How to Help Mom's Milk Dry Up....

My kittens are 10 weeks old today. They have been eating both wet and dry food for awhile now, but still continue to nurse from time to time. Mom let's them but never for very long.
The problem is that the clinic where she will be spayed will not do her until her milk has dried up...they recommend 2 weeks from the end of nursing...and have told me that I could have weaned the babies at 6 weeks. They WERE eating/drinking at 6 weeks but they still nursed. I simply cannnot seperate the mom/babies, it would be impossible. I tried to put a sock round her belly and and she got it off in no time!
Any ideas????

Originally Posted by mowsluver

My kittens are 10 weeks old today. They have been eating both wet and dry food for awhile now, but still continue to nurse from time to time. Mom let's them but never for very long.
The problem is that the clinic where she will be spayed will not do her until her milk has dried up...they recommend 2 weeks from the end of nursing...and have told me that I could have weaned the babies at 6 weeks. They WERE eating/drinking at 6 weeks but they still nursed. I simply cannnot seperate the mom/babies, it would be impossible. I tried to put a sock round her belly and and she got it off in no time!
Any ideas????

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Can you get a second opinion on waiting until she is completely dry...tell the vet that the kittens are only sporatically feeding and they are 10 weeks of age.

Katie

I am in the process of doing the same thing. I also currently have a mother and litter of 9 week old kittens. For different reasons I am needing to dry the mother up (to get her kittens to eat dry and canned food better). I also tried the sock method with no luck. The only thing I know of that works is to seperate mom and babies. I have my babies in the bathroom and my mom in the spare bedroom as of yesterday. It finally seems to be working. Do you have any spare rooms, even a bathroom? You can either keep the kittens seperate or the mom. I was also thinking of using dog clothing that covered the nipples. With arm sleeves that would be more likely to stay on. I have also read about taking food away from mom for a day, but I wouldn't recommend that method necessarily!

I just want to say that at 10 weeks of age, it is ill-advised to separate Momma and babies unless there is a necessity in the event of a medical emergency - and I don't think needing for the milk to dry up before spaying constitutes a medical emergency. It is socially very bad for both Momma and kittens to be apart at this point.

My suggestion to both of you is to check with your vet. Tell him the kittens are only nursing infrequently and are 100% completely eating on their own - my guess is that he will go ahead and spay now. If not, then look into getting a second opinion from a different vet.

I did tell them that they have been eating for awhile on their own but they said that they make the incision right there and so the milk must be gone.

We only have one bathroom so it would be impossible to keep either mom or kittens in there. They have the run of the house except for our bedroom, and the empty bedroom is theirs.

Well I will call again this week and see if they will take her soon.

Anyone who is trying to dry up the mothers milk instead of spliting them up all the time set time aside for you and her to go vist the babies but first messure her from base of her neck to base of tail and take that and a tape messure to walmart go to baby section and look for a ONESIES take tape messure and messure and buy come home make sure tag is on kitties back cut hole where tail should be and suit up . Momma can see babies and not get her milk easy simple and everyone is happy to see each other. Dog clothes don't work unless you alter them cause the bellies are open so they don;t work

Gaye, I did call the clinic again about the spaying of mom, and they said that the kittens need to have stopped nursing for at least 2 weeks for her milk to dry up! They told me that even a tiny bit of nursing will kep the milk coming and that since the incision is done right there, they cannot do it now.
I am going crazy because there is no way possible to keep these guys seperate. At night, the kittens do sleep in their room without mom but come morning they are following her and trying to nurse while she is walking--it's actually pretty funny!
They eat wet and dry food and drink water, so I know they are getting plenty to eat, but they still want to nurse and mom lets them sometimes....so now I am going crazy trying to keep her IN (she tore a hole in the screen already!) and it is almost impossible to keep them seperated....
I would try another clininc but this one gives free spay/nueters for low income families and it is the one we must use....

