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Cats/My mom cats tits have hardened up and she had kittens last night

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Expert: - 2/15/2010


Question
Hello, my mother cat's tits have hardened and she had kittens last night. I made an appointment at the vet for next week because I thought they would have to take the kittens out, for fear that she wasn't going to go into labor. They seem hungry, but they aren't whining. I felt of their bellies and they don't feel full. How do I know if they are getting enough milk?

Answer
Jessica,

The best way to tell if the kittens are getting enough to eat is to weigh each kitten.  A digital postal scale is one of the best things to use. Put an empty cardboard box on the scale and get its weight. Put each kitten in the box one at a time and record the difference as the weight of the kitten.

In the first week, each kitten should double their birth weight in the first week and then gain about 4 oz (100 g) in each subsequent week.  They should appear rolly poly once they get the hang of nursing.  If the kittens are not whining, they usually are getting enough to eat, but this is not fool proof.

It sounds to me as if mama should go ino the vet for a check up. If you transpoort mama and kittens, they need to go in separate carriers.  In the first couple of days of life warmth is just as important for the kittens as feeding.  If you need to supplement the kittens, you may need to tube feed them.  Your vet can show you how.  I would get to the vet as soon as possible, if your kittens are not gaining weight.

Best regards... Norm.  

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Norman Auspitz

Expertise

I can answer most non-veterinary questions about cats. My particular expertise is pedigree cats, breeding and showing. However, I am versed in feline behavior, cat breeds and their characteristics, general feline husbandry, and the like.

Experience

I judged for the Canadian Cat Association from 1975 until 1982. I am currently an approved allbreed judge for the Cat Fanciers'' Association (the world''s largets cat registry), and have been judging for them since 1991. I have been breeding pedigreed cats since 1971 and have been exhibiting pedigreed cats in shows since 1970. I obtained my first pedigreed cat in 1970 and have never looked back. In 1971, I obtained my first Abyssinian which has become my primary breed. In addition, I have bred Manx and Persians. Currently, besides the Abyssinians, I am also breeding Maine Coons.


Organizations
Cat Fanciers'' Association, inc. (CFA) and the Manx, Maine Coon, and Abyssinian breed councils. I am currently Abyssinian breed council secretary.

Publications
Cat Fancy Magazine, The Abyssinian Chapter in The Cat Fanciers'' Association Complete Cat Book, and Articles for various editions of The Cat Fanciers'' Association Yearbook

Education/Credentials
I received a B.S. from Drexel University in 1968, a M.Math from University of Waterloo, in 1970, a Ph.D. from University of Waterloo in 1975, and a MBA from McMaster University in 1980. I received my approved allbreed judging status in the Cat Fanciers'' Association in 1999.

Awards and Honors
We have produced a number of Cat Fanciers'' Association (CFA) National winning Abyssinian and Maine Coons. We have produced a number of Abyssinian and Maine Coon Distinguished Merit females (an award for a top producing cat), including the first Distinguished Merit Abyssinian in the red (sorrel) color. I am the CFA Abyssinian breed council secretary and belong and/or hold office in a number of cat clubs. I am also a member of the CFA Judges Association.

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