Kittens won't stop nursing

rocky41102

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My cat had 5 kittens 8 1/2 weeks ago. We have given 2 of the kittens away already and will probably keep the other 3. My problem is I can't get them to stop nursing. I've been keeping them separated as much as possible but mom starts nursing every chance she gets. I feel awful doing it, but we really need to get mom spayed and we have to wait until her milk dries up. Mom keeps trying to get out of the house every time she can and I really don't want her pregnant again. The only way we can keep her inside is by keeping her confined to one small room which she hates but with our 3 little kids and 2 dogs, it's very easy for her to slip out. The kittens all are eating solid food and eating very well so that is not an issue and they've been eating for several weeks now along with nursing. Is our only option to keep them separated? If I give them kitten milk in a bowl, will that help curb the urges? I kind of thought most cats wean their kittens by 8 weeks but apparently I was wrong! She prefers to be outside with our other cat, but I can't let her out until she's spayed. Any tips or suggestions??
 

jennyr

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Have you explained the situation to your vet? Cats are often spayed during nursing to stop them becoming pregnant again, and often they go back to nursing after the op. 8 weeks is quite a long time to be nursing but as long as mom is ok and the kittens are taking other food too as she will not have enough milk to feed them without them having solid food by now, I would think all is oK. They often nurse for reassurance as much as nourishment if they are left with mom. And 8 weeks is a bit early to leave her anyway - most experts recommend 10 or even 12 weeks.
 

gloriajh

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Not sure where you're getting your information from - but, who told you that her milk had to dry up first?

I'm for long-term nursing.


Our feral-born kittens nursed until they were almost 4 months old - Mommy was spayed when they were about 2 months old.

So, get her spayed and let the babies nurse.
 

northernglow

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Originally Posted by jennyranson

And 8 weeks is a bit early to leave her anyway - most experts recommend 10 or even 12 weeks.
Breeders have the recommendations 12-16 weeks which is what cats do in wild. All but one of my cats have been nursing until I've gotten them, the one who wasn't was weaned by the mom when the kittens were 13 weeks old. (And in this country it would be a case of animal cruelty to give away the kittens before they're atleast 8 weeks old).

You can get the mom spayed already.
 

jack31

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At the spay/neuter clinic we used for Ginger and her babies, they required her milk be dried up before spaying. Her last kitten was adopted at 10 weeks, and we waited 2 weeks to spay.

Leslie
 
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rocky41102

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Thanks for the info. Both the spay and neuter clinic as well as our regular vet told us we had to wait until her milk dried up. Neither will spay her until then. I also called around to a few other vets in our area after reading the posts and none of them will spay her while she's nursing either. So I guess we'll just wait and see how it goes!
 

samhainborn

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Same info from three vets here in clarksville TN -- they all want the mom to be dry before spaying.

I think it is in large part to make sure you're not spaying a mom with kittens too young to be weaned, but also because of a risk of infection in the mammary glands, as well as a mess issue. I know that if you get a cat spayed during heat, you can be charged more for the extra mess associated with it (and yes, it has happened to me)

I would certainly ask the vet WHY they are saying she has to be dried up first. And if it is just to make sure the babies are old enough, I would offer to bring a kitten as proof for the vet when I brought mom to get snipped.

Fingers crossed that you get her spayed before she gets outside. I know how much of a hassle it can be.
 

gloriajh

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Waiting for the milk to dry up? That's insane!

Our Clinic here does Free spay and neuter. They sure took my feral born nursing mother without question!

I Googled and found some information - the last quote from www.sacanimal.org does say the surgery is "slightly more difficult" with a nursing queen.

At any rate, the longer you wait, the more chance you have of her getting pregnant again.

Like I said, our vets in this area will spay a nursing queen. Maybe they're a little more capable of this "slightly more difficult" surgery. Ha, just kidding.


http://www.feralcatproject.org/faq.aspx

Is it safe to spay a lactating (nursing) cat?

Yes. The surgery will not affect her milk production. Nursing moms should be released back to their environment the day following surgery.
http://www.sacanimal.org/cat_reproduction_FAQ.pdf

Can cats be spayed if they are nursing kittens?

Yes. A cat who is spayed while she is nursing will continue to produce adequate milk for her kittens. Some veterinarians prefer to wait until a cat has weaned her kittens before doing the surgery because the mammary gland (breast) development present during nursing can make the surgery slightly more difficult.

If the cat can be kept indoors away from any possible exposure to intact male cats, it is okay to wait until the kittens are weaned before spaying the mother (in fact, the whole family could be spayed or neutered at this time). If the cat cannot be kept away from intact male cats while nursing, she should be spayed as soon as possible. Return her to her kittens as quickly as possible after surgery.

