🍼 Cat Pregnancy & Kitten Timeline

Date a queen's pregnancy from the mating day β€” due window, scan and X-ray dates, the temperature drop β€” or age kittens from birth with every milestone dated, to the 20-week microchip deadline.

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Which timeline do you need?

Not sure of the mating date? Use the kittens' birth date instead, or ask your vet to date the pregnancy from an ultrasound.

Most likely due dates
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Gestation, the milestones and the emergency signs in labour

How long is a cat pregnant? Mating to birth is usually 63–65 days, with a normal range of 58–70. Conception happens after mating (the queen is an induced ovulator), so the mating date is an estimate of day 0 β€” which is why a window, not a single date, is the right answer. Kittens born before day 58 rarely survive; anything past day 70 needs a vet.

Confirming and counting. Ultrasound can confirm from around day 21 and is the best early test; palpation by a vet works around day 21–35; and an X-ray from about day 40–45 gives the most accurate count, which is how you know when she has finished. Only a vet should palpate β€” careless handling can damage the pregnancy.

Care through the pregnancy. From about day 30 feed a complete kitten food, little and often, and let her appetite guide the amount. Keep her indoors from around day 50 to avoid injury, infection and unwanted litters, and agree a worming plan with the vet β€” some products are not safe in pregnancy. Set up a queening box by day 55 in a quiet, warm corner and let her get used to it.

The temperature drop. A queen's normal temperature is about 38.1–39.2 Β°C. Taking it twice daily from day 60, a drop of about 1 Β°C within 24 hours is the most reliable sign that labour is close. Use a digital thermometer and lubricant, and record the readings so you can see the trend.

Normal labour. Stage one lasts 6–12 hours (up to 24) with nesting, restlessness and purring. Kittens then arrive every 10–60 minutes, with rests of up to four hours between them. Cats also have "interrupted labour": a queen can stop for 24–36 hours, eat, feed the kittens already born, and then finish normally β€” as long as she is not straining.

Call the vet immediately if: she strains hard for more than 30 minutes with no kitten Β· more than two hours pass from the start of straining with nothing born Β· more than two to four hours pass between kittens while she is still straining Β· there is a green or black discharge before the first kitten Β· a kitten is stuck at the vulva for more than 15 minutes Β· a kitten has not suckled within three hours Β· she collapses, fits or pants heavily between contractions.

Kittens. A newborn weighs about 100 g and should gain roughly 10–15 g a day; weigh at the same time daily. Eyes open at 7–14 days, weaning starts at 3–4 weeks and finishes around 8 weeks, and the socialisation window closes at about 9 weeks. From 8 weeks a kitten should have started its core vaccination course (8–9 and 12 weeks) and by 20 weeks it must be microchipped and registered in England, under the rules in force since 10 June 2024.

Hand-rearing. Orphaned or rejected kittens need a commercial kitten milk replacer β€” never cow's milk β€” fed every 2–3 hours in the first weeks, with warmth, stimulation to toilet and daily weighing. Ring a vet or a rescue for a feeding plan before you start. Sources: ISFM/AAFP breeding and life-stage guidance, VCA and PDSA client guidance, Defra microchipping rules. Checked 4 October 2026. β€” Information only, not veterinary advice.