Do little cats have smaller/earlier litters

My cat is quite small and has just had her second litter of 3 kittens (2 first time) and have been quite small when first born but the male from the last litter was a third of his mummys size by 8 weeks.

I saw your photos - they are very cute! I can't wait, seeing your babies has got me very excited! Did your cat have them any earlier than expected?

With ours, the smaller ones had more kittens; like 5-6!

I am not sure what the norm is, but my Shenzi is a small cat (in comparison to my other 2) and I thought she would have 3-4 kittnes. Guess she had other plans, she had 8. They are now 5 weeks old and doing well.

I breed Persians and Exotic cats and we have found here too that our smallest cats have the biggest litters!

Originally Posted by Kharmasutra

My pregnant cat is not yet 1 and I was wondering if I should expect her litter earlier than normal because she isn't very big. And also do smaller cats have smaller litters. My guess is she has 3 or 4, comparing her to my other cat who had 4 kittens. She is due in a week, and has started to get very cuddly - still sleeping on the bed which is a worry - might have to put a daggy quilt cover on cos my other cat had her kittens right next to me!

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I don't think the size of the cat has anything to do with the size of the litter...however, if she is small, you should keep an eye out for if she seems to have problems during delivery.

I would also recommend that you keep her and your other cat indoors. Since the one cat has already had her litter, now would be a good time to set up her spay appt so she doesn't go back into heat and get pregnant again. Once the pregnant one has her kittens and weans them..that would be a good time to set up her spay date.

Katie

Different cat breeds have different size litters. Persians usually only have two or three in their litters whereas siamese can have 8-10. It does not depend on the size of the mother. If she is a domestic short hair then her litter size will depend on the female and males fertility. Also, first time mothers usually have smaller litters.

My other cat Kharma is already desexed so thats good. Sutra is kept indoors now, but Kharma is let outside. Why should i keep Kharma inside also? They are both domestic short hair - no specific breed. And what is the deal with this mucus plug thing that I have read on other threads... i have never heard of it!

My cat Dora just had her kittens and she is a small cat. She had 5. I expected less so I was surprised. Good luck.

Originally Posted by Kharmasutra

My other cat Kharma is already desexed so thats good. Sutra is kept indoors now, but Kharma is let outside. Why should i keep Kharma inside also? They are both domestic short hair - no specific breed. And what is the deal with this mucus plug thing that I have read on other threads... i have never heard of it!

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If Kharma is desexed (THANK YOU for that!!!) then she could continue to go indoors/outdoors...just want to make sure though that Sutra cannot accidentally slip out as well. Would hate for Sutra to accidentally get out and have her babies outdoors. As long as you are monitoring the situation and you know that Sutra cannot get out...and Kharma is UTD on her shots, then it should be ok.

Katie

Kharma isnt UTD on her shots - ive never had either of them vaccinated,I still cant make up my mind whether I want them to or not, i dont like the idea of it. is this a bad thing?

Originally Posted by Kharmasutra

Kharma isnt UTD on her shots - ive never had either of them vaccinated,I still cant make up my mind whether I want them to or not, i dont like the idea of it. is this a bad thing?

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The only reason I mention that is because of Sutra's pregnancy. I don't want Kharma bringing anything in accidentally that could compromise the kittens health. A good idea is to contact the local vet and ask if there is anything they would recommend given that you have an indoor/outdoor cat and an indoor pregnant cat. It's always best to be safe.

Katie

thanks! i thought about that, which is why i havent been petting other ppls cats, but i guess Kharma could be bringing the nasties home anyway! i think kharma would go crazy is she was locked inside all day! Do you know anything about this mucus plug?

Well Dora lost her's but only 2 hours before she had the first kitten. It looked like a yellowish glob of mucus. I think the only reason I even saw it is she was to big to lick it away (she couldn't reach). I believe most of the time the mother licks it away before you even notice it.

so its like some sort of preparation for the kittens then... thanks prego - i had never heard of ot before and was intrigued!

All my cats (mixed or pedigree) - their first litters were the largest - 4-6 kittens. Our barn cat (Jinx who is spayed now) had one litter - 5 kittens and she's really little.

Basically the mucus plug falls out when the cervix is opening. It is the mucus that has plugged up the uterus the whole time. Hope that explains it enough.