Research overview: pregnancy diagnosis in the domestic cat

Accurately confirming and dating pregnancy in cats supports both clinical care and reproductive research. This overview surveys methods used to diagnose feline pregnancy, including abdominal palpation, ultrasonography to detect and age fetuses, radiography to count skeletons late in gestation, and measurement of pregnancy-associated hormones such as relaxin. It compares the timing and reliability of each approach and discusses how they distinguish pregnancy from pseudopregnancy, which produces a luteal phase without fetuses. The review notes how these tools, validated first in domestic cats, are adapted for nondomestic species. Reliable pregnancy diagnosis is essential for managing prenatal care, predicting parturition, and evaluating the success of natural and assisted breeding.