Nursing Mom is SOO skinny!

[Chama]

The foster cat that I have right now is still nursing but she is SO skinny. I understand that everything is going to her babies but I am just wondering if there is anything I can do to help her. I feel so bad for her and she has as much food as she wants (doesn't seem to be any problem with her eating habits) but she is so skinny that I can feel her backbone. She was checked out by a vet prior to coming to my house (that was a week before she had the babies) and everything was fine but she was still underweight. Any suggestions? Would cat milk be helpful at all or maybe there is some human food that would be beneficial? I have been free feeding her dry food and then giving her wet food as well.

[NoahGrey]

You should call the vet. Seems like the mom is not very healthy. She needs to be look at again. Nursing kittens is extremely stressful and exhuasting for a mom cat. They need to be strong and healthy. I would call the shelter and let them know. The babies will probably have to be bottle fed, so mom can get strong and healthy again. Seems like she is too skinny to nurse...she is probably dehydrated as well.

When cats are sick, they can deteriote very quickly. Even a week is cruical. why is there no communication from the shelter and yourself. Seems odd.

ACO22

[Chama]

I spoke to the vet approx. half an hour ago and he helped me out. Being as this is the first time I have fostered a pregnant and then nursing mom sometimes it just helps to hear suggestions from people that have experience. I guess I am just one of those people that likes to hear from a few people to see what works best and up to now everyone has given me great suggestions. I do have contact with the rescue organization and they have been quite helpful as well. I am just trying to use all the resources possible as I would rather have too much information than not enough - thanks to all of you who have responded with your expertise! I am going to begin weaning the babies this week & hopefully that will take some of the pressure off of Mom and hopefully she will put some weight on. She is eating tons and always has lots of water and I was told that was the most important thing. She has already been dewormed and I'm going to pick her up some NutriCal tonight (upon recommendation of the vet)

[14+kitties]

Mmm, are you picking up the NutriCal from your vet's office? I wouldn't. It is not that great of a food. She needs the best quality canned food you can afford to give her. I would stick to Wellness, Wellness Core, Innova 95%, Nature's Instinct, any of the good quality foods with NO grains. Cut the dry food all together and feed her as much canned as she will/can eat. You could even try her on raw and see if she will eat that. If she was a stray/feral she probably will.

If I am remembering your other thread correctly the kittens are only 3.5 - 4.5 weeks old? Too young to start weaning! Unless you are going to start bottle feeding them. They need their mom's milk as long as she can feed them.

It would not hurt to take a stool sample in to your vet so s/he can check for parasites. It is possible even if she has been dewormed that she still has some kind of parasite. You do not need to take her in. Just the stool. Take one as fresh as possible and put it in a bag. You don't need much to be tested. Have someone drop it at the vets. It will be a nominal cost to have it checked.

[Chama]

Thanks everyone! I will take those brands into consideration - I planned on stopping at the petstore tonight anyway to pick up some more wet food so I will look into the brands you suggested. Wellness seems to be the crowd favorite She has been eating kitten food since I got her a week before delivery. - performatrin from Pet Valu. Even though she still seems so small, I do think she may have put on a minimal amount of weight. So far, she is such a good little Mom but I still wish she would put on more weight. Thanks again....

[Love4himies]

Sweet Pea was a pregnant stray when I got her and like yours, she was so skinny that I could feel her bones. It took until the kittens were somewhat weaned before she gained weight (about 5 weeks old). I had her on Felidae, cat and kitten and a meal of real meat daily.

[Love4himies]

Originally Posted by Chama

The foster cat that I have right now is still nursing but she is SO skinny. I understand that everything is going to her babies but I am just wondering if there is anything I can do to help her. I feel so bad for her and she has as much food as she wants (doesn't seem to be any problem with her eating habits) but she is so skinny that I can feel her backbone. She was checked out by a vet prior to coming to my house (that was a week before she had the babies) and everything was fine but she was still underweight. Any suggestions? Would cat milk be helpful at all or maybe there is some human food that would be beneficial? I have been free feeding her dry food and then giving her wet food as well.

What are you feeding her. How many kittens is she feeding. Are the kittens gaining weight. How old are the kittens. What was her condition prior to you getting her? Has she been dewormed?

The best thing you can feed her is a prepared raw diet for cats. If you are familiar with making your own, then that is best. If you aren't then a canned QUALITY food is necessary, any that are for growth (kittens and queens) are good. You may want to add some kibble (quality) to get the calories into her. She needs a lot when she is nursing and she needs meat protein, otherwise if you are feeding her a poor quality food, all the protein is going to the milk and draining her of muscle mass.

The best ones are:

Nature's Variety, Instinct Canned
Wellness, grain free (they have a kitten one, but is quite expensive)

As for kibble supplementing: Orijen, Wellness Core are two great ones.

You will not find these in a grocery store, but a quality pet food store, not sure where you are but Global and Pet Value should carry them.

Supplement the canned food with human meat daily, raw if she will eat it, lightly cooked otherwise. Chicken is a great meat.

Not sure how long you have had her, but if she was really skinny when you got her, it will take about 6 weeks for her to gain weight unless she is eating huge amounts of food.

Hope this helps.