How many times a day and for how long does a cat feed her kittens milk?

Cat breeders are often not against the birth of offspring, and some owners of especially valuable breeds even attach great importance to this. Therefore, they are sensitive not only to the process of pregnancy and childbirth, but are also interested in how much milk the cat feeds the kittens with milk.

It is important to note that mother cat milk is of significant importance in the life of a kitten, being an irreplaceable source of nutrients and energy. This means that the owners’ interest in the duration of feeding and its main points is understandable.

Feeding frequency

Like all mammals, colostrum initially appears immediately after birth, which subsequently becomes full-fledged milk. It is from feeding colostrum that kittens develop immunity, so it is very important that they receive these precious drops. In the first few weeks of life, mother's milk will become the only and most important food for kittens, the source of all components essential for growth and normal development.

Newborn blind babies unmistakably find cat nipples that smell of tasty and healthy milk. Kittens have an excellent sense of smell from birth, as does their appetite. Appetite, however, is a sign that they are healthy.

Depending on the age of the kittens, the cat should feed the following number of times per day:

• first week of life – 10-12 times;
• second and third weeks – 8 times;
• fourth and subsequent weeks – 6 times.

Factors influencing duration of feeding

The question of the period of feeding a cat with milk is individual. Veterinarians say that there are a number of factors directly related to this:

• Number of kittens in the litter . A cat can feed a fairly large number of babies with milk. But it is noted that one kitten can receive feeding from its mother for longer than 5 or 6 at a time.
• Individual cat characteristics . Each case is, of course, special. Some may not allow kittens to come near them at all, while other cats feed their kittens with milk even when they are quite large. The duration of milk feeding may also depend on the animal’s mental state, so it is important to create a favorable climate around the giving birth so that the kittens receive their mother’s milk in full.
• Cat health . In addition to the psychological factor, milk feeding is also influenced by the physiological state of the furry parent. If there are complications after childbirth, mastopathy, then she may completely refuse to breastfeed and not allow kittens to come to her. Various diseases, including parasitic ones, can also affect the duration of milk production.
• Mother cat nutrition . The lactation process is quite complex and depends not only on the health of the pet, but also on the nutrition received. Only balanced food makes it possible to replenish the nursing mother’s body with all its needs for minerals, proteins, fats and carbohydrates. As long as the balance is complete, the cat will have milk for as long as possible.

A healthy cat, receiving good nutrition and surrounded by a calm environment, feeds kittens for up to 2.5 months. This figure is conditional and may be more or less. But the first month is very important for babies, because during this entire period milk is their only food.

Introduction of complementary foods

With the onset of the second month of life, kittens can add complementary foods to their diet. At the same time, the cat continues to feed the kitten with mother's milk. Babies develop very quickly, and this alone cannot provide them with adequate nutrition.

Leaving 3-4 meals a day with cat milk, the kittens begin to be given solid food: cottage cheese, chicken fillet, pieces of beef. It is allowed to give cow's milk, diluting it with water.

Gradually adding solid food allows babies to gradually become accustomed to chewing and digesting it. By the age of two or three months, their need for mother's milk disappears. It is not able to provide growing organisms with the complex of necessary elements that are so necessary for normal growth and development.

Supplementary feeding of kittens and lack of milk

A cat does not always produce enough lactation. It is quite easy to notice that kittens do not have enough mother's milk. The signs are :

• poor weight gain in children;
• anxiety;
• they squeak and poke their noses in search of nipples.

This can happen in a cat for several reasons.:

• reduced lactation, which can occur in first-time cats or already aging cats;
• insufficient or inadequate nutrition;
• a large number of kittens in one litter and they simply do not have enough milk for all of them;
• any diseases of internal organs or psychological disorders.

In order to detect a lack of milk in time and take action, cat owners must observe both the behavior of the pet itself and its children. If problems arise, you will need to consult with a veterinarian to identify the cause, try to eliminate it, and help the kittens get enough nutrition.

As a rule, it is necessary to supplement the feeding of babies, and here it is important to know that cow’s milk cannot be given to them from the first days of life. The doctor will recommend special mixtures that are as close as possible in composition as a replacement for cat milk. When faced with a situation where such mixtures are unavailable, you can take food for infants. The peculiarity of feeding formulas for children is that the dosage indicated on the package should be reduced by 1.5 times. This means that the concentration of the finished milk will be less than for small children.

