How much to feed a pregnant stray?

I recently took in a pregnant stray, and everything I have read says to feed her as much as she wants. The problem is, since she is a stray she will eat until she makes herself sick. When I took her to the vet they said she was very fit, but not underweight.(She weighed about 7.5 lbs and only has one fetus) They did an xray and said that her belly was extremely full (i used food to catch her and let her have as much as she wanted) and not to feed her anymore that night.  Now I have been feeding her wet food 3 times a day, and I give her about twice the amount that I feed my 10 month old cat. If I had to guess I would say about 3 ounces per meal. I also mix about 1/2 teaspoon of KMR in with each meal. I have only had her for a week but I feel she has filled out a little. Her appetite never slows down though, she is ravenous!! lol. So do you think I should feed her more? I know the capacity of my other cats stomach, and what I am feeding her would most likely make him vomit if he ate that amount.

P.S.  I am against dry food, and I did offer her some but she isnt really interested in it(she must know whats good for her). I would rather not leave it out for her.

If you can spilt more food into more small meals that will hopefuly let her eat what she needs without throwing up.  Did they treat her for worms when you took her to the vet?

thats a good idea, I do give her treats also and my fiance has been giving her an additional meal when I am at work, so I am sure she is getting enough. I just worry since I have never cared for a pregnant cat before. We did not test for worms, the vet that I took her to was the emergency vet, since it was after hours and we only did what was necessary to bring her into my house, which was test her for fiv/felv and take an x-ray to confirm that she was in fact pregnant and didnt have an infection. I was planning on doing everything else after she has the kitten. Is it safe to de-worm a pregnant cat?

During the cold weather here, I mixed kitten kibble with warm water and then added a can of wet food for my ferals. I just wanted to get more calories into them to help them survive the Michigan winter. Perhaps that might work if you feel she is not getting enough to eat. I think the idea of several smaller meals is a good one, too.

Thanks for taking this sweetheart in and giving her a safe place to have her baby.

catmom5

Well I gave in and left a bowl of kibble for her to eat as she pleases. she only munched on it a little, but I have seen a total 180 in her attitude. She is not running at me meowing and jumping on me when I enter the room. Maybe the fact that the kibble is there has calmed her down so she isnt worried about not getting fed, or.....maybe she's in the early stages of labor   I wish this little baby would hurry it up

grr...i am who it is, and facebook keeps signing me in to my old account that I didnt remember the password for...sorry for the confusion, same person

who it is said:

<snip>

 Is it safe to de-worm a pregnant cat?

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In the UK Milbemax is commonly used and it is safe for both pregnant and lactacting queens:

http://www.milbemax.com/index.php/eng/Cats-and-kittens/About-Milbemax

It's prescription-only here (POM) so one has to go to the vet to get it - a private precription will cost more than the Milbemax.

Is there any sign of fleas?  If so those need treating as well.  Hopefully the vet checked her for those and she was clear.

No sign of fleas, surprisingly. I have been hands-off since she bit me the other day, but when I was petting her I Iooked for signs of flea dirt and did not see or feel any, and she isnt scratching a lot or anything. She seems to be in very good health for a stray!  I suppose I could take a stool sample in to my vet now to look for worms.

It's interesting how countries vary.  In the UK we simply put a Milbemax down, but in the US it seems a stool sample is required - though I've heard they aren't always reliable.  Heard here I think!

I think it's just an easy way to get more money out of people honestly, the vet I used to work for would do a fecal test, and even if it was clear she would deworm....all they do is look at the sample under the microscope, so of course it would be easy to miss something. Its one of those things were if you see it you know its positive, but if you dont see it maybe you are just missing it. Thanks for bringing it up, I will ask if i can just get the dewormer without the test.

OrientalSlave said:

It's interesting how countries vary.  In the UK we simply put a Milbemax down, but in the US it seems a stool sample is required - though I've heard they aren't always reliable.  Heard here I think!

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Same here no sample required, though Milbemax (which is a popular choice) is without a script


I'm not a dry food feeder either but do leave a dish out for pregnant girls and kittens, they don't eat much as they are fed several raw meals a day but it's there if they want it

Wishe Milbemax was available OTC here as well, though there seems to be a steady trickle of drugs from POM to OTC so maybe that day will come.

