how to tell if mom is out of milk?

I just read that a mom cat could run out of milk and not be able to feed all the kittens. I was wonderin how to tell if she is out of milk.

On the mom it feels like there are hard sacks or something on here, does this mean she is full of milk or that she is empty on milk?...oh and only like the left side is hard and the right side feels saggy...or something like that....I just wanna know how to tell if she is ok....

also i read if need be I can feed the kittens goats milk, is this alright?

thank you.

Yes, queens can stop producing milk and yes you can give them goat's milk. You can also purchase the pre-mixed Kitten Milk Replacer at Petsmart, Petco, or even Wal-Mart. They also carry the little milk bottles as well. Get several if you are going to use them because you will need to have them clean and at the ready for feeding.

How old are your kittens? Is your queen trying to nurse them at all? What happens when she lies down for them?

A hungry kitten is a fussy, whiney, fractious kitten. The skin across their bellys will be loose, wrinkled and/or flabby. They are frantic to nurse when Mom approaches and the frustration when they can't nurse is obvious to even the most inexperienced cat person.

Are your kittens displaying any of those symptoms?

As for the condition of your queen, can you post a picture of her belly so I can get a better visual idea of what you are trying to describe?

And last but certainly not least in importance, if you ~think~ something is wrong, it probably is and if that is the case here, I would strongly encourage you to contact your vet.

the kittens are 18 days old.

what do you mean by whinny? they don't cry unless i wake them up and pick them up or the mom wakes them up...and the skin on their belly's...its not that loose, it not flaby or anything....oh wait on one of them it is kinda loose.

The mom does go and feed them every couple of hours, they go up to her and eat..sometimes they fight for nipples...is that a sign?

I think I am gonna go get some bottles....we already have some goats milk.

I'v fed kittens KMS before, is goats milk any diffrent? how much should I feed them and when?

and will the mom cat get mad, stressed or stop feeding them or something?...will she be ok with this?

...oh..i will try to get a picture up later...and i think shes still producing milk, i just think she might not have enough for everyone.

Don't panic. Do you have a scale that goes in ounces or grams? I would weigh each kitten daily and if they are putting on weight and are active and not complaining constantly then you have nothing to worry about. It is good to have the emergency kit ready, but don't use it unless there is a need.

hmmm..i think our scale weighs ounces, I will check and see, they are getting bigger though, I can tell that.

and about the goats milk...i keep reading canned goatsmilk, can it be fresh?

ok i got the bottle and KMR but the kittens will not drink from the bottle....the mom sure will...but they won't....they are all eating from her right now.

should i try to keep doing it or should i just give the kmr to the mom?....she has milk, i know she does. I just thought their bellys were suppose to be hard and very round...they are round but not that hard kinda soft..or is i suppose to be like that?

Round and soft is good ... and if Mom is enjoying the KMR, it can't hurt her a bit, let her have as much as she wants. As for bottling, as long as the babies are finally getting into a comfortable nursing position, everything is fine so unless they are losing weight or otherwise not progressing normally, then don't worry about bottling them. It sounds like everything is going along normally. Remember to breathe, new Momma. *smile*

You can get a very inexpensive little food-type scale at Wal-Mart which weighs in both grams and ounces. I would suggest that for keeping an eye on their progress if you have concerns.

Oh, and as for the fresh goat's milk ... by all means use fresh if you have access to it. Wish I had some fresh just as a supplement for my own little Momma - my four babies were two weeks old yesterday.

Fresh is great - it's what I get here. The canned is good to keep for an emergency though!