Otherwise, formula feeding is similar to baby food.:

• the temperature of the finished milk should be body temperature (36-38 degrees);
• bottles and nipples must be sterilized;
• The mixture should be prepared immediately before feeding or stored in the refrigerator for no longer than 6 hours.

Features of digestion depending on age

Cats belong to the order of carnivores, the class of mammals.
Immediately after birth, the baby needs mother's milk. With it, he receives micronutrients, proteins, vitamins, fats and, most importantly, immunoglobulins, which form the immune system of the future predator. The mother feeds the offspring until they are three months old. The enzyme lactase is produced in the small intestine of kittens. It is responsible for the digestion of milk sugar (lactose).

Mother's milk

From a month on, the cubs gradually begin to taste meat. The amount of breast milk consumed decreases, but it still takes up a significant part of the diet. As the kitten grows up, serious changes occur in its body. Lactase production decreases. The digestive system produces more and more proteases necessary for the breakdown of proteins.

Three months is the age when a kitten becomes an adult and stops receiving milk from its mother. By this point, the body has already adjusted to a meat diet, and lactase practically ceases to be produced. There is not enough enzyme to process lactose, so milk causes unpleasant symptoms (pain, diarrhea) in most adults.

Features of mother feeding kittens

Almost immediately after lambing, the cat produces colostrum. This is a milk-like substance containing a large number of useful components. Colostrum is especially rich in antibodies, which provide immunity to newborns in the first days of life. Gradually, the level of antibodies decreases, and colostrum becomes mother's milk. For newly born babies, it is the main food for several weeks. Only with the secretion of the mammary gland can kittens receive proteins, fats, carbohydrates and substances necessary for the normal development of the body.

Details

Basic Rules

We present the basic rules, following which you can figure out how to raise and feed a 1-month-old kitten without a cat at home:

1. Food for a one-month-old kitten should have a liquid consistency. Solid inclusions and pieces should be avoided. The kitten will hardly be able to digest such food. 2. When feeding a small kitten for up to a month, use various feeding devices. Bottles with rubber nipples can serve as such devices. 3. Each new product is introduced into the diet gradually and in small portions. 4. Do not overfeed your baby. Control the amount of food in the bowl. 5. Introduce new foods into the kitten’s diet not immediately, but gradually. Give each new product every 3-4 days.

IMPORTANT: Provide the kitten with clean drinking water in the required quantity.

How to train a one-month-old kitten to eat on its own

The kitten begins to show interest in adult food at the age of 3 weeks.

He watches with interest how other animals eat. Complementary feeding should begin with dairy products. Pour milk into a saucer, dip your finger in it and let the kitten lick it. The baby will understand that it’s delicious and will reach for the cup himself.

Then you can poke the kitten's muzzle into the milk, but be careful not to choke. In any case, give the kitten freedom of movement and freedom of choice. He himself will reach for a cup of milk and start lapping it up. Don't think that you will succeed the first time. Be patient and repeat the procedure again. It is normal for the kitten to snort and sneeze.

A baby kitten can get its paws right into the bowl. To wean your kitten from such a bad habit, wipe its wet paws every time.

Hold him by the neck so he doesn't go all the way into the bowl. Be patient with your little pet and after a few days the kitten will learn to eat on its own. The owner of a kitten is always conflicted about whether it is better to feed the kitten dry food or natural food.

Cat breeders debate the benefits all the time. Ready-made cat food is a balanced product. The manufacturer adds everything you need to it: vitamins, healthy additives and microelements. From the point of view of veterinarians, dry food is worthy food for an animal.

Cautions

But with any approach, you need to recall important features:

1. If you start feeding your kitten natural products, do not add dry food to its food. The fact is that the process of digesting dry food and natural food is different. Therefore, if you do not want your animals to encounter problems such as gastroenteritis and gastrointestinal colic, then do not feed natural food and dry food at the same time.
2. You should not feed your kitten with industrial food of different brands at the same time, this will either lead to an excess of some vitamins or to vitamin deficiency. Digestive problems are also possible.
3. Don’t skimp on your pet’s health, buy proper and high-quality food. The kitten should be fed with a product of the “Premium” and “Superpremium” classes.

