Effect of pregnancy length on the early development of Bengal kittens

Abstract

AbstractIn cat breeding, an important step is reproduction and obtaining healthy offspring. The main factor determining the survival of newborn kittens is the normal course and length of pregnancy. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of gestation length on the early development of kittens. It was shown that kittens (premature kittens) later double their body weight (p < .01), have lower daily gains (p < .01) and higher body weight during eye‐opening (p < .01), which occurs later than in kittens born on time. In addition, due to a shorter period of prenatal development, they require more time until the day of eye‐opening, which, together with the length of pregnancy, was defined as development age.