If you decide to start breeding cats at home (you can read more about all the useful nuances of this process), you must be prepared for various situations in order to save offspring and preserve the health of the cat in the postpartum period. Therefore, today we decided to talk with you about such a problem that cat breeders often face - a cat that has given birth has little milk, and she cannot feed her offspring on her own. What is it coming from? How do you know if kittens are malnourished? How to help a cat? Let's look for answers to these questions in our publication ...
Causes of a lack of milk in a cat
Nature has thought of everything, including the fact that after giving birth, a cat can independently care for her kittens and feed them. However, due to various circumstances, a cat may not have milk, or it may not be enough to feed a large litter of kittens. As a rule, this can happen as a result of stress in a cat - she did not recover from childbirth, if the cat is a first-born and very shy, if she is inherently aggressive (learn about the most), if she has postpartum complications or lacks maternal instincts .. .
cat stress
In order to make sure that this is not the case, it is recommended to take the pet to the veterinarian and conduct an ultrasound examination of the abdominal cavity and internal organs.
Often, the cause of stress in a cat in the postpartum period can be a retained placenta. In this case (only if you are 100% sure of this), you can gently stimulate the animal with injections of calcium borogluconate. It will be necessary to inject 2 milliliters of heated medicine subcutaneously, and this will cause the cat to contract the uterus and after that the placenta will come out (find out). In this case, an injection of oxytocin will also be useful - 0.3 milliliters is injected intramuscularly. But, if the placenta has grown (this is rare, but it happens), surgical intervention and specialist help will be required.
If the cause of stress, excitement and tension is not related to physiological factors, in order to calm the animal, you can administer a calming drug to the cat, such as Fospasim - it can be given orally in drops, or it can be injected subcutaneously. It has the ability to reduce nervous excitability, fear and aggression, therefore, it will calm your nervous cat and help her switch to maternal duties - in particular, feeding her kittens.
By the way, in addition to medications, a calm and quiet environment in which you place the cat after childbirth helps to deal with stress. Now the animal needs peace and quiet, and you should not bother her with your attention and excessive care. But, you don't have to stop taking care of her.
Lack of maternal instincts
Both humans and animals are naturally endowed with strong parental instincts. However, there are exceptions to the rule, and there are cats who are not at all interested in the fate of their offspring, therefore, they do not consider it necessary to feed them, and in some of them lactation processes in the body do not work at all. A cat like a cuckoo gives birth to kittens and leaves them alone. If you notice your cat tending to this abnormal behavior, try to correct the situation - talk to her, show her the kittens, put her firmly but gently in the box with the babies, and put the kitten to her nipples so that he can taste the milk.
Nothing awakens the maternal instinct like a kitten and its smell.
So don't lose hope. Perhaps the instincts still wake up, albeit belatedly.
If the cat, unfortunately, did not remember that she is a mother and refuses to feed the kittens, it is better to let her go and move her to another place of detention so that she cannot harm the kittens or eat them (learn about the reasons). And, for kittens, you will have to look for a temporary nurse, or you will have to take on this role.
Postpartum pyometra in a cat
If, despite your efforts, the cat after childbirth behaves restlessly, refuses to eat, breathes heavily, tries to hide in dark corners, she has tremors, is elevated, and white discharge is observed from the loop - you should not postpone a visit to the veterinarian. Symptoms burn that she may have purulent postpartum - this is a very insidious and dangerous disease that requires urgent treatment, otherwise the cat may die.
The reason for the development of pyometra may be an unreleased placenta, it begins to rot inside the uterus, or a strong distension of the uterus and its poor contractility (this often happens when the kittens were large and there were many of them). Initially, a localized inflammatory process develops, against the background of which pyometra occurs. In this situation, you should consult with a specialist as soon as possible, who will feel the cat's stomach, direct you to an ultrasound of the uterus.