If the nursing cat is feral and must be trapped, it is recommended that you also catch the kittens (if possible), or wait until the kittens are at least six weeks old, to avoid leaving young kittens without their mother for too long.
 

tanyaanne

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Easier said than doen when momma keeps trying to sneak out of the house and MEOWSS their mouths off at 3 am until 530 every morning for the last three weeks now, Im hoping the kittens will get all they need until the last week of december because Jan 5th week she will be going to the vet. She needs to be fixed soon to prevent her yelling all night and getting out and brining back more babies. 
 

tanyaanne

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Quote:

Originally Posted by jennyranson

And 8 weeks is a bit early to leave her anyway - most experts recommend 10 or even 12 weeks.
Breeders have the recommendations 12-16 weeks which is what cats do in wild. All but one of my cats have been nursing until I've gotten them, the one who wasn't was weaned by the mom when the kittens were 13 weeks old. (And in this country it would be a case of animal cruelty to give away the kittens before they're atleast 8 weeks old).

You can get the mom spayed already.
here they give them away as young as 5-6 weeks and I have seen them online as little as 4 weeks. Im keeping all 3 of ours. 
 

tanyaanne

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Waiting for the milk to dry up? That's insane!

Our Clinic here does Free spay and neuter. They sure took my feral born nursing mother without question!

I Googled and found some information - the last quote from www.sacanimal.org does say the surgery is "slightly more difficult" with a nursing queen.

At any rate, the longer you wait, the more chance you have of her getting pregnant again.

Like I said, our vets in this area will spay a nursing queen. Maybe they're a little more capable of this "slightly more difficult" surgery. Ha, just kidding.


http://www.feralcatproject.org/faq.aspx
 
Quote:
Is it safe to spay a lactating (nursing) cat?

Yes. The surgery will not affect her milk production. Nursing moms should be released back to their environment the day following surgery.
http://www.sacanimal.org/cat_reproduction_FAQ.pdf
 
Quote:
Can cats be spayed if they are nursing kittens?

Yes. A cat who is spayed while she is nursing will continue to produce adequate milk for her kittens. Some veterinarians prefer to wait until a cat has weaned her kittens before doing the surgery because the mammary gland (breast) development present during nursing can make the surgery slightly more difficult.

If the cat can be kept indoors away from any possible exposure to intact male cats, it is okay to wait until the kittens are weaned before spaying the mother (in fact, the whole family could be spayed or neutered at this time). If the cat cannot be kept away from intact male cats while nursing, she should be spayed as soon as possible. Return her to her kittens as quickly as possible after surgery.

If the nursing cat is feral and must be trapped, it is recommended that you also catch the kittens (if possible), or wait until the kittens are at least six weeks old, to avoid leaving young kittens without their mother for too long.
you shouldnt put her back with the kittens and its advised not to here due to the risk of playful kittens hurting the incision. 
 

tanyaanne

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My cat had 5 kittens 8 1/2 weeks ago. We have given 2 of the kittens away already and will probably keep the other 3. My problem is I can't get them to stop nursing. I've been keeping them separated as much as possible but mom starts nursing every chance she gets. I feel awful doing it, but we really need to get mom spayed and we have to wait until her milk dries up. Mom keeps trying to get out of the house every time she can and I really don't want her pregnant again. The only way we can keep her inside is by keeping her confined to one small room which she hates but with our 3 little kids and 2 dogs, it's very easy for her to slip out. The kittens all are eating solid food and eating very well so that is not an issue and they've been eating for several weeks now along with nursing. Is our only option to keep them separated? If I give them kitten milk in a bowl, will that help curb the urges? I kind of thought most cats wean their kittens by 8 weeks but apparently I was wrong! She prefers to be outside with our other cat, but I can't let her out until she's spayed. Any tips or suggestions??
some ppl posted to keep her in and let her nurse until she is done but when the mom yells and meows all night to get out its a tough thing. My cat has 3 6 week old kittens and she will be going to the vet the first week of jan which will put them a few weeks older and ill seperate them for the two weeks. No vets from here will take a lactating momma to be fixed. It has to be two weeks with no suckling . Id rather prevent her getting pregnant again then listen to her yelling all night.
 

maewkaew

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 TanyaAnne ,

If  your local vets want her to have stopped nursing for 2 weeks before she is spayed,   and the cat is already  having  strong heats,   you are doing the right thing.   Clearly you are trying to balance the needs of the kittens, the mother cat and the humans who are going nuts with her calling .  and I think you have come up with the best plan you can in the circumstances. 

It should be fine to separate them from mom  at  9 weeks so that she can have her milk dry up so you can get her spayed the week of Jan 5th .    By that age they will probably be getting the great majority of their nutrition from kitten food ,  and  if they are still nursing it will be mostly psychological comfort.    There's a good chance their mother will  be refusing to let them nurse some of the time already before that.   

 but to help that along,  so that they learn to deal with that gradually instead of all at once,    you could start keeping them separate for a few l hours a day starting about a week from now.  then just increase that time gradually until you do separate them.   That way it's not cold turkey for the kittens... and it might help her milk to start to dry up gradually if it's not already.  so that makes it less  uncomfortable for her.

