what to feed a nursing cat mother

• Protein Needs of Nursing Mother Cats. Nursing mother cats usually do well on commercial foods made for kittens. Dry and moist foods are both suitable.
• Switch to Regular Cat Food. Mother cats need to continue to eat kitten foods until their kittens are completely weaned and done nursing.
• Water. Ample water is imperative in any feline diet, no exceptions. ...
• Free Choice. The free choice feeding style is a common way to handle a nursing cat's portions. ...

What is the best food for a nursing cat?

• A protein-packed, highly-digestible food
• Meat-based
• Calorie-dense

What is the best canned food for a nursing cat?

• Chicken is the first ingredient
• Meat-based, carnivore-appropriate food
• Low carbohydrate content
• No carrageenan

What should you feed your cat as she is nursing kittens?

Nursing mother cats usually do well on commercial foods made for kittens. Dry and moist foods are both suitable. While nursing, they require foods with elevated levels of protein, just like developing kittens, hence the need to temporarily stay away from adult formulas. Extra protein isn't the only necessity for feeding nursing cats.

How much cat food should you feed a pregnant cat?

Specifically, here are nutritional priorities:

• Increased energy from calories for the growth of kittens and milk production for the mother
• Increased protein for growth and development of the kittens
• Increased fat to meet the high demand for calories of the mother
• Increased calcium and phosphorus for bone growth of kittens and milk production of their mother

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What can I give my mother cat to produce more milk?

To boost milk production if she doesn't have an appetite, you may be able to entice her to eat by making some of her own kitten gruel or mixing wet food into her usual dry food. Sometimes the strong smell of moist food encourages felines to eat.

How much should I feed a nursing mother cat?

The exact amount of food a nursing cat needs will vary in proportion to its litter size. Cats nursing more than two kittens typically need 2 to 2.5 times more calories than usual. A 10-pound cat nursing 4 kittens needs approximately 603 calories per day.

How often should I feed my cat after giving birth?

Kittens will nurse every 1-3 hours for the first three weeks. Only when they hit four or five weeks old will they be ready to start weaning off mom and onto wet food.

Is tuna good for pregnant cats?

Harmful Foods Your Cat Should Never Eat: Tuna, Milk, Raw Fish, and More.

What to feed a nursing mother cat?

Dry and moist foods are both suitable. While nursing, they require foods with elevated levels of protein , just like developing kittens, hence the need to temporarily stay away from adult formulas. Extra protein isn't the only necessity for feeding nursing cats. They also need considerably higher portions of food -- double of what they consume in times other than pregnancy. If a nursing mother cat has additional caloric intake, it helps her body make milk and properly feed her little ones.

Why is free choice feeding important for nursing cats?

Nursing asks a lot of a female cat's body, and free choice feeding can help accommodate those needs by allowing mothers to determine their portions by themselves. Free choice also enables nursing cats to decide exactly when they want to eat.

How long do kittens eat kitten food?

Kittens, for the most part, are weaned once they get to between 8 and 10 weeks old. Once the kittens are weaned, they're mature enough to eat solid foods 100 percent of the time -- and mom is ready to go back ...

What to do when a cat is pregnant?

If your cat is pregnant, it's crucial not only to pay special attention to her diet during gestation, but also to her meals after, while she's busy nursing her litter. Remember, feeding newborn kittens calls for tons of energy, and mom's body needs to make up for all of it.

Is it important to give your cat lots of water?

However, lots of water is even more crucial for nursing mamas because of how much of it they require to make milk . Ensure that your mother cat always has lots of clean and cool water available in front of her.

Do nursing mothers need more food?

They also need considerably higher portions of food -- double of what they consume in times other than pregnancy. If a nursing mother cat has additional caloric intake, it helps her body make milk and properly feed her little ones.

Can kittens eat solid food?

Once the kittens are weaned, they're mature enough to eat solid foods 100 percent of the time -- and mom is ready to go back to eating cat food for adults, rather than for kittens. At this point, she's also ready to revert back to her usual portions.

Ingredients

The ingredients are always listed from the first to the last, meaning the first ingredient is dominant in the formula. For example, if real chicken is listed first and rosemary extract last, it contains mainly chicken and very little rosemary extract.

Conclusion

For the overall best cat food for nursing mothers, we recommend Purina ONE Healthy Kitten Formula Dry Cat Food for its high calorie and protein content, real chicken, and three bag size choices.

What do mama cats need?

Mama cats have an increased requirement for calcium and phosphorus to support the kittens’ bone development. What you feed your mother cat will also feed the kittens. As kittens grow, they require elevated levels of key minerals and other nutrients to stay healthy.

How much water does a nursing cat need?

The nutritional composition of cat milk is approximately 10.8% fat, 10.6% protein, 3.7% sugar, and 1.0% ash. That means that it’s about 73.9% water. Every time she feeds her kittens, your cat loses water.

How many calories should I give my cat?

A 10-lb cat with 4 kittens needs about 600 calories a day. If she weighs 15 lbs, that number would increase to over 800 daily calories. A very large cat weighing 20 lbs might need over 1,000 calories per day. Your cat will almost inevitably lose her kitten weight during this period, and that’s healthy.

