Dog and Cat Pregnancy

How the dog and cat pregnancy calculator works

Enter the species, the first mating date and, if you want, another reference date. The calculator counts the days from mating: a dog is pregnant for about 63 days, with births from day 57 to day 72, and a cat for about 65 days, with births from day 61 to day 72. Counting from mating gives a wider window than counting from ovulation, because sperm survive for days and the egg can be fertilized later than the mating. Example: a dog mated on 1 August has an estimated date of 3 October and a window from 27 September to 12 October. The date is only an estimate.

The table lists the usual checks, each with its dates. In dogs, the veterinarian can confirm the pregnancy by ultrasound from day 25 and by palpation around day 28 to 35; an X-ray after day 45 shows how many puppies to expect. In cats, nipples turn pink around day 15 to 18, and ultrasound and palpation work from about day 16 to 17. Increase the food gradually in the last third, and prepare a quiet box a week before the earliest date. In dogs, a rectal temperature below 37.5 C often comes about 24 hours before labor.

Call a veterinarian at once if strong contractions last more than 30 to 60 minutes without a puppy or kitten, if green discharge appears before the first one is born, if the temperature drops and labor does not begin within 24 hours, or if the date passes the end of the window. The same applies to bleeding, fever, vomiting, weakness or a long pause between births. This page is a planning aid and never replaces the veterinarian, who should follow every pregnancy.