You can get rid of pyometra today in 2 ways - radical and fast - sterilization, or slow and not always effective - taking antibiotics. In the first case, the cat will no longer be able to have kittens, and if you are breeding animals, this is a big minus for you. In the second, by taking medication, you can drown out the infection, but not completely cure it, therefore, the risk of relapse is very high.
You can read about the features of cat sterilization. As for the medical treatment of purulent postpartum pyometra, it involves treatment for 10 days with the following drugs:
intramuscularly ceftriaxone 1 time per day for 0.5 milliliters, traumatin and mastomerin 1 milliliter 1 time per day subcutaneously in the withers area, papaverine 0.3 milliliters intramuscularly 1 time per day, catosal 1 milliliter 1 time per day subcutaneously, cycloferon 0.5 milliliters according to the following scheme - 1.2, every other day - at least 5 injections should be given, ovariovit - 1 milliliter every other day for at least 10 injections, Ringer Locke's solution 3 milliliters in the withers area, until the cat begins to feed on its own.
In most cases, all care for newborn kittens falls on the mother cat, while the owner plays the role of a kind of helper-assistant.
However, it also happens that for some reason, very small kittens are left without a mother, or the cat does not have milk, and they need human help. How to help them? Let's try to figure it out.
Hunger is the main problem faced by kittens, and therefore, all the forces of the owner must be thrown into feeding the kittens and supporting their developing body. The process of feeding a kitten is not simple, and therefore, the slightest nuances are important in it. Before you start feeding a kitten, it is advisable to get the simplest knowledge about its growth and development.
One of the most important indicators that a kitten is developing is weight gain. This is the reason for the need for daily weighing of the kitten in the first couple of weeks of his life. Subsequently, weighing can be done every 3 days.
A newly born cat's baby should weigh about 110-125 grams. Properly fed kittens will double this weight in a week. Then the kitten should add about 100 grams weekly. Small weight gains indicate either illness or malnutrition.
What do newborn kittens eat?
The first thing the owner needs to do is to find a lactating cat who is ready to accept and feed the kittens, however, this is not always possible. So, the mother cat could not be found and the burden of feeding nevertheless fell on your shoulders. Do not despair!
First of all, find a cat's milk substitute. Please note that the milk of mammals is produced exclusively for their cubs, and therefore the usual cow's milk sold in the store is not suitable for kittens. The best option would be to purchase a cat milk replacer from a pet store, however, if this option does not suit you, you can do the following.
Take the milk available to you and boil it. Take a chicken egg and add its protein to milk in a ratio of 1 to 4. If the selected milk does not suit the baby, use mixtures intended for children, but dilute them half as thinly as a one-, two-week-old child needs
What kind of food and how much should be given to a kitten
The daily weight gain of a kitten is about 20 grams. Each gram of increase entails an increase in the amount of the mixture by 4-5 grams. A more detailed feeding schedule is as follows.
A kitten aged 1-2 days should drink 30 grams of the mixture per 0.1 kg of weight. Feeding should be done every 2 hours. A kitten aged 2-4 days should drink 30 grams of the mixture per 0.1 kg of weight. Feeding should be done every 2 hours during the day and every 3 hours at night. A kitten aged 5-13 days should drink 38 grams of the mixture per 0.1 kg. Feed every 4 hours. A kitten aged 13-22 days should drink 46 grams of the mixture per 0.1 kg of body weight. Feed every 4 hours. From day 15, give the kitten liquid milk porridge with an egg. From day 22, offer other products - beef and fish rolled through a meat grinder, baby food, low-fat cottage cheese, egg yolk.
After feeding, check that each of the kittens has been fed. Well-fed kittens sleep, and hungry ones scream, crawl and try to suck the outstretched finger. Be sure to feed hungry kittens. After 4 weeks, introduce the kitten to the bowl by moistening his mouth with the mixture and bringing him to it.
What do kittens eat?
For the entire first month of life, use a syringe without a needle, a pipette or a small nipple as a feeding item. Make sure that the kitten has time to swallow the incoming mixture, otherwise it may choke
How to make kittens go to the toilet?