It IS true that they get other benefits from being with their mom even a few more weeks after 9 weeks old.   but they will have already learned quite a lot.  and they also do learn from their littermates at that age things like inhibiting their bite and keeping claws sheathed when playing. ( That is a big problem often seen in kittens given away too young.  they often have problems with playing too rough with people too , because they did not get enough time to learn from their cat family.   normally their mom would discipline them and their littermates would scream  if they bite hard and would then not want to keep playing.  Humans can imitate the behaviors,  but it works best if they get those intitial lessons from their cat family from about 4 wks to 10- 12wks ) . 

  I know there are people giving kittens away at 5 or 6 wks but it is not the best thing for the kittens.   It's better for their physical, mental and social development if they get more time with their mom & littermates.    plus it is less risky if they have had at LEAST the first set of shots before they go through the stress of changing homes.   and at 5 or 6 weeks they are too young to make a good response to the vaccine.   Even at 8 weeks ,  when the first shots are often given,   it's not a full immune response because the maternal antibodies are likely still getting in the way of their own immune system.   That's why the basic kitten shots are repeated in a few weeks or a month.   because it's not known just when the antibodies they got from their mom will wear off.

 I personally wouldn't send kittens to new homes under 12 weeks but I can understand in some circumstances doing it earlier.   but they really should not be separated under 8 weeks.   Which I know you are not doing.   I'm just saying that for whoever may read this.  
 

fergiesmom14

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My boys are 17 weeks and neutered and they both still nurse on mama who is spayed. The vet said when she's done nursing she'll let them know. This was her 5th litter in her short 3 year life so really babies are all she knows and she's never had them around past 8 weeks. She doesn't seem to mind so I guess it is what it is...
 

goddessii

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My cat had 5 kittens 8 1/2 weeks ago. We have given 2 of the kittens away already and will probably keep the other 3. My problem is I can't get them to stop nursing. I've been keeping them separated as much as possible but mom starts nursing every chance she gets. I feel awful doing it, but we really need to get mom spayed and we have to wait until her milk dries up. Mom keeps trying to get out of the house every time she can and I really don't want her pregnant again. The only way we can keep her inside is by keeping her confined to one small room which she hates but with our 3 little kids and 2 dogs, it's very easy for her to slip out. The kittens all are eating solid food and eating very well so that is not an issue and they've been eating for several weeks now along with nursing. Is our only option to keep them separated? If I give them kitten milk in a bowl, will that help curb the urges? I kind of thought most cats wean their kittens by 8 weeks but apparently I was wrong! She prefers to be outside with our other cat, but I can't let her out until she's spayed. Any tips or suggestions??

My cat gave birth on jan 24 they are going on 4 mths there's nothing wrong with it I'm getting the boys fixed first the aspca will not fix the mama till she stops nursing only the mama knows when to stop .... N I also read that giving the away before 4 months isn't good either cause there are things the mama has to teach them n they adjust better when they are with their sybilings longer ... My kittens are just now becoming more social around people .....
 

tazy786

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Yes you can spay while mommy still feeding - my madam went in when kittens were 9wks old AND they still drink off her - don't worry if they eating solid's then they getting enough
 

sorcha

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Hey rocky41102,

I have the same problem. Our old girl, Samhain, is notorious for nursing evendors after her kittens are adults. Our vet and the local spay and neuter clinic both advise waiting until until the kittens are off her 2 weeks before spaying her. I'm having the same problem you are with her bolting out the front door and escaping confinement in a room. Her kittens are currently 3 months old and eating everything the can get their teeth on, even the Great Danes food. No scared kitties here!

So I'm trying an idea. I've made a cat girdle I've cut the bottom and ribbed end of of two socks, one gray and one black. They are old soft socks whose mates were eaten by the dryer monster. I figure if they can't get to her, they can't nurse.
 

ashade1

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This is such an interesting debate because I have always heard that the best time to spay feral moms is while they are still nursing. All of the vets around here except for one will spay while they are nursing. I took my last two momma cats to a different vet and they asked if I was sure that they were no longer producing milk. I was a little thrown off because both were still nursing at the time. The vet tech's said that they would let the vet decide if they would continue the spays or not. I was a little annoyed at the thought of might having to reschedule, but they did it anyway. They healed fine and everything and didn't charge me any extra. I guess it is just the vet's preference.
 

samoamum

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My mum cat with twins was spayed pregnant with triplets . Too many cats already in Samoa.Less than a week later back nursing twins who about 3 months. So twins mixing cat food and nursing. Mum is still happy to nurse.
 
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