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Expert: - 2/16/2010


Question
how can i  increase our cats milk supply, she had 5 kittens and they seem to be hungry all the time. is it ok to give her milk?

Answer
Linda,

First of all, how old are they?  Newborns will cry almost constantly when they are not nursing or sleeping, especially when mama leaves the nest for any reason. Older kittens will begin to play more.  The only real way to know if the kittens are getting enough to eat is to weigh them every day. They should be gaining weight each and every day.  A digital postage scale with a small cardboard box is a great way to weigh the kittens. Weigh the cardboard box and then subtract it from the weight of the kitten and box together.

A kitten should double its weight in the first week, after which each kitten should gain about 4 oz (100 g) each week.

If the kittens are not gaining and you need to supplement them, you can try bottle feeding if the kittens will take a pet nurser.  If not, you may have to tube feed them (your vet can show you how.  Please let me know the results of weighing the kittens to see whether they do need to be supplemented. If they do need to be supplemented, we can talk about that as a follow up. The last thing you want to do with little kittens is to overfeed them.

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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