The Life of a Cat

 

The average life span of a cat is 12-15 years.  Some cats make it to 19, and others can make it up to thirty.

 

REPRODUCTION:

Tom cats, which are male, can mate at any time.  Queens, or female cats, can only mate during a period of sexual excitement, called estrus or heat.  This occurs several times a year.  It is more frequent until the cat is pregnant.  Pregnancy, for a cat, lasts for about 9 weeks.  The queen chooses a nice, quiet, safe place to have her kittens.  Queens usually only have about 3-5 kittens, but some can have over 10.

Newborn kittens weigh about 3 1/2 ounces.   They can't see or hear because their eyes and ears are sealed. 

Growth and Development-   Healthy kittens show a steady weight gain.  Their eyes and ears open 10 to 14 days after birth.  After about 1 month, they begin to cut their baby teeth. They begin to eat solid food, and their mother begins to wean, or to stop nursing, them. Kittens start to run around and play after about three weeks of birth.   At four weeks of age, the owner of the kitten should start to play with it handle it gently.   Kittens with that kind attention  rend to become good pets.  You should also show your kitten to your dog, if you have one, so it knows not to be afraid of it.    The best time to show a cat to a dig is when the dog is a puppy, when you are able to train it to play and be gentle with the cat.

By about 6 weeks of parturition, the cat is fully developed.  If it is possible, the kitten should stay with its brothers, sisters, and mother until they are 9 to 10 weeks old.

That is all, if you have any more information, about this subject, please e-mail me or post a message on the board.

mailcat.gif (1606 bytes)                             WB01337_.gif (904 bytes)