 Good for you for taking in a cat and pregnant at that! I would suggest not feeding her so much it makes her sick. Three times a day wet and I know you're against dry food, but try science diet, Iams, or Blue Buffalo and mix some in with the wet food because being pregnant she needs the nourishment and there really isn't any in wet food. Plus putting the dry food in the wet should fill her up more. Just a suggestion. Email me if you have any questions! Good luck and we need more people like you in this world!

shannonlovespet said:

 Good for you for taking in a cat and pregnant at that! I would suggest not feeding her so much it makes her sick. Three times a day wet and I know you're against dry food, but try science diet, Iams, or Blue Buffalo and mix some in with the wet food because being pregnant she needs the nourishment and there really isn't any in wet food. Plus putting the dry food in the wet should fill her up more. Just a suggestion. Email me if you have any questions! Good luck and we need more people like you in this world!

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Thanks for the kind words, but did you just say there isn't any nourishment in wet food? 

I agree wet food is the way to go, just make sure it is kitten food.  Putting in the KMR powder does add the extra calories so sounds like you are doing what you need to do.  My pregnant cats like to eat about 4 small meals a day. 

Only use a prescription dewormer that is stated to be safe with pregnant and lactating cats.  The vet should be able to prescribe it without an eextra appointment since the cat was just seen.  The only problem with not doing a fecal is that if the cat has coccidia or giardia, the typical dewormer will not kill that.  But if the cat is not having diarrhea, then it is unlikely that she has coccidia or giardia. 

shannonlovespet said:

I know you're against dry food, but try science diet, Iams, or Blue Buffalo and mix some in with the wet food 

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I would stay far away from anything by Hill's or Iams. And I don't recommend mixing kibble with wet food unless the kitty eats it immediately. If kibble gets wet and is allowed to sit around for any length of time, it becomes an ideal breeding ground for bacteria. 

shannonlovespet said:

there really isn't any in wet food. 

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Say what? Sorry, that's just baloney. Good quality wet food (no grains, no by-products, specific meat sources) is highly nutritious and a much better choice than kibble, which tends to have many more fillers and inappropriate ingredients.

Who it is, just as a point of reference, the pregnant cat that I looked after was eating 16 oz or more of wet food a day. She weighed about 8 lbs and was carrying 5 kittens. Good luck!!

for a treat when chicken breast is on sale, simmer it, chop it up in a mixer and they love it... pure good food.

wet food is better than dry.

google   Lisa A. Pierson, DVM

catinfo.org 

you will be amazed

thanks everyone for your input, I am up to date on my feline nutrition education....I was just looking for a frame of reference on the amount for a pregnant cat. She is nursing now and still eating a lot but she doesnt eat so much it makes her sick. She loves raw(my other cat is on a raw diet) I do give raw as a treat but she eats so often I give her canned for my convenience. I leave dry out in case she gets hungry when I am gone for more than 8 hours, but she doesnt usually touch it. All is well

Sugarcatmom said:

Who it is, just as a point of reference, the pregnant cat that I looked after was eating 16 oz or more of wet food a day. She weighed about 8 lbs and was carrying 5 kittens. Good luck!!

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Thanks sugarcatmom! that's all i was looking for. I am feeding her EVO. I am aware that hill's and IAMS are no good...we are fostering 4 kittens and they tried to give me Science diet dry... I turned them down, would rather pay for it myself than feed that junk...my other cat I adopted was on it when I got him and he was gassy and stinky! i got him off of it and onto grain-free and raw and now he is in perfect health!

Oh, I forgot to mention I took her to the vet and got her dewormed. He gave her pyrantel and suggested a topical treatment(im guessing revolution or something similar) once she is done nursing... I am sceptical about the topical treatment though. My vet normally doesnt use pyrantel and only gave it to her because the topical treatment is not safe for nursing cats. He said pyrantel doesnt treat everything but since she has been given it she no longer has diarrhea, so hopefully she wont need anymore de-wormer.