I had to also wait as clinic I go to has same policy...The kittens were about 3 1/2 months old when she was finally dry enough-she finally stopped nursing them cause she went into heat and sorta turned on them(so they took it in stride and started to "nurse off my other cats-all who are fixed lol) I understand why the clinics say wait ina sense but then again a low cost clinic refusing and to spay while they have m,ilk could easily result in another litter being created while waiting(I was very aware of where she was at ALL!!! times-putting her in cage if I had to open my bedroom door. If you can possibly call around at other vets(if she was a stray let them know you took her in might get a discount on a now owned ex stray...also humane societys might have different policy(I know a couple taht are more lax and will spay cats who are still nursing) RJ

I have to use this one. I just cannot afford the spay/shots right now, I am on a very limited income. Plus I will need to get the kittens done. I have vouchers to have all of them done free but the kittens need to be 4 months old. I want them done before they go to new home.

What are the chances of her getting out? If its high I'd say seperate her as soon as possible but if shes in her own room or house is set up then I'd try to wait it out till at least 12 weeks. I have been in you spot so know how it is when you have to comply with the restrictions of not spaying till dry. I really like the advice of the onsie-have seen garment made just to stop nursing but they cost alot more! good thinking to using that. I'm sittign here thinking I have seen milk boosters sold in catalogs and wonder if they have somethign to dry them up(thats natural and woudnt hurt kittens, speed up her drying) RJ

But if I put a 'onesie' on her, how would she use the litter box?

As for her getting out, she has a couple times already but was right on the patio so we were able to catch her before she took off. I do believe she has been in heat already but she didn't change towards her kittens.

I love my cat(s), but unfortunetly I cannot put the house on 'lockdown'. That may sound terrible but the kids want to go out, the dogs want to go out, and the past few days, the wind has blown the door open a couple of times. She has already scratched at the bedroom door to be let out when she is locked in there, and I have had a major arguement with my husband because he left the garage door open....so the next step is to lock her in a crate which I must say, I am NOT happy doing.

If you cut the hole right in the butt for the tail for the onesie she can still use the potty will take you and someone else to hold her while doing it but it does work I had to use it for the different reason one of my maine coon females had mastitis so I had to stop the kittens from nursing cause of the anti bodie and she destroyed the house the first night I took her away from them. I spent 200 bucks on vet 50 on ideas and the onesie works just when you cut the hole make sure its not big enough to uncover those nipples between the hind legs or it will bbe a waste of time

That may sound terrible but the kids want to go out, the dogs want to go out, and the past few days, the wind has blown the door open a couple of times. She has already scratched at the bedroom door to be let out when she is locked in there, and I have had a major arguement with my husband because he left the garage door open....so the next step is to lock her in a crate which I must say, I am NOT happy doing.

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Better she be in lockdown for a couple of weeks then become pregnant again. Once she is spayed...she can have free access of the house again.


Katie

its better to be locked in the crate for 2 weeks or so then to get out and pregnant again. maybe call and make appt for 3 weeks which should be plenty time to dry up(NO contact with kittens). If you dont have a crate big enough(min would be 2 1/2 feet long preferably bigger) try freecycle on yahoogroups. also a cheap small litter box is the plastic shoe boxes at "dollar" stores(family dollar is what has them by me) RJ what are the plans for the kittens? as the girls could go into heat at 3 1/2-4 months and will mate with brothers(my one kitten went into heat at 3 months and 3 weeks-very silent and would never have known except my neutered boy was smelling her. RJ

The kittens will be spayed the day they turn 4 months old. The clinic will not do them sooner.

Kittens can still be nursing after the mother has been spayed and the mother can be spayed while lactating.  I volunteer for the Community Cat Coalition and do TNR work (trap, neuter and return for feral cats).  The Feral Cat Spay and Neuter Project in Lynnwood, Washington spays mother cats at any time after kittens are born.  The incision is not made where the nipples are located.  I have had several nursing mothers that were spayed when their kittens were only 10 days old.......no problems.  The Spay and Neuter Project only charges $25 for females and $15 for males to be altered.  Whoever the vet is that is giving you this wrong information should be informed that it is incorrect information.  My dog also had a litter of puppies and because they were delivered C-section she was spayed when they were delivered.  She went on to nurse and raise 5 healthy pups.  Call a different vet and get information from your community regarding low-cost spay and neuter programs.  They know what they are doing as they do more spay and neuters than any normal vet.

The humane socity here wont do anything till mamma is dryed up....and nither will the coilliton here....i cant spell...i found one that will fix her when kitten is 4 weeks old for 164...that includes some kinda test and shots....

P petlover76

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