What to do if your kitten is skinny?

If the kittens are unusually skinny, vocal, or both, you might need to give them a nutritional boost by giving them kitten milk replacer. Make sure that you use a formula made for kittens.

How often do kittens nurse?

Newborn kittens do two things—nurse and sleep. They nurse every one to two hours, day and night. For the mother providing this nutrition, nursing is a physically and emotionally demanding time. She needs rich, high-calorie food to nourish both herself and the babies.

What are the ingredients in fancy feast?

First 5 Ingredients: Turkey, Liver, Meat By-Products, Poultry Broth, Milk. Don’t fall for the idea that only expensive food is good enough for your cat and her kittens. This kitten formula from Fancy Feast is grain-free, emphasizes digestible animal protein, and by almost all accounts, it tastes great.

Do nursing cats need water?

Nursing cats require plenty of water. Mama cats have an increased requirement for calcium and phosphorus to support the kittens’ bone development. Just like when she was pregnant, kitten food is the best source of calorie-dense, concentrated nutrition for your lactating queen.

A Nursing Cats Nutritional Requirements

A nursing cat has some extreme energy demands on her body. Not only does she need to maintain her own internal functions and body condition, but she also needs to produce milk that can support the rapid and healthy growth and development of her kittens.

Kitten Food is Best for Nursing Cats

So, we can see that a nursing mother needs a diet that provides her with much more energy and vitamins and minerals. Her regular diet will not suffice. Fortunately, this diet can be provided for her by simply feeding her kitten formulated food.

How Much Food Does a Nursing Cat Need?

In addition to a higher energy diet, she may need to generally eat more food than she used to. As cat owners, we are all used to setting set schedules and feeding amounts, but for your nursing cat, you should not look to restrict this.

How to feed a pregnant cat?

How should these foods be fed to pregnant or nursing cats? 1 Pregnant cats: Feed the suggested amount on the packaging. Continue to feed a kitten food to the mother until her kittens are weaned. 2 Nursing cats: Leave food available for the mother at all times after the kittens are born. This will ultimately help to wean the kittens to a regular food and provide the mother with high-energy food she will need during this time.

How should pregnant cats be fed?

How should these foods be fed to pregnant or nursing cats? Pregnant cats: Feed the suggested amount on the packaging. Continue to feed a kitten food to the mother until her kittens are weaned. Nursing cats: Leave food available for the mother at all times after the kittens are born.

Why are kittens high in protein?

Increased protein for growth and development of the kittens. Increased fat to meet the high demand for calories of the mother. Increased calcium and phosphorus for bone growth of kittens and milk production of their mother. High digestibility to provide more calories in a smaller amount of food.

How long does it take for a cat to be pregnant?

Typical gestation (pregnancy) averages 63-65 days. 2 We recommend that you see a veterinarian weekly during pregnancy and nursing to assess weight and food intake. Please speak with your veterinarian to determine how often your cat should be examined during pregnancy and after the birth of her kittens.

What is the most energy-demanding stage of a cat's life?

Nursing is the most energy-demanding stage of a cat’s life. Nursing cats have 2 to 6 times the energy requirements of a healthy adult cat.

Can you feed a pregnant cat Hill's Science Diet?

It is extremely important to feed your pregnant or nursing cat a food that provides the increased nutrition she needs. We recommend feeding Hill’s® Science Diet® Kitten Food formulas as soon as you discover your cat is pregnant. These formulas are rich in essential nutrients and support development of the kittens during pregnancy.

When to feed kittens during lactation?

Feeding during lactation is best accomplished using a highly-digestible, high-quality kitten formulation. 6–7 weeks post-partum.". Peak milk production and the queen’s peak energy need occurs at 3–4 weeks of lactation, but the peak food requirement occurs at 6–7 weeks post-partum.

When does a kitten need to eat after lactation?

6–7 weeks post-partum.". Peak milk production and the queen’s peak energy need occurs at 3–4 weeks of lactation, but the peak food requirement occurs at 6–7 weeks post-partum. This is primarily due to the fact that the kittens are also consuming the queen’s food as they approach weaning age.

How long does it take for a kitten to be separated from the queen?

On day two of weaning, the kittens are separated from the queen and she is fed about 25% of her pre-breeding portion and formulation. Over 4 or 5 days, increase to the full pre-breeding portion and meal-feeding. The kittens should not be allowed access to nurse during this time as that delays drying up milk production.

What are the stages of kitten reproduction?

Thriving kittens both before and after birth. The various stages of reproduction—heat (estrus), pregnancy, lactation, and weaning— provide unique stresses to the body. Each creates specific nutritional concerns that should be addressed to maximize both queen and kitten health. "Each [stage] creates specific nutritional.

How long does it take for a cat to get pregnant?

both queen and kitten health". Cats are pregnant for 63–65 days (58–70 day range), and a healthy, well-fed queen will experience steady weight gain throughout her pregnancy. This weight gain appears to be energy storage to support the upcoming lactation.

Does a cat need energy during lactation?

