What is the gestation period for a cat?

by Anonymous

My cat is only 9 months old. I'm worried she may be too young to have kittens.

Editor's note: It sounds like you're asking two different questions, so I'll address both, but first...

Is your cat pregnant?

I'm assuming by your question that you are not a breeder. If you're not a breeder and your cat is not pregnant, I recommend you not allow your cat to breed.

If your cat got out by accident, these things happen and I do understand that, but...

At 9 months old, your cat is too old not to be spayed. Is there are reason that she's not spayed yet?

Also... if she is pregnant, you still need to keep her away from intact male cats as some cats have been known to become pregnant while pregnant!

If your cat is pregnant, please have her checked by a vet and make plans to have her spayed after she has her kittens. If she's not pregnant, please call a vet and get her spayed.

OK, on to the two questions.

1) What is the gestation period for a cat?

The gestation period refers to the length of time a cat is pregnant. That ranges, but is around 65 or so days, give or take. Please see this page for more on that.

The second question you seem to be asking is...

2) How old should a cat be before getting pregnant?

Again, if you're not a breeder, you should prevent pregnancy by spaying. Your cat should be spayed as early as your veterinarian allows, preventing pregnancy at any age.

Generally, cats enter puberty and become fertile at about 6 months of age, although it can be sooner (or later) than that. In other words, female cats can reach sexual maturity and become pregnant when they're just kittens themselves.

This is all the more reason to get your cat spayed as early as possible.

I hope that answers your questions. If not, let me know in the comments.