Pregnant cat - very underweight

bouncydog1

We have just discovered that our recently adopted cat is about to have kittens withing the next two weeks. She hasn't been outside since we got her so was obviously pregnant when we got her (all my cats previously (over the last 30 years) have been spayed/neutered before anyone starts on about being irresponsible).

She is very underweight and fussy with food - any ideas about what we can feed her to get the weight up, as I am very worried that she won't be able to nurse her kittens properly.

She likes cat biscuit but will only eat miniscule amounts - likes tinned tuna, so we are giving her that - won't eat kitten food and not keen on fresh fish or scrambled egg. We are trying to give her cooked chicken breast which she likes but grateful for any other suggestions.

Can anyone also advise what signs we should look for that she is looking for somewhere to give birth and what we should provide her with. She has a high sided bed that she is "making pastry" in, but should we provide her with a cardboard box with high sides and newspaper and towels in? She currently sleeps on DD's bed!

Grateful for any help from more experienced owners - oh and by the way we intend to keep the kittens and have them all spayed or neutered, so any advice on kitten care would also be much appreciated.

Thank you!!

paddypaws101

Kittens! HOW exciting, I can't tell you how jealous I am.
Hmm, it is a problem that she will not eat, that would concern me during pregnancy.
Have you checked with the vet whether it would be safe or advisable to give her some kind of appetite stimulant?
I would try and tempt her with any delicacies which she shows interest in...chicken breast, minced beef, pilchards etc. I should think she needs good quantities of calcium for the kittens so will she drink cat milk ( remember chicken breast without bone is lacking the calcium content ) Unless she will eat raw of course in which case a raw chicken wing is a great idea.
My gang adore thrive dehydrated treats and even enjoy the powder sprinkled on regular food.
You may also want to consider syringe feeding her....it depends on the cat, some accept it more readily than others.
http://www.diabeticcatcare.com/sickmix.htm
Buy a large syringe from a chemist ( no needle obviously ) cut the tip to widen it then add pureed wet cat food.
Oh, and when my fussy cat was pregnant I hand fed her! Bit by bit she ate, one biscuit at a time!
Good luck, and keep us posted.

Fire_Fox

This isn't meant as a criticism as I completely appreciate your predicament ... None of the human foods you mention are complete, some are low fat (calorie) and some even 'rob' nutrients from the body (tuna). IMO you want a food that is high fat and high (meat) protein with plenty of minerals for bone formation - if cats pregnancies are like humans, in the absence of good nutrition the kittens will be acting as parasites. :eek:

Will she drink cat or kitten milk? Have you tried any raw meat? Noah absolutely loves a raw egg mixed with a sachet of VIYO cat milk which claims to contain all the vitamins, minerals and taurine a cat needs. Raw egg white isn't ideal for regular intake tho. Some cats only like raw meat or wet cat food at mouse temperature so it may be worth warming the food slightly. What has the vet advised?

paddypaws101

Oh yes, an egg yolk would be good....and if she wont lap it up I would smear it on her front leg so she has to lick it off.
She HAS to eat.
BTW, it worked in my case as Nellie was a skinny, sick feral who has never weighed more than 7 llb whereas her offspring are all 14 llb whoppers!

bouncydog1

Thank you all - we only found out about the kittens on Friday - she had gone to be spayed so it was all a bit of a surprise - DD and I are ecstatic - DH is sulking!! (he hates cats and she has already sauntered into the dining room and run up the curtains while he was eating his lunch and followed that up by running up to the top of his 7 ft house plant and knocking it all over the white sofas)!!! Never mind - we have told him his mum has a spare room :rotfl::rotfl::rotfl:(only joking as he is lovely and has a heart of gold).

I am going to speak to my vet tomorrow as we need to ensure that we give these little ones the very best chance they can get, but I do know that sometimes pet owners can suggest things that work that vet's don't necessarilly know about.

paddypaws101

[QUOTE=bouncyd!!!;30620569.

