What Does A Pregnant Cats Nipples Look Like

Are you wondering if your cat is pregnant? Maybe your unspayed cat got out, and you’re worried she had an encounter with an intact male cat. Your cat’s belly won’t get big enough to tell for a while yet. What might be the first indications that she’s going to have kittens? Or are you curious what changes occur in a cat when she’s expecting? How do a pregnant cat’s nipples look?

When a cat becomes pregnant, her nipples will change in size and appearance during gestation and while nursing her kittens.

A cat can become pregnant as early as four months old. The gestation period will last 60-70 days, with most being 63-67 days in length.

You may have more questions now that you know a cat’s nipples will change. Read on to learn about feline nipples and how they change when a cat is expecting, and other changes a cat goes through during pregnancy.

What Do Cats’ Nipples Look Like When Not Pregnant?

A cat’s nipples can be hard to see under her fur. You may not even know how many of them your cat has, not to mention what they look like.

There are pairs of nipples on a cat’s belly, with most cats having six or eight in total. Not all felines have the same number of them; some can have four to ten nipples. Some cats will even have an odd number of them. It doesn’t depend on the breed. Having them situated this way helps with nursing multiple kittens. Usually, there are four kittens per litter, though there can be more. Having an average of four kittens and six nipples means every kitten will have a chance to nurse.

For a typical, healthy cat that has never been pregnant, the nipples are tiny, light-pink bumps. The fur may come right up to them, or there could be a small bald patch around each one. Your cat should not show any sign of pain if you touch one of them.

Why Do Male Cats Have Nipples?

Do male cats have nipples? Yes, they do. Just like male humans have nipples, so do male cats. They will have the same number as females, usually between six and eight, but anywhere from four to ten.

The reason why male cats have nipples is that they form while the feline fetus is developing inside the womb before the sex is determined. Thus, both male and female cats have them even though they serve no purpose in males, which is the same for almost all mammals.

What Do Cats’ Nipples Look Like in Early Pregnancy?

When a cat becomes pregnant, there are several changes to her body. Nipples are one of the first areas where you will notice a difference, and this will become apparent at about 2-3 weeks into the pregnancy. The nipples will become larger and a darker pink, called “pinking up.” There will be no discharge coming from the nipples at this stage.

The mammary glands under the nipples will swell. The area around the nipples will become hairless to make it easier for the coming kittens to find them and nurse.

What do Cats’ Nipples Look Like in Later Pregnancy?

As the pregnancy continues, the skin around the nipples will continue to grow and swell to 2-3 times the size before the cat gives birth.

Around 8-9 weeks into the pregnancy, a slight discharge may come from the cat’s nipples. Not all cats have this, but it’s normal and indicates that the cat’s body is getting ready for birth and feeding babies. If the cat doesn’t lick it off, the discharge will dry up and may form what may look like a white crust on the nipples. It is not harmful.

Other Changes

In addition to changes to a cat’s nipples during the gestation period, there are several other changes to her body and behavior.

Increased food intake

Your cat needs to feed herself and the kittens growing inside her, so she will eat about 1.5 times the amount she’s currently eating. Small, frequent meals are best because as her kittens grow, they put pressure on their mother’s stomach. She may gain between two and four pounds. When she is nursing, your cat may eat twice the food she did before becoming pregnant.

Veterinarians usually recommend feeding your pregnant cat kitten food and continuing doing so while she is nursing, as this will provide the extra nutrition that your cat and her growing kittens need. There are a few cat food brands out now specifically for pregnant and nursing cats and their kittens.

Morning sickness

Your cat may experience morning sickness, just like humans can. Her appetite will decrease during this period, but she should feel better after a short time. Contact your veterinarian if it seems severe.

Swollen belly

As the kittens grow, so will your cat’s abdomen. It will be bulging out the sides when looking at your cat from above. This will all start to be visible around one month into the pregnancy. Please don’t touch your cat’s stomach and stop picking her up to avoid injury to the kittens. Your cat’s belly will become large and round as the pregnancy progresses.

Increased affection

Due to changing hormones, your cat may seek out your attention and be cuddly more often.

Sleeping more

Non-pregnant cats sleep between 12 and 18 hours per day. The mother-to-be will need even more sleep than this.

“Nesting”

As the delivery date approaches, your cat will look for a safe, secluded spot to birth her kittens, like a cabinet or closet. You can provide a blanket or towels and a box or cat bed for her in that spot.

What Do Cats’ Nipples Look Like After Birth?

As soon as kittens are born, they start nursing. The mother cat’s nipple area will be engorged because the mammary glands are full of milk. As the kittens nurse, the nipples will remain larger and a darker color.

When the kittens are weaned and no longer nursing (at six to eight weeks of age), their mother’s mammary glands shrink, and the nipples gradually return to their normal light pink color and size. This process can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.

Conclusion

Now you understand the transformation that a cat’s nipples undergo when she becomes pregnant. You can look for these characteristics to determine if your cat is expecting kittens.

You also learned additional changes that a cat undergoes during pregnancy and after her kittens are born.

If you see a cat with enlarged nipples and mammary glands with a large, round belly, she may be about to give birth. If she doesn’t have a big belly, she could be currently or recently has been nursing kittens.