• Pregnant cats require special care for their health, along with that of their kittens.mother cat feeding her kittens image by Cherry-Merry from Fotolia.com
  
  A cat pregnancy is often a joyful and exciting occasion. Just like humans, however, cats require special care when they are expecting. Providing your expectant feline with the proper treatment will help her have a better chance at a safe pregnancy and delivery, and ultimately, healthy kittens. There are a few tips you can follow to keep your cat healthy and happy during her pregnancy.
  
  

Provide Veterinary Care

• According to the Best Cat Tips website, an expectant feline should receive an examination from a veterinarian as soon as possible. During this examination, the doctor can check to make sure the mother is healthy by looking at her eyes and mouth, listening to her heart and breath sounds, and possibly through performing blood tests. The doctor will likely palpate the cat’s abdomen to check on the size of the kittens and may even offer to take radiographs of the cat’s stomach to see how many kittens she is pregnant with, if she is far along enough in her pregnancy. In addition, a veterinarian can answer any questions you may have regarding your kitty.
  
  

Keep Her Indoors

• Even if your cat got pregnant while outdoors, it is important to keep her inside during her pregnancy, states the Cat Pregnancy Report website. The outdoor life is quite dangerous for any cat, but especially those that are pregnant. Being outdoors puts cats at risk for being hit by vehicles and getting into tangles with other animals. If your pregnant cat gets bitten by a cat carrying feline leukemia or feline immunodeficiency virus, she can become infected with the diseases and possibly pass them on to her unborn kittens. In addition, being outdoors also puts her at risk for being bitten by a rabid animal. If your kitty tries to escape, secure her in a closed room before you leave your home, to keep her from sneaking out of the door.
  
  

Feed Her Kitten Food

• Pregnant cats need high amounts of protein and calcium. Therefore, about three weeks before she is due, add kitten food to her diet, suggests the Best Cat Tips website. Increase the amount of kitten food she eats each week until she is only eating kitten food during her last week of pregnancy. Feed her three to four small meals a day. Some pregnant cats require vitamins and supplements, as well. Talk to your veterinarian about whether your cat may need to take them.
  
  

Use Non-Clumping Litter

• The Cat Pregnancy Report suggests using non-clumping litter in your pregnant cat’s litter box. The reason for this is that some cats give birth in the litter box. If a kitten is born in clumping litter, the mother may refuse to open the sac because of the litter that is clumped around it, which will cause the kitten to drown in its amniotic fluid and die.