Cats can become pregnant with two different litters at a time.
If a kitten is going to become a new addition to your household, it can be caused by its balance of hormones. There are ways you might unknowingly cause a pregnant cat to be on her way towards having two separate litters.
So, can cats be pregnant with two different litters?
It is obvious. However, the circumstances behind how that can happen can be surprising. The biggest reason cats become pregnant with two litters is because their hormones are out of balance.
The imbalance is not caused by illness, but is caused by their daily routines. A cat’s hormones are very sensitive to their environment and their daily routines.
If their routines are altered in any way, that can affect their hormones and cause them to become pregnant with two litters. Let’s take the closer look at this problem.
Can Cats Be Pregnant With Two Different Litters?
Cats may have multiple litters every several months due to hormonal imbalances in their system.
When this occurs, each kitten in the litter can communicate with its mother through body language whether or not it is safe to come into the world.
It’s totally natural for a mother cat with multiple kittens to only have one embryo in each uterus.
Reproductive Cycle of Cats
Derived from the Latin word for “cat” (cattus), cats are one of the most popular pets in the world.
Over the course of their reproductive cycle, they show signs which are easily recognized by the owners, but many people do not know the specific causes behind these signs.
Female cats are considered “superfecund,” meaning that they can “catch” a kitten from a gestation period as short as 29 days.
Being pregnant does not prevent cats from giving birth to kittens.
When she lays several eggs and each of them are fertilized.
Fertilization occurs quickly in cats, unlike in other species, meaning that the kitten could be conceived and born after only four days, although the average gestation period is 67 days.
Can a Pregnant Cat Get Pregnant Again?
Some cats can become pregnant as early as the second week following the last birth, making this a more common occurrence than most people realize.
If a queen mates during this fertile window, she will quickly get pregnant again.
This is termed a “super-conception,” and it can produce up to nine kittens in one litter.
How Common Is Superfetation in Cats?
70-83 percent of litters have more than one kitten.
However, the environment in which the cats are raised can affect the number of kittens born per litter.
City cats are significantly more likely to produce a multiple birth than a feral cat that lives outside in a small colony.
You should also be aware that the longer the cat has been a mother, the greater the likelihood that she will get pregnant again.
Because mating is more likely to be controlled, a queen who is spayed will not get pregnant again until ovulation is achieved.
A wild or stray cat, on the other hand, has a constant stream of potential mates and mating can take place at any time.
Superfecundation is a typical component of the reproductive cycle in cats, and can lead to serious complications for the mother and her kittens.
Cats may have difficulty finding sufficient quantities of milk for their kittens, and the larger the number of kittens, the more likely that some of them will be born prematurely and will need medical attention.
Superfecundation has been seen in as many as 30 percent of feral cat colonies and is a major contributor to the high mortality rate of kittens born in these places.
How Long Can It Go Between Kitten Births?
The kitten is delivered between 10 minutes to 40 minutes after mating is complete.
In some cases the kitten may disappear soon after birth and only reappear later with the remaining kittens or with other kittens.
This can happen because the mother cat still has the instinct that tells her that the kitten must be hidden so that it is not killed by predators.
The kitten will usually stay with the mother until it has fallen into a deep sleep, after which it will reappear with the other kittens or at some later date.
Once it notices that it has been fed and is in good shape, the kitten will usually stay with the mother until it is weaned, which is usually around three or four weeks of age, provided the mother is healthy.
Why Has My Cat Only Had One Kitten?
It is uncommon for a cat to give birth only once in a litter.
If a fetus fails to grow within a female’s uterus, it is referred to as an “abortus.” Abortus occurs more frequently in female cats than males, and is determined by genetics, hormones, or environment.
Aborted fetuses are usually ingested by the mother cat who tries to eat them away to prevent their natural passing from the body. While this may seem strange to humans, it is a normal and instinctual behavior for cats.
What If My Cat Has a Dead Kitten Inside?
If your mother cat is still struggling to give birth to a kitten within her, this is commonly referred to as “kitten in distress.” There are many things that can delay the birthing process such as: Old mothers who have given birth to many kittens before are more likely to have a longer birthing process.
This is because older mothers are slower and less energetic than younger mothers, and often can have difficulty pushing the baby out due to the pressure exerted by the uterus on the baby’s head.
This is frequently seen in breeding sows whose uterus exerts too much pressure on the fetus resulting in stillbirth.
Should I Take a Dead Kitten Out of the Litter?
The death of a kitten is extremely distressing for the mother who not only has just given birth to her kittens, but also has just lost one of the babies she was defending for her life.
This includes kittens that are born dead or stillborn, as well as those that are born alive but then die before they can be fed.
Kittens that die after birth or soon after birth are perfectly capable of feeling pain and sensation as well as feeling hunger.
It is extremely important to the mother that their body be left intact so they can recover and bury the kitten properly.
Allowing the mother to grieve over the dead kitten would not only help her in her recovery she will lose less body fluid and nutrients.
As frightening as it may seem, it is essential not to interfere with a birthing mother who has just lost a kitten.
Also Read: Can Cats Drink Orange Juice?
Conclusion
Although cats can become pregnant twice in the same season, it’s uncommon.
If a cat does become pregnant twice, she will typically abort one of the litters. A cat who is pregnant with two litters will not usually show any signs that she is pregnant until she is about 40 days into her pregnancy.
If a cat is pregnant twice, she should visit her veterinarian regularly to ensure that she is healthy.
Additionally , she may need extra vitamins and B12 shots to keep her healthy throughout her pregnancy and to nurse her kittens to good health.