If you decide to feed your kitten natural food, then adhere to the following rules:

1. Diet variety. If from an early age an animal gets used to one type of food, then in the course of its life it will hardly be possible to accustom it to another. Offer your kitten a variety of foods.
2. You should not feed your kitten food from your table. Human food contains salt and spices that are harmful to cats.

So what should you feed a one-month-old kitten, besides milk?

You can give complementary foods in the form of cottage cheese. Stir cottage cheese with milk until it reaches a consistency similar to sour cream. The next product that you will introduce into the diet of a month-old kitten is chicken yolk, but it should also be mixed with milk. Porridge with meat and milk broths, soups with broth without spices, and boiled vegetables are good for a kitten.

You can use different products, the main thing is that they are not greasy and are well chopped. Kittens should not be given meat from fatty animals, such as pork, goose, and duck. Add organ meats to your food. Meat should not be given to a kitten raw; it must be boiled first. Fish should not be given to cats often. Frequent consumption of fish leads to kidney disease. For castrated animals, fish is excluded from the diet altogether.

The food of a small kitten should be close to natural. Food should be warm and natural. Do not feed foods that are too hot or very cold. Make sure that the kitten always has clean water.

Feeding regimen or how many times should a kitten be fed 1 month old:

1. Kittens up to two weeks old are fed at least 7 times a day. All feedings are divided into equal time intervals. 2. Kittens aged from 2 weeks to 1 month are allowed to eat 6 times a day. 3. A kitten older than 1 month should receive food 6 times a day in small portions.

A single serving of food for a one-month-old kitten is 30 ml per 100 g of weight. A kitten over 1 month of age is given 50 ml per 100 g of food weight at a time.

How long does it take for a cat's milk to burn out?

The time it takes for a cat to lose or burn out milk under normal conditions depends on many factors, including how you distribute the kittens.
It is best to separate kittens from the cat one at a time, 3-4 months after birth, taking a break of 3-4 days. It is advisable to prepare the cat and kittens 2-3 days before this event. Several times a day, kittens are taken away from the cat for 1-2 hours in another room, leaving them with food, water and cat litter. This way they gradually get used to independence.

If the kittens were given away unexpectedly

But what if for some reason the kittens had to be given away at the same time or too early?
In this case, on the first day you need to not give her food and water, and then begin to gradually increase their amount. If the cat is too worried, looking for and calling kittens, give her a special sedative for cats, pay more attention, pet her, create a calm environment in the house. At the same time, to stop lactation, you need to reduce the amount of water and food consumed by the cat.

You can follow this scheme: on the first day, do not give the cat food at all and give only half of the amount of water it usually consumes, on the second day - give a quarter of the usual portion and half a portion of water, on the third day you can give as much water as it wants, and a little more food than the previous day.

Can kittens have milk from a cow?

If, for a number of reasons, a kitten can no longer feed on mother’s milk, the owner is faced with the task of choosing the most suitable analogue. The first thing that comes to mind is cow's milk. This product is widely represented on the market, it is affordable and can be found in any store. But can you give it to a kitten? Unfortunately, there are many reasons why this choice should be abandoned.

Cow's milk is intended for newborn calves. Its composition is rich in vitamins and beneficial microelements, many of which are suitable for cat babies. But some substances are not needed by the kitten’s body and are even dangerous:

• the protein contained in cow's milk can cause diarrhea or allergies;
• estrogen is a female hormone present in the milk of a pregnant cow, which negatively affects the kitten’s hormonal levels;
• antibiotics that cows receive on farms can cause dysbiosis;
• Some of the pesticides contained in cow feed end up in the milk and can cause severe poisoning in a kitten;
• pasteurized dairy products from the store are practically devoid of nutrients and beneficial substances.

Feeding with cow's milk

Is it possible to rewind a cat to burn off the milk?

Pregnancy, childbirth and lactation of cats are special and exciting events, and therefore are often surrounded by various superstitions that have come down to us from the times when it was not possible to buy special food for a cat, take it to a veterinarian, or find a medicine.
For example, people often ask how to properly rewind a cat so that the milk burns out. This issue is probably related to the custom of women to bandage their breasts when weaning a baby from breastfeeding. Maybe this method helped someone relieve pain, but there is no scientific evidence that people or cats necessarily need to tighten the mammary glands to stop lactation.