Take a piece of cloth, moisten it with water and rub the kitten's tummy with gentle massaging movements, similar to the movement of the tongue of a cat. If you do everything right, then "toilet cases" will occur several times a day.
Milk is the only source of maintaining the viability of newborn kittens and their good nutrition until the age of one month. During childbirth, the production of milk in a cat is a natural phenomenon and is important not only for babies, but also for their mother. However, it happens that for some reason milk is not produced. The life of the kittens in this case is at risk and the owner takes responsibility for the situation.
Show all
Violation of the process of lactation in cats
There are pathologies in which the synthesis of milk in the glands of the animal does not occur at all or is poorly expressed. Such processes are called agalactia and hypogalactia and the main reasons for their occurrence are:
- improper feeding of a pet during pregnancy and lactation;
- poor conditions of detention;
- diseases of the mammary glands and other organs;
- anatomical features and congenital malformations of the mammary glands.
In itself, the lack of lactation is only a secondary phenomenon and is considered as the cause of disorders in the cat's body.
You can determine if a cat has milk by gently pressing on the nipple. Colostrum is secreted - everything is in order, you just need to help the kittens get to the gland.
Main causes of violation
An important point is the age of the woman in labor. Often, a cat will not produce milk after giving birth if her first pregnancy passes before the completion of physiological development. Fine nervous organization can also cause tremendous stress, sometimes exacerbated by the owner's misbehavior: exposing newborn babies, creating a noisy environment, and illiterate arrangement of the place of birth. These factors negatively affect the behavior of the mother cat, which, at best, will lose the ability to produce milk. A critical aspect of the manifestation of a psycho-emotional breakdown is cannibalism in cats.
Milk is secreted poorly or not produced at all, in the following cases:
- Retention of the placenta at the time of childbirth: this inhibits the flow of secretions into the gland.
- Hormonal failure in the body: the cause is often the early mating of young individuals or prolonged childbirth.
- Improper feeding of a pregnant animal: an insufficient amount of essential nutrients can lead to agalactia and hypogalactia.
- Diseases.
List of the main pathologies in lactation deficiency:
Disease How does it manifest First aid Endometritis (inflammation of the lining of the uterus) Increased body temperature, refusal to eat, mucous or purulent discharge from the loop, decreased milk secretion, unwillingness to care for newborns According to the results of clinical and diagnostic studies: in the early stages - antibiotic therapy, in severe cases - removal of the uterus. Kittens are transferred to artificial feeding Eclampsia (calcium extract) Tonic convulsions, eye rolling, often loss of consciousness, increased salivation, rapid pulse, impaired milk synthesis Immediate hospitalization with subsequent placement of the animal under a drip and the introduction of calcium preparations. Kittens are bottle-fed until the mother's condition stabilizes. In the future, it is possible to feed mother's milk from one to two times a day. Lochiometer (uterine atony) Cessation of uterine discharge, increase in uterine volume, soreness, fever, refusal to care for kittens, lactation disorders Based on the results of a veterinary examination, drugs are prescribed to stimulate uterine activity. Mastitis (inflammation of the breast) Increased body temperature, the affected areas of the mammary glands are dense, red, sometimes with the release of pus, the animal is depressed, refuses food, abandons offspring, hypogalactia is observed Depending on the severity, the treatment is carried out locally (stimulation of the nipples, massage, application of kittens, compresses on the damaged gland) or antibiotic therapy and surgical intervention are used (for purulent mastitis) 
How to feed kittens with lactation deficiency
It is not difficult to understand that the kittens do not have enough milk or that the cat has completely lost it: the babies squeak loudly, disturbing the mother, attempts to suck do not lead to anything, when pressing on the nipple, colostrum does not appear. When the cause is established and there is no way to continue feeding naturally, the kittens are transferred to artificial nutrition.
