Skinny cat nursing multiple older kittens

[catoncat]

Hi everyone.This forum has been a godsend!

One of the community cats I take care of gave birth around 3 months ago. Her kittens were weaned once they started eating.
Suddenly I can see that they are nursing from her again. It’s most likely that she’s pregnant (her belly is growing) which might explain her milk supply?

What is worrying is lately even much older kittens (6 months) that aren’t hers nurse from her and she doesn’t stop them. She seems fine with any kitten nursing from her.

She’s a very picky eater and will only eat a small amount at a time. She’s been to the vet a couple of times and they can’t find anything wrong with her but prescribed her a multivitamin.

I’m worried about the number of older kittens nursing from her regularly especially since she’s skinny and doesn’t seem to have much to give. Is there anything that can be done to stop the over nursing?

Thanks

 

[di and bob]

Not really, she must be a very good little mother. The problem is the older kittens could possibly push the newborns aside and they won't get to eat. Is there any way to isolate her for a while, to build up her strength and possibly get her to 'forget' her kittens. It takes at least two weeks. If you could get a large dog kennel or have a garage or shed with windows, that would work. You might try providing the kittens with more food, they wouldn't be as interested if they were full.

 

[shadowsrescue]

Is there a reason why you are not spaying and neutering all of these cats? Poor Mom cat. You are going to be overrun with cats very soon if you don't stop the breeding. There is a saying "If you feed them, they will breed". Since you are caring for these cats, they belong to you. Please do your best to get them all trapped and neutered. It appears that Mom cat can be handled. She really needs to get spayed as soon as possible along with all of the kittens. How many cats are you caring for right now?

 

[catoncat]

The kittens have food all the time so it might be a comfort thing rather than hunger? Not sure. Will try to separate them as much as possible.

Regarding the spaying: The prices are really expensive where I live so unfortunately I’m not able to get them spayed/neutered but planning on doing it one by one as I can. They are a colony of about 10 cats.

 

[shadowsrescue]

Can you contact a rescue group for help. Most TNR vets are very reasonably priced. The longer you wait, the more kittens you will have. Females can start to reproduce as early as 6-7 months. I would look to see if you can get some assistance with spaying and neutering.

 

[moxiewild]

The kittens have food all the time so it might be a comfort thing rather than hunger? Not sure. Will try to separate them as much as possible.

Regarding the spaying: The prices are really expensive where I live so unfortunately I’m not able to get them spayed/neutered but planning on doing it one by one as I can. They are a colony of about 10 cats.

If you’re willing to share your general location, we can try to help you find more low cost options in your area?

shadowsrescue is completely right about the breeding.

We found a colony of seven last year, and once we were done with the females in another colony, we started preparing to trap these 7 guys (4 of them kittens) for spay/neuter. In November, we set our traps and began trap training them.

Then I relapsed from a medical issue. I’ve spent most of this year in a hospital, or otherwise bedridden at home, getting nutrition from an IV and oxygen in a tank.

This meant those 7 cats weren’t being trapped during that time, and, well, the cats did what cats do.

The original kittens had kittens, their kittens had kittens, one of the original kittens had more kittens, and then so too did the original mother.

I just recently got back on my feet again, and the colony is out of control. It is incredibly discouraging and overwhelming. At least this time, we were able to capture most of the last two litters, but there are just so many cats now...

So if there is any way we can help you find something more financially feasible for you, please let us know.