Help! Momma cat won't wean.

I have a Calico cat who is fairly small. 12 weeks ago she gave birth to 5 healthy kittens. We have yet to find homes for 4 of them and the momma still nurses them whenever they want to. She is very thin and I fear that she will not get back to her normal weight until she weans them. They have plenty of fresh food and water at their disposal so they do not need to nurse. She seems healthy so I do not think she has an underlying problem keeping her skinny. She eats the kitten food plus a high dollar cat food that I feed her without the kittens around so that I can be sure she is the one eating it. She seems to have a good appetite and her behavior is normal. Also I have wormed her and the kittens recently so I don't think that is the issue. How do I get her to wean the kittens so that she can get back to a healthy weight. This is her 1st litter and I was amazed at how good of a mother she was but now I am thinking she is too good.

With her kittens now at 12 weeks old, she should begin to stop allowing them to nurse, or at least not allow them to nurse for as long a time as she did previously. They have sharp little teeth and claws now and it will soon become painful for Momma to allow them to nurse. Just continue feeding her as much food as she wants, whenever she wants it and let her do the rest. You can also give her a little boost by serving her a small saucer of gently-warmed goat's milk a couple times a day.

If you are concerned about her weight or she is developing health issues due to the weight loss, then you might have to supplement her with a high-calorie nutritional paste like Hill's A/D or Nutrical, both available from your vet or local pet supply store.

another good way to help things along is to spay her . the kittens are more then old enough now and this will help with drying her milk up. and be healthier for her in the long run

Are they eating the food you are providing? Is it kitten food? Is there canned food? I would think at this point they would nurse for comfort, but still run to the food bowl when you feed them. Are they quite energetic? They should be needing this extra food rather than mother's milk if they are active.

I agree she should wean them. She eats plenty and the kittens eat kitten chow. I refill their bowl several times daily and they have plenty of water. As for the mom's discomfort due to baby teeth, her nipples do seem kinda raw but she doesnt stop them from nursing. She just rolls over on her back and lets them have at it. I intend to have her spayed but the vet said the kittens needed to be weaned so they wouldn't be messing around the incision site. I feel like I am risking her getting bred again while I wait for her to wean. Unless nursing is keeping her from going into heat...I don't know. I do not usually give the kittens soft food because they didn't seem to care for it when I first introduced "real" food. They eat the chow like its going out of style. They are fat and active and don't seem to need to nurse, they just want to.

if they are weened then go ahead and spay her then keep her seperated for 48 hours if that is what your vet thinks is best. i had anne spayed when her kittens were 7 week olds, she nursed them untill 12 weeks when her and her daughter went to their new home while one stayed here, and at her new home candy nursed right up untill she was 15 weeks old.

Some of my rex queens were letting kittens nurse at 3 months old - but if she's looking bad (weight wise) then you should physically separate them for longer periods of time so she doesn't nurse them anymore.

Untill mom gets back to her pre-birth weight, keep her on the kitten food only cause its more calories. You also want the milk to dry up - she will look funny for awhile after stopping nursing, but should gradually go back down when absorbing the milk that is left.

Skye is still letting her kittens suck but she doesnt have any milk. They are 4 months old.

At that age, age 4 months. Its a matter of the momma not putting her foot down. You need to seperate the kittens from their mother for about a month or two(and during that time be very active in finding new homes for the kittens). I'd also spay the mother immediately. I'm a horse breeder and we seperate the foal from the dam and keep them seperated until the dam loses all interest in her foal, which usually takes about a month or two.

Well I would get her spayed immediately but the Vet just told me her milk had to be dried up first. THey are all outdoor cats.(Dont hate me...they are all strays and I have allergies) I don't have a clue how to seperate them and no one is interested in these kittens. To top it all off two new kittens have arrived in my yard so now I have 6 to get rid of. I don't want to do the free to a good home thing because I have heard that nasty people in my area have been known to get them to train their pit bulls to fight. I have bonded with these kitties and would really like to find GOOD homes for them, BUT I am worried that if I don't do something very soon the momma cat will be bred again. SHe is the one that is actually my pet. HOw can I get her milk to dry up fast. Is there an herbal remedy like with humans?? I am beginning to see stray cats hanging around and I fear she will be in heat soon or is already so I want to get her fixed ASAP!

IMO i would get in contact with a no kill rescue center and tell them your situation. they may be able to help you with finding homes or be able to take them to be spayed/neutered vaced etc.. then rehome them.

From what I've heard, Alley Cat Allies is a good resource. Here are some in your state:
http://www.alleycat.org/orgs.html#tx