Advice and how to help mom start producing more milk

Hello! I have had a heartwrenching night and morning. I have horses and one of the barn cats gave birth early yesterday morning. One baby was still born and two were significantly smaller than the other one. It was going to get cold overnight and mom is fairly friendly so I took them home thinking that would give them a better chance. I lost the little boy overnight, mom moved him out of the basket that contained her and the other two babies. The other two seemed to be doing fairly well and appeared to be nursing but I noticed that one was getting sluggish and would not nurse (even when I put her up to several different nipples). I called the nearest pet store and they were going to meet me at the front with formula and a bottle, I had a feeling she didn't have long. I wrapped her in a dryer-warmed towel and rushed her the five minutes to the store, she passed away during the drive. I realize there is more I probably could have done, but I am going off of the advice of an experienced rescuer and headed for the bottle as soon as I thought it necessary. It was the significantly smaller ones that didn't make it. This is the mom's first litter and she is young, probably under a year and very inexperienced. I am bottle feeding the last baby, who was the strongest from the beginning, every two hours and she is still "nursing" off of mom, but the mom is not lactating that much so I don't want to take any chances. I am wondering what would be the best (I've read kitten food) to feed the mom to help her begin lactating well and if there is any other advice experienced people can give me. The mom kept getting scared and chased away from the babies at the barn, so in addition to being cold, they had gone a long time during their first 24 hrs without milk before I realized that they were out there and needed help. I am doing the best I can but just want outside advice

C crazeventer422

Bottle feeding every 2 hours and encouraging nursing from mom is excellent. With only one baby nursing, she may or may not get much milk. Feeding mom kitten chow and Fancy Feast kitten food will give her maximum calories and nutrition.

I think you are correct that the cold and lack of food affected the babies, and one sounded premature. Kittens cannot regulate their own body temperature for the first 3 weeks, so putting a heating pad set on low under the blanket in the nest will help. Or a hot water bottle, or rice sock microwaved and wrapped in a towel.

Baby should gain 6-10 grams per day, doubling its birth weight by the end of the first week. You should weigh the baby daily at the same time on a kitchen scale so you can keep track. Kittens are fed 8 mL's of formula for every ounce of weight in each 24-hour period.

Even if mom remains a barn cat, she should be spayed when the kitten has weaned around 8 weeks of age.

Let us know how it's going!

It's good you brought them home! [emoji]128522[/emoji]

Okay thank you! I don't have a kitchen scale yet but I'll get one. As far as mom goes, I'm hoping to help her find a new home. She'll end up spayed but it's sad for all the rest of them. I think the owner likes that they reproduce on their own, no need to get more cats. The boarders keep telling him that he needs to and he doesn't listen, although one is planning to take the males in soon from what I heard. I haven't been boarding there long so but I've told him to spay and neuter, we'll see. 

Lux (baby) has her next bottle feeding in about half an hour. Maya (mom) is usually fairly friendly but gets understandably upset when I come in to take her baby. I have to wear gloves  in case she strikes out and move her to a smaller carrier above the kennel she shares with baby. I've been giving her Fancy Feast (adult kind, I'm heading out to get kitten specific between feedings this morning) wet food in there to make it a better experience and she calms as soon as she is in there. She has access to dry food and water all the time, but won't eat it. She also isn't using the litter box. She had one at the barn and they use the arena often. I've been cleaning it up but is there a way i can encourage her to use it? 

She's playing the mom card well although I don't think she's making enough milk because Lux keeps wanting the bottle. She's grooming her and making sure she lays next to her. I do have a hot water bottle wrapped in a towel in there in case she gets up for some reason. My priority right now is saving the baby's life, but I would like to help mom trust me more as well. Any tips on that going into the future? Also, is there an ideal temperature for the room to be? My room has one of the single heating/cooling units and it's on the opposite end from where they are. It's not "cold" persay, but if I need to get a space heater, I will. 

What the stable owner is doing is a shame, and very irresponsible. The cats can be trapped, spayed/neutered, and released, and would still be great mousers. It's cruel to allow the females to breed like this. It results in kittens having kittens. [emoji]128533[/emoji]

If it gets out of control, animal control can be alerted.

If it's not cold in the room, and you have the hot water bottle, it should be fine. I think what you are doing with mom is good. It takes time to build trust. She may use the litter box when she feels more comfortable. Doggie pee pads spread around will help in the neantime. I do hope you can re-home her in time. She deserves a better life. Try to keep her with her kitten for 12 weeks if you can.

