Pregnancy

Pregnancy is the process a female undertakes when carrying offspring to term. Pregnancy is either ‘all or nothing’, and the “Mild” designation is used to encompass a typical pregnancy, “Moderate” to address pregnancies longer than normal and the potential complications involved, and “Severe” will designate those pregnancies that do not go to full term. (It should be noted that these designations are arbitrary, rather than any indication of the dangerousness of the condition to the mother)

Note: It is rare for a pregnancy to be identified as such before the 4th week, when the first outward signs of impregnation following mating become apparent. In accordance this article will be written from the point of view that pregnancy was identified a moon into the process, and those first four weeks will not be addressed specifically.

Only females may become pregnant.
Complications could lead to a possibility of fatality.

Typical Pregnancy

• Week 4: Teats elongate, round out and assume a pinkish tone in the first outward sign of pregnancy.
• Week 5: Belly enlarges and weight of the female increases.
  Treatment to keep the queen calm using mild herbs might become necessary is she suffers from severe imbalances, but use of herbs should be kept minimal.
• Week 6: Kittens become easy to palpate, and the first faint heartbeats are detectable. (Queen should be removed from combat duty)
• Week 7: Belly reaches extremes of distension in larger (2 or more kittens) litters. Need for rest increases.(Queen should be removed from hunting duty)
• Week 8: Kittens begin to move for the first time. (Queen should move to the nursery as activity of the kittens increases)
  It is usual for any cat experiencing temperament problems to revert to a more normal temperament at this point. Cats who did not experience imbalances will commonly become extremely affectionate.
• Week 9: Queen gives birth and begins lactation.

Differs Case by case, in accordance with symptoms

• [Very Rare] Death (Due to a kitten becoming lodged for damage to the birth canal causing blood loss)

Post-term Pregnancy – As Typical Pregnancy thru the 8th Week

• Week 9: Pregnancy Continues
• 10th Week or Beyond: Queen gives birth and begins lactation.
  Treatment should be used if a queen goes beyond the 10th week. Each additional day adds to the chance of complication.

Differs Case by case, in accordance with symptoms

• For the Kittens

• [Moderate] Stillbirth (due to the kittens not getting oxygen when their systems were prepared to make the change)
• [Moderate] bent limbs (due to crowding)
• [Moderate] mental impairment (due to lack of oxygen, pinched umbilicals, ect)
• [Rare] Neonatal Death (Due to assorted developmental problems)

• For the Mother

• [Common] Low Fertility (due to damage to the reproductive system)
• [Rare] Death (due to size of the kittens causing severe damage, or a kitten becoming lodged in the birth canal)

Premature Birth – As typical pregnancy thru at least the 5th Week

• Week 6, 7, or 8: Queen gives birth.
  If lactation does not begin, treat with herbs to induce it.

Differs Case by case, in accordance with symptoms

• For the Kittens

• [6wks: 8%, 7wks: 4%, 8wks: 2%] Neonatal Death (due to the kittens failing to develop, effects entire litter)
• [6wks: 20%, 7wks: 10%, 8wks: 5%] Stillbirth (due to underdevelopment of the kittens)
• [6/7wks: 20%, 8wks: 10%] Slow Development (due to underdevelopment at birth)
• [6/7wks: 20%, 8wks 10%] Undersized (due to underdevelopment at birth)

• For the Mother

• [75% Common] Low Fertility (due to hormonal imbalance effecting reproductive system) [Permanence: 1d20; 1 = Perm, 2-5 = 12mo, 6-10 = 9mo, 11-15 – 6mo, 16-19 = 3mo, 20 = 1mo]