Queen having enough milk

I have a question about the lactating queen. I lost a kitten yesterday that was very small and stayed very small despite efforts to give it more time with mom and the fact that I saw it nursing as much as the other kittens. Now I'm overly cautious about this because although I think something was genetically wrong with that kitten, I don't want anything to happen to the rest of the litter. I took pictures of them yesterday and showed a friend and she thinks one is a bit on the thin side. So now I'm worried that I might need to supplement them. I have a kitten bottle and goat's milk from trying to save the other kitten. I could supplement a little with that.

The kittens are 5 days old today and to me they've grown a lot (I'm not weighing them). There were 6 in the litter but we lost one yesterday so there are 5 left. I've kept my cat on kitten food although this food is upsetting her stomach and I am switching her to a sensitive stomach food today (slowly) because of the diarrhea she gets. I think it's the barley in the Blue Buffalo kitten food and will put her on a food with no wheat. I've tried feeding a high quality wet food and she threw up and had horrible diarrhea. She likes the food, it just doesn't sit well with her stomach. I don't know how to tell if a queen has enough milk or not. I've tried expressing milk and get nothing but the kittens are larger and are satisfied enough to be sleeping and then eating in regular time frames. This is my first and LAST time going through this so I'm just wanting to do the right thing and definitely not lose another kitten.

So sorry you lost the little one.

You really need to be weighing them. That's the only way you'll know how much they're growing. Just looking at them can be deceptive on a day to day basis because they're so fuzzy.

Weigh them every day at about the same time and keep a record. If they're gaining consistently then they're getting enough nutrition from mom. Call your vet to ask how much they should be gaining. If it's not enough then you may need to supplement them. However, supplementing when they don't need it can have adverse effects. For one, they get used to eating a lot and you can end up with obese adult cats. Also, if their little tummies can't handle the extra food they may start vomiting and end up dehydrated and/or losing weight.

I went back and looked at the records I kept when Goldy had her kittens. I weighed them every day the first two weeks, then went to every 2 or three days. They gained anywhere from 5 to 30 grams each day. The biggest difference was probably related to whether they had just eaten when I weighed them.

Since you haven't been weighing your kittens I suggest doing it every day for 4-5 days until you can see the pattern. Then go to two or three times a week until you're confident that they're doing well. It gets harder to weigh them as they get older because they won't stay on the scale long enough.

You can get a postal scale at Wal-Mart (or similar stores) for around $10. There's really no other way to tell if they're growing properly.

Kittens that aren't getting enough milk are usually fussy and not contented. If they have nice round bellies, feel warm to the touch, and are quiet and content, that usually means they're getting enough.

You can try giving the mama cat some kitten replacement milk, that can helo her to make enough milk of her own. It may not settle well with her tummy if she's that sensitive, but it's worth a try.

They are content and always have round bellies. I don't hear them fuss as much as they used to a couple of days ago. I can get a scale and weigh them. I don't think I'll use the KMR with her. She's way too sensitive in stomach. She's a himalayan and I've read that they can have stomach sensitivity.

Sorry you lost the little one. I give Baby Girl "kitten glop". This is the recipe I found online.

12 oz KMR (can use evaporated milk)
24 oz Goat's molk
1 pkg Knox Gelatin
2 Tbs real Mayonnaise
2 Tbs Plain Yogurt
1 tsp Karo Syrup
2 jars of chicken or turkey baby food

Bring milk to a boil, add gelatin, stir to dissolve. and remove from heat. Add the other ingredients and stir with a whisk. The mayonnaise may rise to the top and be a bit lumpy. You can freeze this or keep it in the fridge.

I give it to Baby Girl a couple of times a day in between her regular foods. you can also give it to the kittens (may need to thin it out a little).

My kittens don't cry. They squeak when mama bathes them and when they play but that's it. They never have cried. Baby Girl stayed in the nest constant for about the first 36 hours, after that she would feed, stimulate, bathe, and get them to sleep and leave the nest. She would go back and wake them up to feed them and everything else again. As the kittens have gotten older she stays out for longer periods at a time before going back. I haven't worried about this behavior because I was weighing the kittens and they gained weight really well, I only weigh them once a week now (started at 3 weeks).

Carly's been wanting out but she's still spotting and I really don't want to have to clean up blood spots from my carpet so I've been keeping her confined and visiting with her a lot. I groom her daily and spend time petting her and talking to her when she's away from the kittens. When she stops spotting she will be free to leave them whenever she wants. Mine cried a lot the first few days but there were 6 and I think she was a new mother learning so she sat on them a lot too. I know when her milk came in because they stopped crying for her. Now I never hear from them ever. I checked them today and they all have fat bellies and big heads. I think they are doing fine.

I wouldn't be able to do the kitten glop with her because of her stomach issues. I just don't see that going over well. I'm going to switch her to a sensitive stomach food to hopefully get rid of her stool issues. Hopefully it's just a wheat intolerance and not something more serious.

Just make sure to give her lots of food. Baby Girl eats like you wouldn't beleive and she only had 3. Lol. They sound like they should be doing great then. Do they have a cover over their nest? It helps to keep the drafts from the A/C off of them.

Originally Posted by cslenker

Just make sure to give her lots of food. Baby Girl eats like you wouldn't beleive and she only had 3. Lol. They sound like they should be doing great then. Do they have a cover over their nest? It helps to keep the drafts from the A/C off of them.

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Yes they are in a dog crate. I have layers of bedding for them like this. Bottom layer is newspaper, towel, then either a crib sheet, receiving blanket, or pillow case. They are always nice and warm.

How are Carly and the kittens?

They are great. One of the kittens has her eyes open. The black one which I think might end up being a tortie (I think I see some brown color on it) wants to do everything first. They are 1 week today and both of her eyes were open yesterday. There is one girl I call hissy because she likes to hiss at me when I pick her up. It's so cute I laugh at her when she does it. Then there is a cry baby boy that cries anytime Carly moves away from him or he gets picked up. He will be something else later when he gets older. Then there is my boy that I'm for sure keeping. He was first one born and the smallest but he's the same size as everyone else now. He's the sweetest thing I've ever seen. He never cries when I pick him up and he will lick you on the nose if you put your nose on his. I love him already. I need to pick his name. Then there is one more boy that's sort of just around that blends in with the rest, doesn't stand out. They are all wonderful. I love watching them grow. Carly's a great momma.

That's great. My boy is a mama's boy too. He doesn't like being away from her. Wait until they start running everywhere. Lol. I can't wait to see more pictures of them.

I took some the other day and never got around to uploading and posting. The black kitten has her eyes open so I want to get a picture of that. They are still crawling around instead of walking. My husband has taken a big interest in the kittens which surprises me. He really enjoys watching them and holding them. He agrees that my boy is the sweetest of the bunch and the black girl is the most fiesty.