It sounds like the kitten is doing well! [emoji]128522[/emoji]

I agree, the boarders are bugging him about it so hopefully that will get the problem fixed. I am not sure how long I will be able to keep them with me, as I am moving home in a few weeks from college and my mom is not too keen on having them (brother is allergic) plus I will be starting a full time internship on the 23 and wouldn't be able to bottle feed if she still needs that. I am hoping that I can work it out but if I can't, there is a very reputable, foster home based rescue that I am going to reach out to. I will make sure they are taken care of. 

You can get some Cat Attract Litter for mom, just make sure to swap it for non-clumping when the kitten begins using the litter box.

Yes, it would be great if you could spay and neuter the barn cats as a community. Thank you for caring!

It sounds like you have a great plan in place! We're here to assist in any way we can.

Cat attract litter sounds great! Would they have that at a traditional pet store or is a special order kind of thing? 

And a few more questions: Mom has been getting more agitated with me (calmer with baby though) I was doing some reading on bonding with adults and read the importance of exercise. Could that be contributing? They are in a very large dog kennel with a bed, litter box and food/water bowls. She can move around and I put a scratching post in there for her, although she has yet to use it. I don't really want her loose in the apartment for fear of not being able to catch her and also for worry about my dog (who is smaller than the cat) getting swiped at. If she needs to run around I can figure something out but I'm thinking that would cause more stress than good. 

Also, she is not vaccinated as far as I know. Is it safe to get that done while she is nursing? I have heard it both ways. 

She should not be vaccinated until the kitten is weaned, when she goes in to be spayed.

She probably needs a break from the kennel. Although mom cats do spend considerable time with their kittens, it's nice if they can move around more too. Can you put your dog in a bedroom and let her out for a little while every day? That might help to improve her mood.

I think she mostly resents you feeding her baby. She fears you will take it away for good. It's a natural instinct for a cat to be protective of her babies. Maybe if she comes out and can look and sniff around, and will let you pet her, she will become more trusting. It's worth a try!

Okay, I will try that. I can put Elsa (dog) in the bathroom for a bit or hold her. Just to reassure my overly worried mom self, There's nothing she could spread around the apartment that my dog could catch, correct? I know I am being paranoid but hearing it from another person always helps, lol. 

As long as your dog is vaccinated it should be fine. The cat sounds fairly healthy as well. [emoji]128522[/emoji]

She's a bit behind on her spring vaccinations (waiting until I move back home to use the normal vet, but she's had everything. 

It should be fine.

Well I had the kennel door open for about an hour and a half last night. I held the baby to see if that would entice her closer and didn't want her to feel like she had to stay in the kennel with her. She came out for a few minutes and looked about but then went back in and layed down, although she didn't get a lot of energy out, she seems calmer today. She's letting me hold her and pet her again, even purring. But then it's like she remembers, "oh ya, I'm mad at you," and does a half hearted swat or bite (she doesn't clamp down just opens her mouth on my jacket. It's getting kind of comical. I was able to test her nipples a bit last night and this morning, there are only two that are really even exposed (although not nearly as hairless as other moms I've seen). I got a bit of milk out of each of those, more out of the one that the baby keeps latching onto. How much should be coming out? I don't know how to tell but baby is attached to it fairly frequently and kneading and suckling on it, but not crying. Would she be quiet and doing that if she wasn't getting enough milk? I am still bottle feeding her but she's not nearly as interested as she was when I started her night before last (then she would literally grab the bottle and hold onto it.) Now she takes a lot less and isn't as enthusiastic. Does that mean that she is getting at least some from mom? I don't want to take her off of it and send her backwards but I also don't want to keep stressing mom out if there is no need. She hardly ever cries now, even when I go in and watch when it's time for a bottle feeding. The only time is when mom shifts positions and she has to find a comfy spot or the nipple again. The quiet is a sign of contentment, correct? , 

Can you weigh the baby daily? It's the best way to know if she's gaining.

Yes, I will weigh her. I didn't have time to go the store to get a scale yesterday. Between running between class and work and keeping the bottle feeding schedule, there wasn't time. But it's on the list for today. Her belly is rounder from what I can tell, so I think she is and I have been stimulating her (mom is too but I don't want to take any changes) and she pooped twice yesterday and peed several times. My biggest thing is how to know if she is gaining anything from mom. I will post the weight here when I get the scale

It sounds like she is contentedly nursing from mom!

She weights in at 113 grams right now. I know that's not super useful without info on what she's gaining, but I'll update as I have info.