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Expert: - 6/21/2009


Question
Our mother cat has 6 kittens about 9 weeks old.  They are eating dry cat food now and drinking water.  But 2 of the kittens (the largest ones) also keep trying to nurse off the mother.  I am anxious to have the mother fixed before she may become pregnant again as they are all outside cats.  How can I tell if she is still lactating or ready to be spade?

Answer
Carol,

Ultimately mom will continue to lactate until none of her kittens are nursing from her at all - breast milk is pretty much a supply and demand kind of thing, if there's no demand for milk mom won't continue to supply the milk. In the vast majority of cases a nursing queen will wean her babies completely by the time they're 10 weeks old, in fact that's when I recommend that kittens be placed into their adoptive homes because they've already gotten the benefit of mom's milk and learned many of the basic lessons covering what it means to be a cat from their mother.

There's very little you can do to prevent the kittens from nursing since they live outdoors and mom hasn't finished weaning them naturally at this point. It's quite possible for female cats to become pregnant while breast feeding, in fact since mom's an outdoor cat there's a pretty good chance that she's already pregnant again since queens can become pregnant again as early as 24-48 hours after they deliver a litter of kittens.

In this situation you have a couple of options at this point:

- If you have adoptive homes lined up for these kittens then place the kittens into their adoptive homes and bring mom inside for 2 weeks or so her milk supply can dry up completely which means that your vet will spay her without question.

- Speak with your veterinarian about the situation and ask if s/he would be willing to spay mom now even though she's still lactating a bit because the kittens are still nursing occasionally. The answer will vary based on the individual vet's preference. Based on my experience with a kitty who needed a caesarian to bring her kittens into the world (I had her spayed at the same time to prevent further pregnancies) spaying mom will not have any impact on her milk supply which means that the kittens can continue to nurse occasionally until mom decides to wean them completely if they're going to be living with you permanently.

If you have any questions about this answer or you'd like me to clarify any part of this answer, please feel free to contact me again.

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Ali

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I am the proud guardian of 5 mixed breed cats ranging from 12 weeks to 13 years old and one purebred ragdoll. I have 20+ years experience working with mixed breed cats from a variety of different situations. I have fostered cats/kittens with special needs/behavioral issues. I have rescued/rehabilitated/re-homed a variety of stray/abused cats. I can offer advice on managing feral cat colonies, rehabilitating strays and finding them forever homes. I can help you to determine whether a cat is stray or feral, there IS a significant difference. Improperly introducing a new cat/kitten can result in aggression between newly introduced cats because cats are territorial by nature and they don't like sudden changes in their environment. To learn more about a peaceful way to introduce a new cat into a home with other cats please check out my previous answers on this subject. Proper nutrition for cats can be confusing, I recommend checking out catinfo.org which was created by a veterinarian (Dr. Lisa Pierson) who takes a common sense approach to explaining feline nutrition. Cat behavior and instincts are different from those of humans, I can help you understand your cat's needs so that you can meet them adequately and have a balanced, psychologically and physically sound kitty. Cats vary in personality, energy level and intelligence, different approaches may be required to achieve results in terms of training and interaction with your feline companion. An intelligent, high energy cat must be kept busy or they will make their own fun. I am NOT a licensed veterinarian and I can't offer medical advice. If your cat is ill/injured my advice is always the same: get prompt medical treatment provided by a veterinarian. If finances are an issue I will try to find resources in your area that can help with medical costs or make other choices to ensure the welfare of your cat.

Experience

I have fostered feral and stray cats, rehabilitated and homed cats that many people recommended euthanasia for. I am willing to make an effort to do the research and ask questions because I care enough to find solutions to behavioral problems rather than giving up. I have an interest in the use of alternative therapies to help provide the best possible care for all cats and I can say in all honesty that I've seen some incredible things happen for some incredible cats and their human caregivers when the right alternative therapeutic modality is used by a qualified veterinarian with expertise and experience in the field.

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I've earned my diploma as a veterinary assistant with honors.

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