The cat's pregnancy is a very delicate moment. It is normal for fears to arise and for us to be alarmed by any unusual sign. We are not only afraid of childbirth: if she will be able to do it alone or if we will have to help her and in the latter case, if we will do it well. Also the doubts during the pregnancy and if we will know how to recognize an emergency to avoid losing the babies.
Any female, of whatever species, can suffer a miscarriage during pregnancy, the important thing is knowing how to recognize the signs in time so as not to suffer the consequences. Let's remember that our animals cannot tell us what they feel but it is up to us to interpret the signs. From our site we want to help you identify the symptoms of abortion in a cat, in order to act in time and in the most effective way possible, preserving the lives of the little ones and his mother.
During the cat's pregnancy
When we decide to face this new challenge with our cat, whether by choice or carelessness, we have several points to consider. Some of them are very special, such as the care they should receive and the proper feeding at this stage so that the puppies have the best of welcomes to the underworld.
Others are not so special, but we must be prepared so that the damage is as light as possible, both for the little ones and for the mother-to-be. Let's see what complications we can have and the calls for attention to identify them in time.
Causes of abortion in cats
We have several reasons why our cat can abort, from different sources, but we are going to differentiate them according to the period of her gestation:
- Early stages: without signs, there is embryonic reabsorption and normally the owners don't even know if they didn't know she was pregnant. There is usually no vulvar discharge (visual sign). It can be confused with a pseudopregnancy or psychological pregnancy.
- Middle stage: or second half of pregnancy, it is considered approximately 30 days after intercourse and in the case of suffering an abortion we will have blood or tissue loss that is usually difficult for the owner to see since the cat normally eats and cleans everything to leave no traces.
- Final stage: very close to parturition, we observed a normal behavior in the cat of making the nest to receive the little ones and a delivery, sometimes normal, but the result is stillborn fetuses or pups.
In turn, we can differentiate the causes into infectious (affecting mother, offspring and/or placenta) ornon-infectious causes (genetic errors, previous treatments, erroneous implantations, etc.). This type of differentiation will be the job of the veterinarian we go to to take our cat in the most appropriate way possible.
Urgency symptoms
We should not be too obsessed with the issue since many times, abortion can occur without presenting any symptoms and therefore, we will not be able to help our feline. It normally occurs in the first 4 weeks of pregnancy. It also happens in some cats that the abortion is partial, they lose part of the litter and successfully carry the rest of the pregnancy to term.
Whenever we observe any of these symptoms we should go to a professionalto evaluate the situation of our cat and her puppies. Prevention is the best ally and if in any doubt we should see a veterinarian to clarify the situation and take the necessary measures. They can use both a physical exam and serological tests and/or ultrasound to determine the condition.
The alert symptoms that we can observe as owners of a pregnant cat are:
- Apathy or general disinterest
- Weakness
- Deterioration of general condition
- Isolation
- Lack of interest in the nest
- Vaginal discharge (bloody, mucous or black)
- Hemorrhages
- Fever
- Diarrhea and/or constipation
