An example of irresponsible cat ownership

This tweet caught my I as an example of irresponsible cat ownership. It is just one minor incident in the grand scheme of things. Just one animal or cat shelter who posted the information on Twitter. But it combines two elements of irresponsible cat ownership. The first is not spaying a female cat and so, in this incident, the cat becomes pregnant. And to compound the irresponsibility, the owners abandoned this cute, white female cat when they left their apartment.

RELATED: Tory Toff is Irresponsible Cat Owner.

Below is a screenshot of the Twitter tweet. Why have I presented a screenshot and not the actual tweet? Because they can be removed on the Twitter website or they can be altered to present a link here to the Twitter website which removes the pictures. So, I'm doing this because it's more functional and more enduring.

But it has a happy ending because the new tenant in the apartment obviously bumped into the cat because she was there and asked whether the cat belonged to the previous tenants which was confirmed. Knowing that they had left and abandon her she appears to have adopted the cat. I've presumed that the new tenant is a woman.

RELATED: The Backyard Tiger – Big Cat Public Safety Act will end big cat abuse.

When you think about it the previous tenants were highly irresponsible because what if the apartment was left vacant for a couple of months? The cat would have died of starvation and the kittens inside her. I don't think you could be more irresponsible as a cat owner than that. It happens. People do just throw away their cat or cats sometimes. It's a form of human psychopathy. It is psychopathic behaviour because if there is any sensitivity towards others, both humans and animals, you wouldn't do this. You would feel the pain that you are causing. This would prevent this cruel behaviour. But there are a lot of people like this. They are everywhere; many more than people probably envisage.

Look at Vladimir Putin for example! He's the world's greatest psychopath and mass murderer. He has absolutely zero sensitivity towards the suffering, pain and death caused by him of others including hundreds of children and elderly women. I am digressing.

The New Moon Rescue is based in Surrey, UK by the way. The British are meant to be a cat loving race of people! Clearly not all of them are.

Feline Gestation Period

Pregnant cat - photo by superna

The feline gestation period is the length of time from conception to birth. Conception could be defined as the moment embryonic life begins by the formation of a viable embryo (zygote) through the coming together of the male sperm and female ovum or egg.

The feline gestation period averages 65 days with the range extending from 63 to 69 days all of which are normal. Apparently the gestation period of Siamese cats may be longer at 71 days.

If the kitten is born prematurely before 60 days of gestation the kitten is unlikely to survive.

It may be difficult to tell if our cat is pregnant. Cat breeders of course will have all the knowledge gained from experience to tell. I have a web page on cat pregnancy which expands this page considerably.

Pregnancy testing?

My research indicates that at the time of this post there is no equivalent of a pregnancy test (wrong? - please leave a comment). However at:

---17-25 days veterinarian may be able to feel the kitten (feeling the inside of cat from the outside is called "palpation"). This clearly must be done with care and experience (veterinarian only I would suggest) as it can damage the embryo.

---20 days the heartbeat can be detected

---22-25 days (Drs Carlson and Giffin say it can detect pregnancy as early as 15 days) ultrasound can be used to check pregnancy.

---30-35 days a blood test can confirm pregnancy.

---43-45 days an X Ray can tell how many kittens are in the womb as the skeletons would have formed.

Signs during of pregnancy:

---slight gain in weight

---sometimes there is morning sickness at 3rd to 4th week lasting for 3-4 days. This is due to hormones and distention of the uterus

---pink nipples (35 days)

---near birth - enlarged breasts and milky fluid may come from the nipples.


From Feline Gestation Period to Cat pregnancy


Feline Gestation Period - Sources:

1. www.answers.com (definitions)
2. Cat Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook by Drs Carlson and Giffin
3. www.caminoanimalclinic.com

Photo published under a creative commons license: Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike License - thank you.

Cat Heat behavior

Cat on heat behavior can result in a pregnant cat
photo copyright and by Cory Blundon

A more scientific word for "heat" is "estrus" or "estrous" or indeed "oestrous". I'll use the shortest of the three, "estrus". A female cat is on heat at regular intervals. This is called the "estrus cycle". The estrus cycle is managed by the cat's reproductive hormones. For female humans it is called the menstrual cycle. Cat on heat behavior is very noticeable (the phrase can also be "in heat").

During estrus the female is receptive to the male cat looking to procreate. The length of time that the female is "in heat" is from 14-21 days (src: Wikipedia). Although Robinson's Genetics says it is normally 5-8 days but sometimes lasting for up to 20 days.

During this period of time the females behavior is distinct. It allows the cat breeder to gauge when to allow the male to meet the female.


Pre-estrus -- first phase

Just before the estrus stage (pre-estrus or more accurately called "proestrus") female cats become affectionate and demands more than the usual amount of attention. She will rub against things and be playful. She may also howl which is calling the males. It is a long and noticeable howl. These are classic signs of cat on heat behavior. The howling varies from breed to breed.


Estrus -- second phase

During this phase the female cat demonstrates behavior indicating that she is ready to have sex. She will tread the ground and adopt a position to receive the stud boy. This is a flattening of her back and a raising of her hind quarters. It is called the "coital crouch". It can be stimulated by the presence of the stud boy or by a gentle stroking of her genital region.

Cat in lordosis - photo by Sidereal (Flickr)

She is ready for sex to use vernacular language (usual language). After sex the female will growl (the male's penis is serrated, or spines pointing backwards, and removing it hurts the female).

Male trying to mate with female unsuccessfully
Photo by Michael Broad (Flickr)

If sex ("coitus") does not occur the female will re-start the cycle again in about 12-22 days. This may be irregular. In the northern half of the world, the time of year over which the female demonstrates cat on heat behavior is usually from January to July (but can be longer). It is the availability of daylight that affects this period of time. Artificial lighting can reduce the time, in the winter, when the heat cycle pauses.

Related posts:

Cats mating

Cat pregnancy

Sources:

• Wikipedia
• Robinsons Genetics for Cat Breeders and Veterinarians
• http://www.cat-urine.net

From Cat Heat behavior to Home page