Cat not producing milk?

Hi.

My cat had 1 kitten 5 days ago. When she first had the kitten she was milking up well with 4 of her bags being pretty full. Then they started to go flat, which I thought was because the kitten was drinking it all quickly. But now they don't seem to be milking up at all. Her stomach/bags are now flat. Completely flat and not bulging with milk. I'm not completely sure whether she's producing enough for the one baby she has or if her body has stopped making milk because she only had one baby? How can I make sure she is making enough milk? I'm worried the kitten will starve since it is so young.

I also have been feeding her dry kibble, wet food, lactose free milk and water.

That sounds very serious.  You gave a listing of food.  If that's what you're trying to feed the kitten, it will indeed starve.  You need to find kitten formula and quickly.  Other board members-she needs advice on this.  It's been way to long since I played Momma cat to my Ruby.  And maybe, you're just not feeding the Mom cat the right stuff to help her feed her baby.  Adult cats should not have milk.  They get nothing from it.. 

Sorry, I meant that's what I'm feeding my mother cat. I'm not feeding the baby anything yet.

Could you gently squeeze the nipples and see if any milk comes out?  Otherwise, calling your vet and telling he/she what's going on is your best bet.  If the baby goes to long without eating you're gonna lose her.

I just squeezed them, milk came out of 3. She also spends all day with the kitten. Could the kitten be using up all the milk? Should I let my cat stay away from the kitten for a while and see if the bags fill?

Well, I left her away from the kitten for an hour. Now seemingly only one nipple is giving milk. I'm not sure whether to intervene or not. I can't get proper kitten replacement formula until Monday, and I would have to buy goats milk (I looked alternatives up). The baby seems healthy but a little frustrated when I watched it feed just now. 

Are you weighing the baby daily? If it's gaining weight, at least 10-15 grams a day, then it's getting enough nutrition from mom. If it's losing weight or not gaining you need to start supplementing with kitten milk replacer, the sooner the better.

I don't have any scales, crazy I know. I can't get kitten milk until Monday as the vet's here aren't open. Which is why I mentioned goat milk. I suppose that is what I'll be getting. I have upped my cats wet food amount to try and get her to make more milk.

I'm hoping for the best for the baby, I'm just torn between intervening with the possibility of stomach problems or leaving the baby longer to see if it is actually getting enough or not.

catquestions said:

 
I don't have any scales, crazy I know. I can't get kitten milk until Monday as the vet's here aren't open. Which is why I mentioned goat milk. I suppose that is what I'll be getting. I have upped my cats wet food amount to try and get her to make more milk.

I'm hoping for the best for the baby, I'm just torn between intervening with the possibility of stomach problems or leaving the baby longer to see if it is actually getting enough or not.

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Goat milk isnt bad at all, you can use it.  Use full fat version if you can choose. 

Re scales - perhaps some neigbour has?  Try to get one measuring in grammes.  Of course, it takes 24 hours to get a count, as you dont have any starting point....

But weighting them is the trick yes, if you are inexperienced and dont see by just a glance and handling.

With only one baby and a mom who gets good nutrition and seems healthy, she should manage OK, even it there wasnt very much milk.

And I suspect with only one baby, the production will be less.

How is the baby behaving?   Seems she healthy, comfortable, moves and sounds happily, sleeps after feeding?

Or is she moving restlessly, shrieking after more?    Or even God forbide, gaving up hopes and sleeping lethargic?

Good luck!

ps   If you give food yourself:

Baby on tummy, head up.  You can raise it a little, in 45 grades.   NOT on back like a baby.

Baby still suckling mom will probably not want a bottle.  You may try, but be prepared it refuses.  Wrap a fleece around the bottle, it may make it a little easier.

A syringe without needle (3ml) is best, if you dont have it, use a dropper.

In the corner of the mouth, and squeeze slowly and carefully, so you are sure the kittens manage to swallow.  Each such feeding may take time!   If unsure, better small portions but often.  You dont want to risk any refluxer or wrongly swalling into the lungs...

End of this message.

I'm going to track down some scales to make sure the baby is gaining.

Ok great, goat milk it is. Although I'm going to wait until tomorrow just in case.

The baby seems happy. It squirms, moves around and mews when I pick it up. Only two of her nipples are producing milk right now. I squeezed them four times each relatively firmly and little drops of milk came out. (Nothing came out of the other nipples. The nipples under her arms are completely flat and the nipple itself has shrunk.) So I'm assuming the baby can suck hard enough to get these droplets. The baby does seem a bit frustrated though, I don't think it is starving but it is hungrier than it should be.

It does seem a little tired but I'm not sure if that's natural or if I'm being over alert to everything it's doing. 

Ok I will do if by tomorrow the baby is still hungry.

Also the babies stomach is soft and round, with a little tiny bit of loose skin around the belly button when is itself scrunches inwards. 

Mum cat is cleaning it's bottom like normal.

My 5 kittens are 11 days old today, and I've noticed in the past few days that it seems like she isn't producing very much. The top teats have stopped producing and have shrunk. Its mainly just the bottom four teats that are producing, and not as much as they were at the beginning. The kittens try and eat, but they let go soon afterward clamping to a teat. My mother cat is eating well. She has unlimited amount of dry Kitten kibble available, and she gets 2-3 wet food feeding each day (about 1-2 oz each feeding.) I saw kitten formula at the store, and will pick some up if necessary. And well, I haven't weighed the kittens in a few days, but I will today. They are very active and are crawling everywhere. It seems they've at least doubled in size (visually) since they were born.

Update: I haven't needed to intervene. I decided to watch the babies progress rather than risk stomach upsets. It's now Monday and the baby is growing. Mum cat is only producing milk in the lower two bags, but that seems to be enough for the baby. Here are two pictures of them



The baby is starting to open it's eyes!

Love the last picture.  So sweet.

What a little sweetheart ! [emoji]128522[/emoji]

Hi there! How old is the momma? I don't want to scare you but you should be prepared just in case. I fostered a particularly young momma cat. I got her and her 3 babies when they were 2 days old. They were nursing from the back mostly. Then the runt started losing weight. The mom wasn't producing as much and then at all. I bottle fed the babies.
The mom got a health check and she didn't have mastitis or anything. She was just very young and tiny.

Hello again everyone. I completely forgot about this.

Thought I would drop by and update once again. The kitten is doing very well. I've named her Bean. She's almost two months old, eating solid food and using the kitty litter and all of those fancy feats.

Thank you all for the compliments, to answer fostersrule - mother cat will be three years old this month.

Just want to thank you all for taking the time to help those who post on these forums. 

I'll leave you with another two pictures. (One is blurry, I can't get her to sit still long enough for a photo when she is awake.)



Thank you all again, I hope 2015 is kind to you and your pets.

Tx for the wonderful update!

Good luck to you yourself and your protegées!