A questionnaire-based study of gestation, parturition and neonatal mortality in pedigree breeding cats in the UK
Open accessAbstract
This study was based on a convenience-sampling questionnaire study of pedigree cat breeding in the UK. Data were collated for the births of 1056 litters from 14 different pedigree breeds and 942 different households. Significant relationships between various outcomes and relevant predictors were assessed by multiple linear regression or logistic regression as appropriate. The overall mean gestation length of 65.1 days varied significantly between the breeds ( P<0.0001), and larger litter sizes were associated with shorter gestation lengths ( P=0.04). The mean litter size of 4.6 kittens also varied significantly according to breed ( P<0.0001). The weight of kittens born alive (overall mean 93.5 g) increased with longer gestation lengths ( P=0.0003), decreased with larger litter sizes ( P<0.0001) and varied between the breeds ( P<0.0001). A total of 8.0% of pregnancies resulted in a caesarean section, with a higher risk associated with smaller litter sizes ( P=0.002). Although the frequency of caesarean sections varied from 0 to 18.5% between individual breeds, breed itself was not shown to have a significant independent effect on this likelihood. A mean of 7.2% of all the kittens were stillborn, which varied according to breed ( P=0.0003), and the risk of a stillborn kitten increased with litter size ( P=0.0001), and with the presence of congenital defects in the litter ( P=0.0002). The mean kitten mortality between birth and 8 weeks of age was 9.1%, and the majority of these occurred in the first week of life. Parturition intervals varied widely. The duration of first stage of labour was less than 2 h in 82.9% of cats. The interval between the birth of the first and last kitten was less than 6 h in 85.7%, but more than 48 h in three cats. A maximum of 48 h was recorded between the births of individual kittens in unassisted deliveries.
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Studies published between 2006 and 2019 reported a stillbirth rate between 5 and 12.5% in cats.
“Studies published between 2006 and 2019 have reported a stillbirth rate of between 5 and 12.5%.”
From Feline neonatology: From birth to commencement of weaning – what to know for successful management (2022) · cites this paper as [1]
The Abstract reports that 7.2% of kittens in this 2006 study were stillborn, which falls within the claimed range. The Discussion also reports earlier estimates of 5.9%, 10.2%, and 11.6%, but this paper does not establish the 12.5% upper bound or report studies published through 2019. (LLM, conf=0.83)
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“5%, the mortality rate for all kittens entering the shelter at <9 weeks of age in 2014 was at the low end of the previously published mortality rates reported for kittens born alive in laboratories and breeding facilities (Festing & Belby, 1970; Fournier et al., 2017; Romagnoli et al., 2019; Root Kustritz et al., 1995…”
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Axnér, E. (2014) · Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery · doi:10.1177/1098612x13518937 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
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Do domesticated mammals selected for intensive production have less variable gestation periods?
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Feline dystocia and kitten mortality up to 12 weeks in pedigree cats
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Self-citationA retrospective study on dystocia in the cat, evaluation of 111 cases
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“The range of gestation length of 59–72 days in this study has previously been reported as normal in cats [2, 3, 8, 10, 20].”
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“It should be noted that physiological prolongation of parturition lengths up to 48 hr has been reported in cats (Jutkowitz, 2005; Sparkes et al., 2006).”
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“The size of the population (1507 litters) was higher than in the previous studies on this topic (15 litters [22], 294 litters [9], 337 litters [23], 694 litters [24], or 1056 litters [12]).”
ResultA clinical report of entangled neonates' umbilical cord with queen's fur in Persian cat
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“Stillborn kittens have been reported to account for approximately 7%-10% of all cases of kitten mortality[6,7].”
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Aglepristone and cloprostenol combination in the termination of late-term pregnancy in queens
Alkan, K. K., Alkan, H., Tez, G., & Kanca, H. (2019) · Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery · doi:10.1177/1098612x19892087 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Reproductive Results of Selected Cat Breeds
Wojcik, W. F., & Piechowska, M. (2025) · Life · doi:10.3390/life15071128 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
“As the authors noted, the number of mothers kept for such a long time is too small to provide a basis for statistical analysis [37].”
Mortality in Stray Kittens under Eight Weeks Old: Focusing on Congenital Malformations
Contreras, G., Viegas, C. A., Gama, A., Silva, F. C., & Pires, I. C. R. (2024) · Veterinary Sciences · doi:10.3390/vetsci11100461 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
“[27] This study included 68 kittens aged under 8 weeks old.”
MethodCurrent problems of domestic feline reproduction and prospects of their solution (review)
Naumenko, S. V., Koshevoy, V., Chaus, N. O., Chuikova, O. S., Bublichenko, V. Y., Gulevich, I. O., Yevlakhova, M. S., & Zemko, V. V. (2025) · VETERINARY SCIENCE TECHNOLOGIES OF ANIMAL HUSBANDRY AND NATURE MANAGEMENT · doi:10.31890/vttp.2025.11.11 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
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APGAR score as a method for prediction of survival prognosis in newborn puppies and kittens
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Surgical Management of Foetal Maceration in a Domestic Shorthair Queen
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“The gestation period in cats lasts approximately 65 days and usually concludes with three distinct stages of labour (Sparkes et al. 2006; Romagnoli et al. 2019).”
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“The cat litter size ranges from 3.7 to 4.6 kittens (Sparkes et al., 2006), the breeding life is about 10 years, and a queen can give birth to up to 100 kittens in her lifetime (Griffin, 2001).”
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Feline ontogeny, reproduction, and lactation
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Behavioral Outcomes Associated with Hormonal Sterilization in a Questionnaire-Based Study of Cats
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“Although coat length is unlikely to be causative, breed-related differences in reproductive traits have been described in pedigree cats [33,34], suggesting that phenotypic characteristics may reflect underlying biological variation.”
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Wybrane zagadnienia z zakresu ochrony i zagrożeń środowiska. T. 2
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- Authors
- Sparkes, A. H., Rogers, K., Henley, W. E., Gunn-Moore, D. A., May, J. M., Gruffydd-Jones, T. J., & Bessant, C.
- Affiliations
- Centre for Small Animal Studies, Animal Health Trust, Lanwades Park, Kentford, Suffolk CB8 7UU, UK
- Animal Health Trust (GB)
- Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, The University of Edinburgh Hospital for Small Animals, Roslin, Midlothian, Scotland EH25 9RG, UK
- Chace Veterinary Group, 26 Essex Road, Enfield, Middlesex EN2 6UA, UK
- University of Bristol (GB)
- The Feline Advisory Bureau, Taeselbury, High Street, Tisbury, Wilts SP3 6LD, UK
- Venue
- Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery
- Publisher
- SAGE Publications
- Published
- 2006-06
- Volume
- 8
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 145-157
- ISSN
- 1098-612X (ISSN-L)
- 1532-2750
- PMC
- PMC10832861
- OpenAlex
- W2089841133
- Cited by
- 99
- References
- 24
- Citations by year
- 2026: 7 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 9 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 2 · 2013: 5 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 2.39
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Explore Bristol Research (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Veterinary › Small Animals › Veterinary Medicine and Surgery
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Agronomy and Crop Science › Reproductive Physiology in Livestock
- Health Sciences › Veterinary › Small Animals › Animal Behavior and Welfare Studies
- Keywords
- gestation length, litter size, cesarean section, stillbirth, neonatal mortality, parturition interval, first stage of labor, congenital malformations, feline reproduction, cat breeds
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Animals, Newborn, Breeding, Cats, Female, United Kingdom, Litter Size, Mortality, Pedigree, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Outcome, Surveys and Questionnaires, Species Specificity, Logistic Models, Parturition
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