It is correct that during nursing ( lactation), a cat needs the greatest amount of energy calories of any life stage. Optimal nutrition for reproduction and lactation pursues the following outcomes:

Can the queen increase her food intake?

Once the kittens are born , the queen can increase her food intake because she will have more room in her abdomen, but the energy density of the food must be high enough or she will not be physically able to consume enough to sustain milk production, weight, and body condition.

When to feed a pregnant cat?

Switch her to a wet kitten food at about the midpoint of her pregnancy, which is around the 5th week. As her kittens grow, your cat will eat smaller portions of food, but she’ll want to eat more frequently, ...

How to help a kitten grow during pregnancy?

During the early and middle stages of pregnancy, your cat can keep primarily eating their typical food. However, you should mix in added protein to help facilitate healthy kitten growth.

What is a pregnant cat called?

A pregnant cat is referred to as a “queen.”. Thanks! Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0. Throughout your cat’s pregnancy and nursing, make sure that she always has access to clean, fresh water.

How long does it take for a cat to eat kitten food?

A cat’s pregnancy typically lasts from 58–70 days. Plan to switch your queen to the nutritious kitten food by about the 5th week (35 days).

Why is it important for a cat to eat calcium after giving birth?

It’s important that your mother cat consumes food containing plenty of calcium shortly after giving birth. Calci um will increase the mother’s milk production , which in turn will encourage bone growth in the developing kittens. Check the nutritional information on canned cat foods to find one that is high in calcium.

When can you transition a cat back to adult food?

However, once the kittens have weaned (usually around 6–10 weeks after birth), you can transition the mother cat back to an adult food.

How to help a cat gain weight after giving birth?

Give the cat a dish of this food three times daily, spaced at regular intervals . If you notice the cat continuing to gain weight after giving birth, you may need to cut back on the food.

Why do nursing cats need protein?

A nursing cat will need lots of protein to keep herself healthy, and to provide nutrition to her kittens. Quality cat food will normally provide enough protein. However, if her kittens are especially noisy or mobile, it can be a sign that the mother is not getting enough protein.

How to keep a pregnant cat from losing weight?

Mother cats will typically lose weight while nursing their kittens. To prevent the cat from losing too much weight, you should begin feeding her more than normal in the final third of her pregnancy.

Why do cats move their kittens around?

In the wild, mother cats may move their kittens around frequently as a way to protect them from predators. Don’t be alarmed if your cat wants to pick her kittens up and move them to a different location, as long as it is a safe one. Socialize the kittens. At first, your cat will be very protective of her kittens.

How to treat fleas on kittens?

If you do see fleas on the kittens, give them a bath in a solution of mild, non-antibacterial dishwashing liquid and warm water.

Can you feed cat milk to kittens?

Commercial cat milk replacements are available, however, and can be fed to kittens using a bottle, dropper, or other method. Talk to your veterinarian if you are concerned about the kittens’ nutrition, and for milk replacement recommendations if necessary.

Do nursing cats have special needs?

Nursing cats aren’t that different from any other cat, but they do have a few special needs. Ensuring that yours has adequate food and a safe place to nest are primary concerns. In addition, you should closely monitor the health of a nursing cat and her kittens to ensure that everyone is progressing well. Steps.

Can kittens have flea treatments?

However, flea treatments should be given only to the mother, and never to the kittens. Typical flea treatments are not intended for young kittens. If you want recommendations on how to deal with a flea problem, contact a veterinarian.

What is the best food for a lactating cat?

A lactating cat should be given high-protein food that is energy-dense and rich in vitamins and minerals. The best type of food for mama cats is kitten food because it is rich in essential nutrients and supports the development of the kittens. Canned kitten food is also highly-digestible and provides calcium and phosphorus ...

Why should nursing cats eat energy dense food?

Nursing cats should eat energy-dense food to sustain milk production, body condition, and weight. The calorie needs of mother cats are affected by certain characteristics of the kittens such as their size and their age. As the kittens grow and require more calories the mama cat’s calorie requirements will also increase.

How many calories should a cat eat a day?

In terms of calories a 10-pound cat nursing at least four kittens should have more or less 603 calories each day, and a 15-pound cat with at least four kittens should eat at least 851 calories per day.

When should kittens start eating solid food?

This is because the kittens are consuming more of the mama cat’s food as they approach the weaning stage. At about four weeks old, the kittens may be gradually transitioned to solid food although vets recommend that they should drink their mother’s milk until they are nine weeks old.

Can you give flea treatments to a mama cat?

Be sure to give flea treatments to the mama cat but not to the kittens. If the mama cat decides to move her kittens, just let her be but see to it that it is a safe area for them. You should bring the mama cat to the vet a week after she has given birth. You should also bring the kittens so they will also be checked.

When is the peak food requirement for a cat?

The peak food requirement for mama cats is during the sixth to the seventh week after childbirth.

Is canned food good for kittens?

Canned kitten food is also highly-digestible and provides calcium and phosphorus that are good for kittens’ bone development. Mama cats should also have all-day access to dry food or kibble which should be mixed with a little water to moisten it.