In addition, a cat who has just been separated from her kittens needs care and attention, and attempts to wrap her belly will most likely only frighten the cat and increase stress.

As we have already said, the cessation of lactation is facilitated by proper weaning of kittens and diet - as a rule, if these rules are followed, everything should go well for your pet. If for some reason mastitis begins, then the best solution would be to immediately contact a veterinarian.

Although there are various folk remedies for mastitis, we would not recommend that you treat your cat on your own.

Features of goat milk

Goat's milk is better for kittens than cow's milk. Its composition is more acceptable to their body.

Goat milk has a number of undoubted advantages over cow milk:

• in terms of fat content it is closer to cat fat;
• fats and proteins are easily digestible;
• low-allergenic;
• contains less lactose;
• contains a lot of lacto- and bifidobacteria, which have a positive effect on the intestinal microflora and the digestive process;
• a significantly higher percentage of vitamins and mineral compounds.

If there are no contraindications, kittens can be given goat's milk. To reduce the fat content, it must first be diluted with water.

It is very important to buy the product from trusted farmers, making sure in advance that the goats are healthy, well-nourished and kept in decent conditions.

The cat abandoned the kittens - how to arrange the place of detention?

If, nevertheless, the cat left the kittens, the best option is to invite a donor, or a surrogate mother. But most often this is not possible. Then you will have to take care of the kids yourself.

The cat abandoned the kittens, how to arrange the place of detention:

• At the first stage, you need to prepare a house for them. This could be a shoebox lined with soft, warm material. It could be a wool blanket. Please note that the house must be spacious enough.
• It is necessary to divide it into two parts, put bottles of hot water in one, cover with a blanket, the second part of the house should be without bottles. This is necessary if the kittens suddenly become hot.
• The temperature of the bottled water should be approximately 37-40 degrees. The optimal temperature for nursing kittens is 30 degrees. It is at this temperature that cats keep their babies. Next, you must also ensure that the place is secluded and secluded.
• There is no need to allow children to constantly carry babies in their arms. This can affect their health and even cause death. Contact with people is stressful for babies. Regular feeding is required every 2-3 hours.

Notice that the cat in the nest is constantly licking her kittens, cleaning them.

Kittens

Milk during feeding

A kitten, left without a mother from the first days, needs adequate nutrition for normal development. The owner's first step is to try to get cat milk for the little pet. To do this, you need to find a nursing cat and give her another baby. If this method fails, it's time to think about an alternative.

Many pet food manufacturers produce special complementary foods that will become the baby’s main diet until he is one month old. These are mixtures that include milk powder, cream, yeast, eggs, as well as all the elements necessary for growth.

The preparation process is simple - pour liquid into the powder and mix thoroughly. Usually a daily supply is prepared immediately, which is kept in the refrigerator to preserve its benefits and freshness. Before feeding, the required amount of the mixture is heated to 38 ⁰C.

Veterinarians recommend adding a little more liquid to the powder than indicated on the package. This will help avoid constipation.

Various feeding mixtures

When making a choice in favor of one or another product that replaces mother's milk for kittens, you need to consider several points:

• the manufacturer and brand must be well-known and have positive reviews from specialists and breeders;
• The breed of the pet largely determines the required calorie content of the mixture;
• fat content – ​​for children the limit value is 9%.

Meat puree can be gradually introduced into the menu of a bottle-fed kitten from the age of one month.

About the transition to solid food

It can be introduced gradually to the offspring after reaching 4 weeks of age. After all, animals are already beginning to lack the components of mother’s milk for healthy physical development. Babies grow at an intensive rate, begin to crawl, explore everything around and at the same time spend a lot of energy. The kittens are gradually introduced into the diet with chicken, beef, cottage cheese minced in a meat grinder, and given yogurt, fermented baked milk, and diluted cow's milk. From the age of one month, 2-3 meals a day with breast milk is optimal. By the time the mother stops breastfeeding, she should be able to eat solid food on her own.