In the event that lactation has ceased on the first day of labor, the following measures should be taken immediately:
- 1. Kittens are given a special "cat's milk" - a mixture adapted to a natural product (sold in specialized departments for animals). It contains the nutrients needed by the cubs. It is important to purchase such a product in advance, regardless of the condition of the cat during pregnancy.
- 2. If there is no substitute for cat's milk, you can make your own formula for feeding kittens.
A kitten appeared in the house - what and how to feed it?
Mixing
Cat milk is a very high-calorie product with a high content of fats and proteins. It is impossible to replace it with cow's: the reason is not only a lack of protein, but also lactose - in the body of kittens there is no enzyme for digesting cow's milk and its consumption can cause diarrhea.
Approximate feeding rations:
- 1. Condensed milk, water, full-fat yogurt (1:1:1), egg yolk: mix, warm slightly.
- 2. Beat egg white into boiled goat milk, add honey.
- 3. Goat milk, sugar and vegetable oil (half a teaspoon).
- 4. Prepare any lactose-free infant formula, make it thicker than for children.
How to feed kittens?
You need to take the kitten in your hand and "plant" (give a vertical position). Then gently press the cheekbones with your thumb and forefinger - the baby will open his mouth. The mixture is infused in small doses at a 45° angle using a plastic pipette, a special bottle with a nipple, or an insulin syringe without a needle.
Insufficient milk production in a cat is becoming a problem for many owners and breeders. At risk are cats with a large number of kittens, animals after a difficult birth or illness. Let's talk about what to do so that the cat has milk.
How do you know if there is not enough milk?
The owners do not always notice that the kittens do not have enough food: they seem to be with their mother, they seem to be sucking milk, which means that everything should be in order. But things don't always work out perfectly.
If the kittens constantly suck and worry near the mother, they squeak, and the cat's nipples are reddened - most likely, very little milk is produced, and the crumbs cannot get enough.
There is also such a situation: there are many offspring, the strongest kittens push back the weak ones, drinking all the milk, as a result, 1 or several stunted, thin kittens are found in the litter.
When there is enough milk for everyone, kittens suck it quietly and sleep a lot, not showing excessive activity in the first days of life. They can squeak during the toilet, when their mother licks them.
Regular weighing will help determine how well babies are gaining. You can read about this in our article “How to care for newborn kittens with a cat? ". If you feel like you're not getting enough milk and you're not sure if your cat can produce enough milk, try lactating.
How to increase the volume of milk in a cat
Milk production is a complex and energy-intensive process. Sometimes the body needs help in order to fully establish lactation. There are many lactogenic teas available for women, but what about cats? What to give a cat to make milk?
In fact, the recipe is simple: the animal must receive enough nutrients and water. On the Internet you can find a huge number of recipes based on cream, crushed nuts, raw eggs and other various products. But let's not experiment with the nutrition of the animal: in this state, the cat lacked only an eating disorder or an allergy.
Here are some tricks that might help
- Feed your cat the same food as before giving birth, because during pregnancy she received a diet of increased nutrition (usually these are kitten rulers).
- If the animal is picky, add high-quality canned food to the diet (if the cat eats ready-made food) or more meat and dairy products (if the animal is natural-fed).
- Do not forget about vitamin and mineral top dressing. Vitamins and calcium are especially important for a young mother now.
- Encourage fluid intake. This is one of the most important rules on how to increase the amount of milk in a cat. Several voluminous bowls of clean water, placed in different places, will attract the attention of the cat.
- Give the animal peace and the opportunity to hide from you when she wants.
- If the cat leaves the kittens, try to lay it down and apply the babies so that they cling - perhaps this will spur the cat's maternal instinct and normalize the level of hormones (including such prolactin and oxytocin that we need).
If nothing helps, and the animal has a poor appetite, then you should consult a veterinarian: sometimes injections of vitamins, glucose and oxytocin are required - these remedies give a great chance of success, but they also have contraindications.
To understand whether a cat has milk, it is enough to watch the kittens, which will be calm until they are full. In some cases, when the kittens are too weak, they may not squeak. How can you tell if a cat is lactating?
