Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Kitten survival and pregnancy rates in free-roaming cats
By Nutter, Felicia B et al.·Published in Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association·2004·Environmental Medicine Consortium and Department of Clinical Sciences, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Reproductive capacity of free-roaming domestic cats and kitten survival rate.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A study looked at the breeding habits of free-roaming female cats and found that they can have multiple litters each year. On average, each cat had about 1.4 litters annually, with around 3 kittens in each litter. Unfortunately, a high number of kittens—about 75%—did not survive past six months, often due to trauma. This information highlights the challenges of managing cat populations and the importance of spaying and neutering to help control their numbers.
People also search for: why are there so many stray cats · kitten survival rate · cat pregnancy signs · spaying benefits for cats
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To determine reproductive capacity of naturally breeding free-roaming domestic cats and kitten survival rate. DESIGN: Prospective cohort and retrospective cross-sectional study. ANIMALS: 2,332 female cats brought to a trap-neuter-return clinic for neutering and 71 female cats and 171 kittens comprising 50 litters from a cohort study of feral cats in managed colonies. PROCEDURE: Data collected for all cats included pregnancy, lactation, and estrus status and number of fetuses for pregnant cats. Additional data collected for feral cats in managed colonies included numbers of litters per year and kittens per litter, date of birth, kitten survival rate, and causes of death. RESULTS: Pregnant cats were observed in all months of the year, but the percentage of cats found to be pregnant was highest in March, April, and May. Cats produced a mean of 1.4 litters/y, with a median of 3 kittens/litter (range, 1 to 6). Overall, 127 of 169 (75%) kittens died or disappeared before 6 months of age. Trauma was the most common cause of death. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Results illustrate the high reproductive capacity of free-roaming domestic cats. Realistic estimates of the reproductive capacity of female cats may be useful in assessing the effectiveness of population control strategies.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15552315/