help need advise

[louisa]

well i took in a stray that had a litter around 8 weeks ago but she is already pregnant and to far gon for the vet to fix her, so we have 1 8 week old kitten that needs to be weaned (it does drink water but will not eat food and goes back to mum).

I really would like some advise!!

what should i be feeding mum?

should i make a special place for her to give birth in?

If i should make a special place what should i use and where?

What is the best why to wean a kitten off mum quickly?

and any other inportant info and advise you can think of.

thanks in advance

 

[tnr1]

Originally Posted by louisa

well i took in a stray that had a litter around 8 weeks ago but she is already pregnant and to far gon for the vet to fix her, so we have 1 8 week old kitten that needs to be weaned (it does drink water but will not eat food and goes back to mum).

I really would like some advise!!

what should i be feeding mum?

should i make a special place for her to give birth in?

If i should make a special place what should i use and where?

What is the best why to wean a kitten off mum quickly?

and any other inportant info and advise you can think of.

thanks in advance

Your mom cat needs to be fed quality kitten food. She needs to be contained in a room that is quiet with 2 doors between herself and the outdoors. You should place her food, water and litter in that room along with a nesting box. You can use either an old towel or shredded paper..but put that in a pillow case.

As far as weaning the 8 week old off of mom, is it eating solid food at all??

Katie

 

[louisa]

no it's not eating any solid food i did speak to my vet about it and he said it should have all ready have been weaned of it's mum and should gradully start eating the food but it refuses to eat any food, the mum is looking uncomfortable , i was thinking about feeding it with replacment milk in a bottle(good or bad idea, just until i can get her weaned) I dont really think it's a good idea for her to still be nursing at her age i think this may be the reason the owners chucked them out because they couldnt get her to eat and so were unable to sell her, i may be wrong but this is the oppion i have formed. Both mum and kitten are underweight could this be why??? is kitten (raven) not be getting enough if any from mum. Vet said that kitten needs to stop nursing before kits arrive which is roughly 3 weeks... not long i know some people just dont know how to look after cats, plus the mum is still only a kitten the vet estimated her age as 8-9 months, I have to keep a close eye on mum as she is young and already having had a litter not long ago could cause complications, I not sure how many kits she had befor but the vet said there is only 1-2 kits there (should be a bit easier on mum).


Thanks for the advise!!

 

[jen]

Oh my that poor mother cat. She must be exausted. Usualy kittens should be with mom until 10-12 weeks but in your case, I think you really need to seperate the last baby. It is a shame that the previous owner sold the other kittens as such a young age, that is sad. Try feeding her really smelly wet kitten food, may have to put a little tuna in it. I don't know, if you have to bottle feed her I guess you have to do that if that is the only way she will eat. Let her get a little hungry first and offer the wet food. Leave it out with her, in a small room or carrier or something, so it is right there in hr face and she cannot get to mom. I would think after a little while she will eat it. Don't let her go the whole day without eating, but a little extra time is okay.

Please make sure this poor tired little girl gets spayed right after this litter. And I really hope all goes well for her

Good luck! Awesome job taking them both in too! That is really great of you to do!

 

[louisa]

new kitten gets spayed nxt week, mum a little while after the kits are born.

 

[gayef]

I see two distinct issues here:

1) An 8 week-old kitten who needs to be introduced to solid foods and ...

2) A pregnant queen expecting a litter quite soon

Let's address the kitten first.

In order to get him to quit nursing, you will have to get him to eat solids now. I like, recommend and use human chicken or turkey meat baby foods for this. I have never met a cat who didn't enjoy baby food! I warm the jar in a bowl of hot water, smear a layer onto a dessert-sized paper plate and dip my finger in it - I offer my finger to the kitten who then normally begins licking the food off. I dip again and offer to the kitten again, but this time, I place my finger closer to the plate of food. I repeat this process until my finger is actually IN the food on the plate and the kitten is licking the food from the plate and not my finger.

You may find that you have to repeat this process each time you feed, but after about the second day of it, kittens normally get the hang of it and begin eating on their own without assistance. I would try this with your 8 week-old in order to give Momma a break from nursing and to ensure that he doesn't continue nursing her when the new litter arrives.

As for your Momma, she should now be on a strict diet of a high-quality kitten food in both canned and dry and she should be eating as much as she wants. The rule in my house with a pregnant/nursing queen is that is she comes into the kitchen, feed her.

You can find a bunch of other good advice and suggestions at this link:

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=74659

and as always, we are here to assist with any questions you may have.

Welcome to our Forums,

GayeF, Forum Moderator (and breeder of CFA-registered Old-Style Siamese Cats)