I am going to speak to my vet tomorrow as we need to ensure that we give these little ones the very best chance they can get, but I do know that sometimes pet owners can suggest things that work that vet's don't necessarilly know about.[/QUOTE]

Very DIPLOMATIC....not asking for medical advise, just other's experience, well done:D

I know it is really politically incorrect these days but having kittens is just the most wonderful experience! Although my 'mum' cat never actually showed any affection to her offspring once they were weaned ( ex-feral, probably TOO bonded to me ) they were and still are trouble free, sweet, non destructive cats.
I really believe that kitten manners are taught later than the usual 8 week separation period and that is why so many kittens are terrors for when in their new homes.
Also you may find ( as I did ) that once kittens are born the mum will automatically eat better, basically she just has to with a hungry brood to feed.
Are you really going to keep them all....no matter how many???

flower24

Our old cat had kittens when she still pretty much a kitten herself, she was only 1, and went missing for about a month and came back pregnant. She was a very small slim cat, but she had 4 kittens and nursed them all. One of the kittens was a bit weird, it took him longer to walk he used to drag his back legs behind him, and he didn't get teeth until a while after the others did, he was quite delayed but he turned out fine and was a lovely cat but then he disappeared gone off on one there a bit....

merlin68

You didn't get your cat from the same lady I did, did you? Exact same scenario.

merlin68

Mine was very fussy with food as well, finally got it eating tesco premium cat pouches. 24 for £5.60.

rita-rabbit

Pets as at home is doing the cheapest quality food pouches at the moment - most cats like that. I mean in comparison to the prices charged in supermarkets by the way (I have looked at Asda, Sainsburys & Tescos)

kiraroo

i foster pregnant mother cats and kittens and i've found the cheaper the food the more likely they are to eat it! Things like Whiskas pouches is full of sugar so once a cat gets a taste of it they'll find it hard to stop eating it. I've rarely seen mother cats not wanting to eat (quite the opposite) so I'm thinking there probably is some sort of underlying medical condition such as a viral infection of some sort or that she's running a temperature. Generally being pregnant will give a mother cat an upset stomach and this can affect their mood and in turn their appertite.

If your vet doesn't give you any, ask them for a type of catfood called A/D it's by Hills and is usually for animals recovering from sugery but it's really pallatible and worked a treat on three severely malnorished kittens I fostered last year. It looks and smells terrible but it obviously works.

Another two things I used on my elderly cat when he stopped eating were warming up his food in the microwave as the heat makes it smell more and therefore more appealing, and also buying human baby food. It's not great as a long term solution at all and you've got to avoid the ones with onions but when she's eating so little and is soon to give birth which will be extremely demanding on her body you really need to get her to eat anything.

With where she'll give birth, your guess is as good as mine! Despite always offering a pregnant cat a nice cosy box with a soft blanket they never use it. Previous locations have included under my stairs, on top of a storage chest and just straight in the middle of my fostering room! I think it's always good for them to have somewhere as a 'nest', somewhere quiet, where she won't feel threatened and the kittens cannot crawl/wiggle/into harm. Also you want her to associate somewhere with her kittens, this will reduce the chances of her moving them to behind the washing machine in the middle of the night, unless you intend to keep her in one room; which is what i do. What i usually do is go to Tescos and get a couples of boxes they put the fruit and veg in, they're usually green and about 15cm high round the edges. I then cut one long side off each and push them together. This makes a (disposable!) secure place for mum cat to lie and feed her kittens and for the first week or so it'll keep the kittens in one place as they won't be able to crawl out.

Two other things i don't know if you know which you might find useful. Kittens are born with their claws out which means they get caught in everything. An ideal blanket for the nesting box would be one of those fleece pet blanket and not anything knitted or crocheted as they just get their claws such and can't move.

Also mum cat can get pregnant again as soon as she's given birth, so make sure you keep her in for the eight weeks and then get her spayed!!!

hope this helps, sorry it's a bit garbled