How did the kittens born in the same stomach at one time have different colors and looks? Especially when a brother with different appearance comes out, it is doubtful whether the baby is born from the same parent.
In fact, cats can conceive several male cubs at the same time. This is a phenomenon known as redundant pregnancy or pregnancy.
What is redundant pregnancy?
Duplicate pregnancy is a phenomenon that can be seen in animals, even in humans, and is mainly observed in wandering cats or dogs.
Dr. Donald Scherenberger, a veterinarian at the VCA Smoktown Animal Hospital, defined overlapping pregnancy as "the process by which a female is constantly mated with one or more males during ovulation and multiple sperm are implanted in an egg".
In the case of cats, it is possible to emit several eggs due to the rapid heat cycle occurring every 1 to 2 weeks.
Understanding the Cat's Thermal Cycle
A cat is a multi-horn mammal that can be hung several times a year. Because of its characteristics, cats can have several cycles of heat per year, which can occur several times a year. In addition, the gestation period of the cat is very short, 67 days, compared with the person whose pregnancy period is ten years.
When a cat enters the estrus, it sends out a big sound and the act of rolling the floor. This means you are ready to mate. The male cat is attracted to the fertile female cat and mated.
Cats produce a large number of eggs that can be modified during mating, besides multi-horn characteristics. It also has the ability to slow the release of eggs.
In other words, female cats can mate with males in the estrus period and emit eggs. A few days later, mating again with other males means that the ovaries that remain in the ovaries can be re-empted, and that the second male sperm can also be corrected.
Is duplicate pregnancy common to cats?
Duplicate pregnancy is impossible for cats who grow at home but rarely go out. This is because redundant pregnancy can occur when a female mates with several males.
But for stray cats, redundant pregnancy is a very common phenomenon than one thinks. And some female cats voluntarily seek out male cats during the mating season.
If the kittens want to know if they have more than one daddy cat, the owner should look carefully at the appearance. Dogs have different appearances for each breed, which makes it easy to discern, but it is difficult for cats with similar physical characteristics to have their cubs to have different dads.
A precise test is the pulp-puff method, which can effectively compare the different characteristics of kittens. For example, if a Persian cat gave birth to several cubs, some of them could be seen as different varieties, such as ragdoll or hairless cat. This is likely to be a duplicate pregnancy.
However, if you have mated with several males of the same breed, it is difficult to distinguish them by the naked eye. In this case, DNA testing can be done to reduce doubts.
