Expert: Jessica - 8/26/2009

Question
My mother cat has moved 2 of her week old kittens out of the box from the colset in my room and underneath my kids bed, so I moved them all to the same spot for her, thinking that that was where she wanted them, then she moved one away again and seems be only nursing that one now?? I'm a little worried that maybe she doesn't have enough milk for them all? They seem hungry.  How can I tell? Any suggestions?

Answer
Hi Kristal.  It does happen sometimes that mothers neglect some of their kittens when they can only meet the demands of one or two of their kittens physically.  It’s nearly impossible to say whether she’s producing enough milk to support the entire litter.  You should have her checked out by a vet to ensure that she’s healthy.  Sometimes a nutritional deficiency will not allow mom to produce enough milk to feed the babies.  If you have mom on adult cat food, I would add in some kitten food over the course of a week and switch her completely onto kitten food within 10 days’ time.  She should stay on this until the kittens are completely weaned.  It will provide her with the extra protein and fat she needs to produce milk.  Other times there is a problem with milk let down, which can be helped with a shot of Pitocin.  Usually, the problem occurs right at delivery, but it still may be worth investigating.  

As for the babies right now, you should bottle feed them.  This will be their only chance for survival until mom’s problem is corrected, if it can be corrected.  At this age, feedings should occur every 2 hours, day and night, to minimize stomach upset.  I know the formula label says every 3-4 hours, but I lost a lot of kittens to digestive problems going by this schedule.  Following a more natural feeding schedule as if the kittens were nursing from mom, my success rate doubled.  In another week, feedings can drop to every three hours, and at four weeks, they can go to every 4-5 hours.  You may need to accustom the babies to formula by using a syringe or eye dropper first, and then move on to using a bottle to feed them.  Don’t forget to burp the babies after each meal!  Hold them on your shoulder and gently pat their backs just as you would an infant.

If mom will have nothing to do with the babies at all, you will also have to keep the kittens warm and stimulate them to go to the bathroom.  Right now the kittens will need to be kept in an area that’s 80-85 degrees F, or kept on a heating pad which has been wrapped in a thick towel and set on low heat.  They should have room to move off the heating pad if they like, and their box should be kept out of the path of any air conditioning.  

After each meal, you will stimulate them to move their bladder and bowels by massaging their genital area with some cotton balls moistened with warm water.  Kittens will usually urinate each time and will have bowel movements at least once a day.

I would also urge you to purchase an ounce scale and weigh all of the kittens each day.  These are sold at office stores to weigh mail.  The kittens should gain 1/8 to 1/4 ounce each day.  If they don’t gain weight consistently, you know they aren’t getting enough to eat or are otherwise unhealthy, and you should have them looked over by a vet.

Good luck with all!

Jessica