Cat Gestation: How Long Are Cats Pregnant Before Giving Birth?

What to expect when your kitty is expecting. Learn how long cats are pregnant from conception to delivery and how many kittens they can have.

By Stephen C. George
Jul 18, 2023 7:15 PMJul 18, 2023 7:16 PM
So many kittehs
(Credit: Evgenia Bolyukh/Shutterstock)

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When dogs give birth, they call it whelping. For horses, the term is foaling and for cows it’s calving. But when a cat gets pregnant, veterinarians and breeders use the term queening to refer to the process of feline birth

Of course they do: An expectant cat — the queen herself — wouldn’t have it any other way.

But how long does the queen reign? How long are cats pregnant? How can you tell if your cat is pregnant — and for that matter, how can you tell how far along they are? Here’s what you need to know.

Cat Gestation Period

(Credit: Caterina Trimarchi/Shutterstock)
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