General recommendations

1. When babies are one month old, teach them to have short but regular separations from their mother. Let the four-legged little one spend a couple of hours a day in his own “house” with dishes, a bed and a toilet.
2. If the kitten does not yet know how to eat from a bowl, it is placed on its tummy and fed from a syringe. First remove the needle and gradually squeeze out the liquid contents drop by drop into the mouth so that food does not get into the windpipe. A more convenient feeding device is a bottle purchased at a pet store with a set of nipples.
3. Do not deprive a mother cat of all her babies at once. Otherwise, the nurse’s mammary glands will become overcrowded and will hurt. Together with the stress experienced, this will lead to health problems.
4. Introduce kittens to the smells of the new home and its inhabitants, including fauna. Periodically sniffing the personal belongings of the owners (T-shirt, T-shirt) and the pet (sheets, toys) will help you get used to the “aura” of your future habitat.
5. When parting with the mustache, give the new owner the bedding on which the baby slept in the “father’s house.” Native smells will help the tailed “new resident” feel more confident in an unusual environment.

Read:

How many toes does a cat have on its paws: normal and abnormal

Kitten feeding schedule. Up to the third week inclusive

For the first five days, a newborn kitten needs to be fed every 2-3 hours, day and night. The daily norm is 30 ml of the mixture per 100 grams of weight. Further, until they reach the age of two weeks, the kittens are fed every 4 hours throughout the day. The amount of food increases to 40 ml per 100 grams of weight. During this time, kittens need some kind of cat's milk substitute. The milk of any mammal is intended exclusively for the cubs of its species, so you should never give kittens any kind of milk in its pure form. You can use cat milk substitutes, which are sold in pet stores, or prepare your own formula. To prepare it you will need 4 parts of boiled cow's (or goat's) milk and one part of egg white. The ingredients must be mixed until a homogeneous mass is obtained. If kittens cannot tolerate cow's milk (you will notice this immediately because problems with stool will begin), you can try giving them infant formula (very weakly diluted). It is convenient to feed kittens using a pipette or a medical syringe without a needle. You need to give them the mixture very carefully, because if it gets into the lungs, the kitten will choke. If this suddenly happens, immediately turn him upside down to clear the airways. In addition, care must be taken to ensure that no air gets into the kitten’s stomach while eating. To do this, hold the pipette or syringe at an angle of approximately 45 degrees. After feeding, kittens need to gently massage their tummies with a dampened piece of cloth to stimulate digestion and help them release their natural needs. Under normal conditions, this is done by the mother cat. The kitten should “go to the toilet” 2-3 times a day. You can store the finished milk mixture in the refrigerator for no longer than a day; syringes and pipettes used for feeding must be boiled regularly.

Unless your kittens are abandoned or separated from their mother, their weight will still need to be monitored. Slow weight gain indicates that they are undernourished. If kittens begin to suck the finger extended to them and squeak all the time, they are hungry. If you notice this, increase the amount of food for the mother cat. Sometimes some kittens get enough milk, while others remain hungry. In this case, hungry kittens should be placed closer to the belly of a nursing cat. If the cat does not have enough milk for all the kittens, you need to start feeding them additionally.

Can adult cats?

Nutritionists call for completely eliminating milk from the animal’s diet for six months. It is at this age that the production of lactase in the cat’s body reaches a minimum, which means that milk sugar will practically not be broken down. This may result in diarrhea and vomiting.

Some cats drink milk into old age without negative consequences. That is, their body continues to produce the necessary enzyme in sufficient doses. But this is rather an exception to the general rule and is associated with the individual characteristics of a particular pet.

Almost all animals like the taste of milk, but the product does not benefit an adult cat. On the contrary, in most cases, consuming the product can lead to poor health:

• the high calorie content of whole milk can disrupt metabolism and cause obesity;
• the high content of lactose and casein interferes with normal absorption, disrupting the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract;
• development of an allergic reaction;
• Lactose intolerance leads to deterioration of digestive functions, bloating, flatulence, diarrhea, and dehydration.

- It was delicious!..

The cat abandoned her kittens - what to do?

What to do if you are not ready to accept the death of kittens? There are several options to solve the problem.

