does mother litter size matter?

Does a mothers litter size matter as to what size litter their daughters have?

My kitty is very small so hoping for a small litter from her. her mom was also very petite too. Just wondering if it mattered. we know the moms owner as she lives down the street from us so can find out what size litters she had.


IK growing up one of our cats always had 3 kittens as that was her "limit" but her daughter had 5 her first litter. And her daughter also had them all down the hall and didn't clean them, noone was home when she had them so we couldn't save them.

Kallie--- thanks. That was my worry is a big litter with her being small. But the cat that her limit was 3 was a small cat and her daughter that had 5 was MUCH larger....... so that makes sense.

my baby had 4 and she is a small cat..i don't think she could have had anymore...it didn't feel as if there were anymore room in her for more than 4. her belly was HUGE and bulgy with just 4! the babies also looked a whole lot smaller than some of the new borns I have seen on here and my past cats have had. Good luck!

I am sending "small" litter vibes your way!

As long as mom is healthy and has a save birth I dont care :LOL

My cat Tiny-One is very small hence the name. She was huge and ended up with 5 babies! I still don't know how she managed that.

momof3----- Yes as long as litter and mom are healthy and all goes smooth I don't care how many. Wishing for a small litter afraid that it will be too much for mom. But hey if she can handle it she can have as many as skittles. LOL heheeee

prncss----- wow 5! My kitty looks kinda long but everything else is teeny, her face still looks like a kitten and she is 2 I think. but it is so small she has a baby face.

Thanks Kallie!


Ok another odd que (put this on another thread too). My cat would be/is (I believe her first sign in the nipples) so only just over 2 weeks along. Anways. I have started checking her nipples over the weekend and at that time could only find 2...... LOL last night I found a 3rd and today a 4th.... the first 2 were the bottom 2. are the other 4 just still small (they were teeny and barely noticable at first) that I can't see them. I have never heard of a cat with only 4, but I have searched and can't find or feel them. LOL

my cat is tiny and you couldn't even tell she had nipples until she got pregnant then after a while they all started to show. even though her top ones have milk in them they are still kinda small but that was just the case with Kitty. Good luck!

What kind of cats do you breed?

Jen--- growing up we bred Himilayans. Now I just have my "mutt" kitties. This one was an OOPS as she got out and she is the only one not fixed YET, will be after her litter is weaned. Well I do have one persian but he is pet quality but my baby.

Skittles is due in 11 days tops and tomorrow she will have a ultrasound to show the exact count....

GL! I have been reading up on skittles and sounds like she is sooooooooooooo close!

It does but I will not hold my breath LOL...

My LH calico's mom had one kitten for her first litter, and that kitten (our Meggie) had one kitten in her first (and only!) litter.

I think I've heard that cats have smaller litters if they are younger or older. "Medium" aged cats (or who have at least had a litter before) have a bit more of a chance of a larger litter. Also, I have been told that if a cat breeds with more than one male, that can make a larger litter. For example, my former stray, Elsa, had 8 kittens, and 5 were clearly from one father and 3 from another father.

Breed, size and age all matter. My queen had a litter of 5 (lost two!) and she came from a litter of 5 which is quite unusual for Abys. However, the health of the cat plays a big role also in how many kittens are born. A healthy Maine Coon female averages around 7 kittens and most of the domestics around here av. around 4-5!

thanks everyone.


She is 2 yrs old and in great health. She looks small but I weighed her last night (held her and stepped on the scale then I stepped on with out her) and she was actually 7 1/2-8lbs. more than I thought since she looks smaller. not sure how many males she mated with or how many times since she was out for 6 days........


she is just over 2 weeks along and I am going to guess 4 for now. I will take her to the vet around the 24th (think that is when her "calendar" shows that a vet can count) to get her checked and see what they think.

Que. about the vet. the vet we go to now is VERY expensive..... I used to have a vets office that I loved but called one day because one dog hurt his paw and the other one had something up with her ear and was crying in pain (as was the one with his paw). well they told me they could get me in in 2 DAYS! I was shocked since my dogs were in PAIN! so called my sisters vet where I had never been and they got me right in. So switched. But they are almost DOUBLE the price and no discounts for the office visit if you take more than 1 pet at a time (the other it was around 1/2 price for any others that were seen at the same time). Would you switch back to the cheaper vet? it is more reasonably priced for me, but not sure on about the care, I loved the vets there but that time was horrible! there are also another few around me so maybe I will price those out.......

For emergency care the vet we see now has someone there till 11 p.m. every night, and there is also a 24 hr emergency clinic that is about 5 min from my house if it is ever needed in the middle of the night........

I would think that since this isn't what you would classify as a painful, urgent need for a visit, I would go to the vet I liked and felt most comfortable with seeing. If it is less expensive, then that is just a bonus, IMO.