According to the Guinness World Records, an average Siamese cat typically gives birth to around 4 to 6 kittens, but that is just an estimate. Some influences would either make your queen give birth to a bigger litter of live kittens or a smaller one with a few stillborn babies.
Below is an image showing you how a Siamese kitten typically looks like after a few weeks:
Have you noticed your Siamese cat’s body size bulging around the stomach after a few weeks of being in heat? Chances are that she’s pregnant. The best way to confirm this is by bringing her to the local vet’s office and having her undergo an ultrasound. Surely, other more questions are popping into your mind right now, but we’re here to answer all that. Keep reading!
4 Factors That Influence the Size of the Litter
Experts say that a Siamese cat or any other cat breed’s health, genetics, and age are some of the major factors that would dictate how big the litter is going to be. For every parent who has a Siamese cat that’s pregnant, giving her more care and attention is a priority, especially if you’re in the breeding business.
Mother’s Age
A young or a first-time queen is expected to produce a smaller litter size than the average so you can anticipate at least 2 to 3 kittens. Meanwhile, the more she matures into a middle-aged feline, the next pregnancy would turn into a bigger number of offspring.
Although most cats reach sexual maturity in 4 months, it’s a much better idea to wait until your Siamese cat reaches her adult size first, so that’s around 18 to 24 months. This is because if she’s bred early, most of her energy will be poured out to her kittens instead of reaching her full development.
Overall Health
A healthy pregnant Siamese cat won’t pose a problem. She will normally deliver her babies without any casualty. But, infections in cats are very common and it would affect the litter size and vitality of the kittens born. Feline distemper or technically known as feline panleukopenia virus (FPV) can result in a Siamese cat giving birth to stillborn kittens which would reduce the litter size. Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) would also negatively impact the cat’s ability to be fertile or cause the kittens to have lower chances of survival.
To avoid or to lessen the impact of these dreadful complications and others more, a regular vet check-up will diagnose early signs and symptoms and the vet would be able to prescribe medications to encourage the queen to have a healthy pregnancy period.
Nutritional Status
If you are feeding a pregnant Siamese cat, you have to know that it’s not just her benefitting from all the nutritional value she gets from the food. The kittens in the womb are heavily reliant on what their mother consumes. Having complete and balanced nutrition will help support the overall health of the mother as well as the growth of the unborn kittens. On the other hand, malnutrition can result in stillborn kittens, underweight kittens, abnormalities, low milk production for the mother, and other health problems.
A severely malnourished queen would also have a difficult time during her pregnancy and delivery.
Genetic History
Genetics also have a role when it comes to litter sizes. Check the background of your Siamese cat and see if her parents and grandparents also bore large litter. The breed must also be considered. Siamese-type cats typically produce a large number of kittens compared to Persian-type cats, while Manx cats lose at least a fourth of their total number of kittens only if they were bred tailless to tailless.
How to Determine Your Siamese Cat’s Litter Size
Siamese cats are pregnant for at least 67 days which is a bit longer compared to other cat breeds whose pregnancy only lasts anywhere between 63 to 65 days. During this time, vet trips are necessary.
Commonly, we have ultrasound as a primary option when it comes to counting the kittens in the womb. This procedure allows you and the vet to have an idea regarding how many kittens are set to be born. Unfortunately, this is not the most reliable way of counting the babies inside. Ultrasounds can be inaccurate.
Another way is to look at the uterus of the Siamese cat. Vets would be able to feel distinct amniotic sacs where every kitten is in. However, just like ultrasound, it’s just a guesstimate.
Should you want the most accurate way to determine the litter size, then have your Siamese undergo an X-ray test. This has to be taken later in the pregnancy period to get the highest accuracy rate.
All the Signs of Impending Labor
Ensuring that all the Siamese kittens are born safely can be done by being aware of the calendar. It’s not a problem if you get lost in the days or weeks, because several signs would tell you that your Siamese is ready to labor.
Behavioral Change
You will notice your cat excessively grooming herself, particularly in her genitals. Excessive panting and vocalization can also be observed. Her appetite will decrease and her affection levels will be high.
Nesting
In preparing to give birth, a pregnant Siamese queen will start looking for a clean and quiet place to deliver her babies a day or two earlier. It could be anywhere like your closet.
Physical Change
The rectal body temperature will normally drop down to 99 degrees Fahrenheit or below. There will be instances wherein she’ll vomit. A great indicator as well would be her nipples which would go enlarged, pinkish, or dark.
Active Labor Signs
A cat in labor will start positioning herself to deliver the first kitten. She will let out her cries due to pain and an obvious contraction movement. You can see blood to yellowish fluids discharged from her genitals.
How to Take Care of the Siamese Kittens
Although mother Siamese cats are perfectly capable of raising their kittens, there will be times when you as a pet parent must intervene. In some cases, a kitten would end up getting rejected by the mom. Worse is if the queen rejects her entire litter. One fact is that a baby can be rejected if it is cold to the touch. The best thing to do is help it regain its normal body temperature. Massage the kitten to increase its circulation as well. The moment it is warm again, place it back to the mother and see if the queen accepts her kitten back.
Here’s a cute picture of a queen nursing her Siamese Kitten.
One good indicator that the kitten is welcomed again is if it increases in size daily, but if it shows no progress, the mother has most likely rejected it. When this happens, bottle-feeding would be a good alternative.
What Is the World’s Largest Litter?
The world’s largest litter belongs to the Burmese/Siamese queen who gave birth to a total of 19 kittens. This happened in Kingham, Oxfordshire, U.K. on August 7, 1970. Four of them were stillborn.
