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My outdoor cat is huge. How to tell how far along her pregnancy is?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Longhair | Female | unspayed | 2 years old | 13 lbs

How do I know how far along in pregnancy my cat is? She is huge and shes an outside cat. Her nipples are huge and not dry but also not wet.

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Dr. Elizabeth

Veterinarian

Published on March 14th, 2020

It's likely the kittens will be here within the next 1-2 weeks. Here is a helpful link: https://www.petcoach.co/article/pregnancy-diagnosis-caring-for-a-pregnant-cat/ Here is information regarding kitten care: https://www.petcoach.co/article/queening-giving-birth-in-cats/ Lastly, I recommend to have Ring Tail spayed when the kittens are 10 weeks old. A single female cat can produce up to 28 kittens in a year and the female kittens can start breeding at 6 months old. This can quickly lead a population explosion which can lead to viral and parasite outbreaks, some of which can affect humans. many humane societies will offer spay programs for stray cats. https://www.petcoach.co/article/what-is-trap-neuter-return/ I hope this helps.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Amy S. Eutsey, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on October 7th, 2017

    Hello and thank you for the question. The average pregnancy for cats is 63 days, which goes by pretty quick. Usually by the time the owner is certain that their cat is pregnant because of the bigger tummy, the cat is usually at least half way through the pregnancy. So, without really seeing her...we can only guess that she is probably at least to week 4 or 5 of the 9 week process. Usually you will see larger darker pink nipples toward the last 2-3 weeks and mammary gland enlargement in the final 7-10 days. The only way to accurately count the number of kittens is with ultrasound or X-ray. Most cats have between 2-5 kittens on average, with 3-4 being the most common delivery size. I wish I could give you more concrete answers. Maybe you could post a photo of her lying on her side so we could see how big her belly is for a better guess on how far along she is. Thanks!

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    Answered By Sara Farmer, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on December 26th, 2018

    The average gestation (pregnancy) for a cat is 60-64 days although it can vary a little from there. If she looked pregnant when she arrived at your door she may be ready to have kittens soon, especially if her mammary glands look developed or you see milk. I would recommend taking her to your vet to make sure she is in good health prior to having kittens. They can also perform an x-ray or ultrasound to help determine when you might expect kittens.

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    Answered By Ana M, DVM

    Veterinarian

    Published on December 23rd, 2018

    Thank you for submitting your question regarding Nala. The average gestation period for a cat is about 63 days. Depending on how long you have had her, it should be fairly soon. I recommend seeing a veterinarian for x-rays of her belly. This will confirm the pregnancy and let you know how many kittens she is expecting. I hope this information helps!

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