyashina Evgeniya, Shutterstock