The cat abandoned the kittens, what to do:

• The simplest and most profitable way is to find a nursing cat. Very often, cats add new babies to newborn kittens that their mother has abandoned. Oddly enough, cats usually never separate kittens and do not throw them out of the nest or box. Accordingly, they take care of them in the same way as their offspring.
• Where can you find a cat? There are many veterinary forums and animal shelters. This is where you can find a nursing cat. In this case, you will have to take her home with your offspring.
• This is the simplest option, because the cat requires not only milk, but also other skills and functions.

Kittens

Lactose intolerance

Milk is the first food for cats, like other mammals. The baby's body secretes enough enzyme to process milk sugars. Gradually, the animal switches to solid food, and lactase production decreases.

Once milk is removed from the diet, the body permanently stops producing the enzyme. This means the animal loses the ability to normally digest dairy products. This explains why adult cats should not drink milk. Their body can no longer process this product.

In animals that are fed milk from childhood, lactase continues to be produced. They can consume the product in small quantities to avoid consequences.

What to feed kittens: reviews

Of course, nursing kittens is a rather complex manipulation, so we recommend that you read the reviews of kitten owners.

What to feed kittens, reviews

Veronica, 30 years old . I became the owner of two kittens completely unexpectedly for myself. Not far from our multi-storey building, a cat brought kittens, but for some reason, at the age of about 2 weeks, she threw them out of her den. The two kids could barely move around the yard, as they practically couldn’t walk. Their paws moved in different directions. Judging by the not fully open eyes, I concluded that the babies were about 2 weeks old. I fed the babies approximately every 3 hours. I purchased a special mixture. In addition, the kittens constantly meowed and called for their mother. I placed the box with the babies near the radiator. I think it was cozy there. For another two weeks I woke up at night and fed the kittens. Already at the age of one month she began to give regular cow's milk and special canned food.

Elena, 35 years old. I live in my own house, and not long ago we got a new cat in our yard. As I understand it, she came to us already pregnant. After she brought the kittens, she disappeared somewhere. As a result, I had to take care of 4 kittens. To do this, I prepared the mixture myself from cow’s milk, eggs and sunflower oil. She fed with a syringe. Unfortunately, one of the four kittens died. No matter how hard I tried to massage him, he defecated with great difficulty. 5 weeks have passed, three kittens are running around the yard, they are healthy and playful.

Evgeniy, 30 years old. My cat recently gave birth to kittens, but unfortunately, due to health problems, we had to take her to the veterinary clinic. We were advised to temporarily wean the cat away from kittens due to eclampsia. We gave vitamins and injections because the cat stopped walking with her hind legs. The kittens had to be looked after on their own. I have three children who regularly monitored the babies’ condition. They were fed with a special mixture, which was purchased at a veterinary clinic. A week later, the cat came to her senses, but, unfortunately, due to lack of milk, she was unable to feed them. But she continued to lick them, so all questions regarding bowel movements, as well as cleaning the babies, disappeared. The cat performed these duties independently. But we had to feed. Now the kittens are alive and healthy, gaining weight well. The cat also recovered.

Friendship
Remember, an animal is not only a source of food for its babies, but also a heater and a nanny. You will have to perform all the functions of a mother.

Feeding procedure

1. Sit in a comfortable position, lay a bedding on your knees - a towel, a diaper;
2. The kitten needs to be placed in the same position as when sucking milk from a cat - standing, lying on its stomach with an elevated position;
3. Squeeze out a little product so that the kitten feels the smell, takes the pacifier in its mouth, if this does not happen, carefully insert it into the mouth, then instinct will react;
4. You need to feed a newborn with a pipette; you should not squeeze out the contents. It is necessary for him to develop a sucking instinct; he does it himself;
5. After about 7 days, you need to switch to a syringe, but squeeze out the milk slowly so as not to choke.

How to prepare kitten formula at home

Often, orphan kittens end up in people's care quite suddenly. What if the industrial cat milk substitute is not sold anywhere (delivery is only possible from another city), or the store is simply closed for the night, or there is simply no money?

The first thought is to give the kittens regular milk, some recommend goat milk. Although this is not suitable food for them, it is acceptable as “first aid”. But 10% cream is much better. At first glance, they are very fatty; cream seems like heavy food to us. But cat milk contains 9-11% fat, and 10-11% cream is what you need. They will be absorbed better than “watery” milk.

