Expert: Norman Auspitz - 7/4/2009

Question
QUESTION: I have several concerns about our new mother cat. I took her
in a few months ago. I believe that she was feral since she
had no collar and none of the neighbors claimed her. She had
a batch of kittens on 7-1. She is still bleeding bright red
and has little interest in the kittens (a batch of six),
other than brief feedings and cleaning. This behavior is
very different from other mother cats I have owned, which is
why I am so concerned. She is not interested in staying with
the kittens and often has to be taken to the box to feed
them. What can I do to help her and the kittens?

Thank you, in advance, for your time.


ANSWER: Becky,

What a lovely litter!!!!!

Hemorrhaging for a few days after kittens are born is perfectly normal. After this weekend, if it has not stopped, I would be concerned and see your vet.

As to her behavior with the kittens, I expect she is a bit disoriented and not sure what she should be doing.  You may have to confine her and the kittens to one room.  

When the kittens were born, did she clean them up or did you?  This can make a difference.

If this is her first litter, she just may not have the hang of motherhood yet.

Does she have milk?  Will she let you handle the kittens?  IF so, weigh them and track their weights.  They should gain about 1 oz (30 g) the first week and almost 2 oz (50 g) the second and subsequent weeks.  We like to use a digital postal scale to weigh the kittens.  If they are gaining weight and are fat little things, then mama is feeding adequately.  If she does not have milk, you will have to supplement the kittens.

Usually, as the milk builds and puts pressure on the mammaries, mama will spend more time with the kittens. As newborns, it is most important that the kittens are in a warm, draft free place away from other pets and small children.

If you do need to supplement, please ask a follow up and I will give you some suggestions.

Best regards... Norm.



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Norm,

Thank you for your response.

She did clean the kittens herself when they were born. She
has no problem with me handling the little ones, so weighing
them should not be a problem.

She does have milk, though some of her nipples seem to not
be functioning properly. Three of her nipples do not
protrude very far and the kittens have trouble latching on
to those. The larger kittens do just fine, but the runt is
often pushed out of the way.

I will track the weights of the kittens and let you know if
there are any other concerns.

Thank you again for your time.
Beck  

Answer
Becky,

I am glad to hear that mama is doing OK and providing milk and does not mind you handling the newborns.  That makes everything simpler.

What we do when we have a kitten or two who are having problems staying nursing (because they are not as strong as some of the rest), is to supplement them for a couple of days, maybe twice a day.

After you weigh the littlest one(s), calculate .1 oz (or 3 ml) of formula as a supplement for every 4 oz (100 g) of body weight.  We like Justborn, but KMR is perfectly good as a kitten formula.  For the next few days, cut the formula with unflavored Pedialyte about 1 to 1. Make sure the formula is warmed so that it is warm to the back of your hand.  We heat up a container with some water in the microwave and put the bottle or syringe with the formula in the water until it reaches the desired temperature.

You can try a pet nurser to see if they will take the nipple and suckle, if not, your vet can show you how to tube feed.

If you use a pet nurser, you will have to "burp" the baby, i.e. hold the baby right side up and just gently tap it on the back until it burps. If it does not burp, it may not have gotten any air, so it had no need to burp.

If you tube feed it, make sure you push enough formula through the tubing so that the formula comes out the hole.

In any case, do not overfeed as it can give them diarrhea or they can throw it up and aspirate the throw up leading to pneumonia!!!!!

Usually, after a couple of days on supplementation, most kittens are a bit stronger and can hold onto that nipple better.

Please let me know how it goes.

If you have more questions, please follow up.

Best regards... Norm.