Mum cat with flatulence

poppy09

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So our little stray Poppy has been with us for a couple of months. She was very skinny and pregnant when she arrived. Her babies are now 4 weeks old and she is still feeding them.

We have her on a whiskas dry/wet mix for now and she still eats 4 meals a day (about 200g wet and upto 100g dry per day). She isn't as skinny as she was but she is still slim apart from a bit of a tummy where her milk is. She always has biscuits to graze on too and doesn't scoff those down so we guess she isn't hungry.

It might also be worth mentioning we've kept her in since she turned up and we will do until she's spayed.

Over the last week she's started to pass wind a few times a day, and it smells so bad!! I've read a bit online but still don't know if a vets trip is unecessary, should I just try changing her food first and if so do people recommend wet or dry?

She also only poops once a day or once every two days - is that normal?

Any comments on whether we are feeding her enough and when we should start reducing this down would be appreciated too!

It so difficult because we don't know her very well and we've never had a litter of kittens before!

Thanks :)
 

pippapurring

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Hi there, first off I just want to say that it's so kind of you to take in a pregnant stray!

Whiskas brand has a lot of corn and wheat in it, it's among the top ingredients. Corn and wheat aren't good for obligate carnivores like cats and should be avoided if at all possible. It's likely the quality of the food she's eating is causing her digestive system to become upset, which could cause gas. I would suggest that you switch her to a grain free food and see if that makes a difference. There are a ton of affordable grain free options out there, I currently live in Sweden so I'm not sure what the cheapest grain free option is if you're in the states, but I buy a brand called Applaws. There's another brand called Taste of the Wild which is also pretty cheap and available in most pet stores if I remember right. Nursing moms need a lot of calories so I'd recommend you give her access to dry food at all times and feed her a bit of kitten brand wet food every day, I've had good luck with Wellness brand wet cat food. 

I'd also check to see if she's eating too quickly, as that can cause gas as well.

I hope this helps! Would love to see some pictures of Poppy and her babies if you have any 
 
 

momto3cats

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Changing to a different brand of food might help. Wet is better than dry, especially for a nursing mother - she needs the extra protein and liquid in wet food. She should have as much as she wants to eat.

The kittens should be old enough to start eating soft food soon. Once they are eating well, they won't nurse as much and the mom won't need to eat quite so much.

Oh, if you do change mom's food, do it gradually so as not to upset her stomach. Mix in a little of the new food, then a little more the next day, etc.
 
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poppy09

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Thanks guys, much appreciated, I'm in the UK and I think Pets at home stock applaws (in fact I'm sure it's what we used to buy for our first cat), we're heading over there today. I'm also going to try placing her wet food just outside of the nest to see if it slows her down.

Do I have pictures? I have almost 200! Here's a recent one of the kittens and one off Poppy, it's getting harder to get good photos as they move around so quickly when they're awake.

We're going to see if the kittens will drink kitten milk today too and then start mixing in the babycat mousse, then it'll be litter tray time too!

Must go, am currently being used as a climbing frame!

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