Cream is absorbed better than milk

In the future, you need to prepare a mixture for kittens that is balanced in nutrients. Its main difference from regular cream will be the high percentage of protein. For feeding kittens from birth to 3 weeks, mix:

• 380 ml cow's milk 1.5%
• 25 g raw egg yolks (the amount depends on the type of egg)
• 15 g vegetable oil
• 75 g low-fat lactose-free cottage cheese
• 1.5 g evening primrose oil (source of vitamin E)
• 200 mg taurine
• 5 g vitamin and mineral supplement (20% calcium)

Mix with a blender and heat to 35°C.

Mastitis

Mastitis is inflammation of the breast tissue. There are many possible causes for the disease, but the result is always the same - severe pain, increased general and local body temperature, as well as refusal to feed the kittens. You can guess the presence of mastitis by the following signs:

• The mammary glands are hot and swollen.
• The cat does not refuse the kittens, but when the babies try to latch on, she begins to meow loudly, snorts, growls, and leaves the box.
• In severe cases, you can see exudate being released from the nipples instead of milk.

If there is any suspicion of mastitis, the kittens are immediately removed from the cat and fed artificially! Even if the cat does not refuse to feed her offspring, the consumption of mastitis milk by kittens will not end well! If the babies have already managed to nurse, then they themselves will probably have to be treated (diarrhea and dehydration are possible).

What to do in this situation

If your pet is healthy but ignores newborns, you should try to “persuad” her. You should build a nest in a quiet, warm corner and place the mother and her offspring there. There should be a tray, a cup of food and clean water nearby so that the animal does not go far from the house. It is necessary to take an active part in the pet’s life: monitor the animal’s condition, body temperature, check for the presence of milk, lumps, and discharge from the genitals. Often, an infection in the uterine cavity becomes the reason why a cat does not feed kittens. It is advisable to invite a veterinarian home so that he can examine the mother and newborn kittens for diseases and congenital pathologies. You can find a wet nurse for the babies or take the responsibility of feeding into your own hands.

Attention! You cannot touch kittens without gloves. Human intervention can cause a cat to abandon its babies.

Reasons for abandoning offspring

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Not every pet has such a strong maternal instinct as a cat. From the first minutes of the kittens' life, she fiercely protects and cares for her offspring.

A cat may refuse to feed newborn babies due to illness or stress. As felinologists note, a cat can leave the “nest” and abandon its offspring due to age, stress and other circumstances. It is important to understand that there is no such thing as a “bad cat mom.” If an animal refuses to feed kittens, you need to look for psychological or physiological reasons.

Non-viability of offspring

At an instinctive level, a cat detects a sick or hypothermic (low body temperature) kitten and refuses to nurse it. This kind of situation is often observed with a large litter: the female gives the right to life to stronger babies, feeling that there is not enough milk for everyone.

A weakened kitten is not always viable. A person can deliver such a baby by providing him with the correct temperature conditions, proper conditions of detention and feeding him with milk formulas.

Stress

Excessive fuss and attention of the owner to the process of delivery and newborn kittens can cause stress in the animal. As a result of accidental or intentional human intervention in the life of an animal, a cat may refuse to raise and feed its offspring.

Age

According to veterinarians, a cat that has not reached the age of puberty, but has already become a mother, does not want to nurse a litter. There is no need to rush and take the kittens from the “nest”. On the second day, the animal's maternal instinct may awaken.

The owner’s task is to provide the pet with complete rest and feed newborn babies with formula milk during the first day of life.

Lack of milk

One of the common reasons why a female abandons her offspring is the lack of milk due to hormonal imbalance as a result of premature birth. The cat began to give birth before the body had completely adjusted to a new way.

Foreign odors

A newborn kitten has the scent of its mother. If a person picks up a baby who has barely been born, he breaks the “baby-mother” connection. The animal may stop feeding the kitten, from which it does not catch its scent.

Weak maternal instinct

A pet spoiled by human attention does not feel responsible for its newborn offspring. A cat with a weak maternal instinct is not ready to breastfeed and care for her own offspring.

Feeding and caring for small blind kittens rests on the shoulders of humans.