On average, the period is 65 days. Lactation can begin a few days before or directly in the attempts. For the first few days, the cat feeds the offspring with colostrum, which differs in color and structure from milk.
Colostrum is a concentrate of fats, proteins, vitamins and antibodies. When kittens are born their intestines are sterile. Colostrum contains a high concentration of beneficial bacteria that colonize the intestines and help kittens digest milk. The color of colostrum can vary from cream to yellowish.
How to tell if a cat has milk
To determine if a cat has begun lactation, it is necessary to examine its mammary glands. Usually, a few weeks before giving birth, the mammary glands increase significantly, become hot and bright pink. If the gland is gently massaged with two fingers, a few drops of colostrum will come out of it - this is the norm.
The process of lactation starts at a certain hormonal level. From the moment of conception to birth, the concentration of the hormone oxytocin is constantly pumped in the cat's body. At a critical concentration, lactation begins in a cat, and contractions begin within 2–3 days.
Important! After birth, healthy kittens look active and squeak loudly. Once the mother has licked the kitten, cleared its path of amniotic fluid, and removed the bladder, the baby should receive colostrum.
To stimulate the kitten to suck, the cat pushes it with its nose to the nipples. When a kitten sucks milk, additional hormones (including oxytocin) are released into the cat's bloodstream, which partially relieve pain and stimulate the next contractions.
As soon as the kitten has eaten, he falls asleep and is at rest for the next two hours. If the cat does not have milk, the kittens look restless and squeak loudly. The cat is also worried, lying from one side to the other, trying to calm down and lick the kittens.
If the squeak of babies does not stop within 10-15 minutes. Make sure they are able to grab the nipple. If the kitten sucks on the nipple, but continues to scream, most likely there is no milk.
Even in healthy cats whose pregnancy is proceeding normally, premature pregnancy can begin. Too early and abundant milk production can lead to the development of mastitis.
This disease is determined visually - the mammary glands become red, hard and painful. Against the background of mastitis, the cat's baseline increases. If the kittens have already been born, the cat does not feed them.
What to do if the cat did not receive milk after giving birth?
If you find that the cat does not have milk after giving birth, the kittens must be transferred to artificial feeding. A few days before the birth, it is advisable to buy several packets of milk replacer.
The problem is that cow's and even goat's milk is not entirely suitable for feeding, because it has a high fat content. If you have not been able to buy a cat milk replacer, it is advisable to purchase formula for feeding babies from birth (without additives).
Important! Milk may not be produced due to lack of fluid in the body.
The absence of lactation within 12-24 hours after birth is considered a variant of the norm. In the process of expelling kittens, the cat loses a lot of fluid and blood, which leads to a breakdown and dehydration.
For prevention due to dehydration during childbirth and immediately after their completion, the cat must be constantly offered a warm drink.
Tip: To prevent dehydration, a cat can drink buffer solutions or Ringer's solution.
If the cat looks sickly against the background of the lack of lactation, it is necessary to consult a veterinarian and exclude common postpartum complications:
- lactostasis- the disease occurs in two types: congenital and acquired. With the congenital type, milk is not produced, due to disruption of the brain. Acquired lactostasis can be caused by stress, lack of energy, or other physiological factors. With an acquired type of lactostasis, lactation can be provoked by injecting oxytocin and constantly placing kittens on the nipples.
- Mastitis- an ailment that develops against the background of the inflammatory process of the mammary gland. The most common cause of mastitis is milk stasis, for example, when a cat has a lot of colostrum, but there is only one kitten.
- - a postpartum condition that occurs against the background of a sharp drop in the level of calcium in the blood. Eclampsia is inherited and recurs in every birth. Vivid symptoms of eclampsia are: fever, tremor, indifference to offspring, rapid deterioration.
All three complications, except for congenital lactostasis, are treatable, but it is important not to hesitate and provide the cat with qualified assistance.
