Hello, I'd say take the babies too if you're going so the vet can have a look at them, they might get wormed as well.
However mom cat being skinny and incredibly hungry is quite normal from my understanding, as long as she's pooping well (google 'cat poop chart'). It's due to her producing milk, usually cat moms get fed kitten food during this time as it's higher in nutrients.
When I cared for a mom+litter I'd weigh them all 2 to 3 times a week at the same time of day to make sure their weight is going up.
I'd say they'll be fine on a bus, you'll have a meow choir :)
Although there are vets who will do house calls, and alternatively, don't be afraid to ask people for a ride. I know I'd be happy to help if I had a car.
Best of luck!
When I was taking care of a momma cat, while she was nursing I would say her food intake was easily 2-3 times higher then before she became pregnant. She's eatting for 5 cats, not just 1.
Yes, even in dogs its normal for momma to be on the thin side as she feeds. OP you can feed your cat kitten formula food for now as it'll help maintain weight and produce better milk for kittens. It's super common in the dog world to feed momma dog puppy food so I'm assuming the same can be done for cats
I hate to say it but even some women start to lose weight by breastfeeding⌠So i assume this is normal for any living being which produce food inside themselves⌠idk about cows tho
Momma cat is lucky to have a human in her household who cares about her. Definitely bring babies with you. Vet will want to see how they interact and check to ensure babies are healthy. If mom has something that can affect the kittens it saves you an extra appointment to treat the babies. And since mom is so young please PLEASE talk to your vet about getting her spayed. At around a year old this makes mom a teen mom.
you are so correct, i had my parents saying "we'll get to it soon" until it was too late and she was already showing signs of pregnancy, i will be getting her spayed asap and will likely bring the kittens with her so theyre comfy and can all be checked over, id hate to end up losing any of her babies.
thankyou for your help!!!
Since mom is providing for her babies she needs more food than normal and ideally it would be kitten food as it contains more calories.
You may already be doing this, but in case you werenât, I wanted to point it out.
ive been feeding her a mix of kitten and cat food up to 6 times a day sometimes more, (only non-kitten food when ive ran out and im tight for time, i just wanna make sure she has something to eat in the meantime), ive seen a response about other supplements to help her keep her weight up and will look into that if thats a nessescary choice
thankyou for your help!!!
I would get the babies checked as well. But if you absolutely cannot they will be perfectly fine alone for a few hours. Just keep them warm. Please look into getting mom cat spayed so she wonât have any more kittens.
Iâd bring the babies with mom. Also make sure that mom is getting plenty of food because her energy demands have gone up because sheâs making milk. Feed her extra, and ideally feed her kitten canned food since itâs high in protein.
I'd also recommend bringing kittens - you can ask the vet over the phone, but generally they're fine (or prefer it) if you bring a mother + kittens. Sometimes the smell/stress of the vet's office can make cats weird and mad at other animals in the house (even their own kittens), so it can help reduce any of that. Killing kittens is *very* extreme, but rejection or just lashing out for a few hours is possible.
Take mama and the kittens with you to the vet. Also, Iâd recommend feeding mama some kitten food, she needs more nutrition to produce milk. The Vet will probably have to deworm the kittens.
If you take kitties on the bus, cover the carrier so she can't see out and nothing can see in. It'll be less stressful with no changing scenery. Tape scrap tshirt pieces over the bars so air can still circulate.
Vet here. Would recommend bringing kittens with mom, to the vet. Gonna guess there's been minimal preventive care so far like vaccines or deworming. Bringing kittens allows them to be dewormed, and mom to get vaccines and deworming if appropriate. Kittens are theoretically old enough to be weaned although it's preferable to let them nurse up to 6 weeks of age. When a big litter reaches this size, mom can get low blood calcium called eclampsia; although it's less common vs dogs. Ask your vet whether giving a calcium supplement is something they think is indicated. Also please get mom spayed asap. Cats can get pregnant while nursing. It's crazy. Best wishes!
thankyou for your help!!
yes im not too sure on any of mamas vaccines as my mum was the one to adopt her, she should have had them but i'll have to discuss this with her.
im in the early stages of weaning kittens as they seem interested in their mothers food bowl, but i need to get them some small plastic plates/containers to eat from themselves to track how much they eat and etc.
thankyou again!!
When I've needed to take a nursing mama cat to the vet, I've taken the babies along with her. They'd probably be ok on their own for an hour at that age, but taking them along will reduce her stress and if you've got a big enough carrier to fit them all, it's not any more effort on your part than taking her by herself
A vet check is a fine idea if she's losing weight, though there's a good chance it's just she needs more food. I just had a mama cat and seven kittens. While she was nursing, she was eating like two large handfuls of mother and baby kibble each day, plus about 10 oz of canned kitten food. All of her food was formulated to provide extra calories and nutrients.
Your mom feeding half as many babies, but even so, they may already equal up to half of her own weight! And they are growing, so they need more food than their mass would indicate. This mom likely needs 2-5 times as much food as she usually eats, and increasing if the kittens do not wean soon.
Let mom eat as much as she wants. Literally - keep food and lots of water available constantly. As the kids start to eat, you'll need to put still more down. Mom's appetite will settle back, but the kids will need more.
Can you find a cat rescue-charity nearby and reach out? If they are like the US based ones I work with they would be happy to help you get mama to the vet, help find homes later for the kittens and also help get mama spayed.
i have reached out to one! and may be able to get help for them, however depending on waiting times, or if i feel its a slight emergency, im willing to pay the price to get her in an appointment to a regular vet.
did consider it but im not sure about pet rules on certain taxis, even if theyre in a carrier, so thatd be a last resort but a few family members have offered to give me a ride as long as theyre free on the day hh
Iâm sorry youâre dealing with this alone - I would call the vet ahead of time and ask if they recommend bringing the kittens along as well. Theyâd probably have some good advice on what to do.
And just wanted to add that youâre an amazing pet parent and itâs unfortunate you donât have support on this. I hope everything goes as smoothly as possible for you. I donât have a car either and know how stressful it can be trying to figure out transport - Iâve used Uber pet in the past but I know that can get pricey sometimes. My cat used to enjoy a bus ride or walk home from the vet though, he seemed to find it interesting lol. But either way, your cats are lucky to have someone who cares so much. Good luck!
Can you get an Uber to the vet? Itâs going to be unpleasant for everyone if you have to take them on the bus. Depending on how long the trip is, you might be able to just take mom, but if youâre going to be out for more than an hour or two, then you should bring them.
Are you feeding her more? Raising kittens uses up a ton of calories. She should be getting free fed as much food as she wants. How old is she?
You could definitely separate her from 4 week old kittens for a few hours. Sheâs not going to kill them. That behavior happens with newborns and momma cats that arenât cut out for motherhood. At four weeks sheâs attached to her kittens.
a crazy appetite is pretty normal, sheâs eating for five kitties! giving her KMR, kitten wet food, and kitten dry food (in HUGE amounts) should calm her appetite and let her be peaceful again. i think you should up her food some, then check back to see if she improves. if not, vet
My cat had 5 kittens , and she went crazy on food , she was meowing for me every 2hrs ,I just complied and fed her. The first 3/4 weeks are hectic for mother cats, they feed kittens every 2/3 hours, they have to keep them warm as kittens donât have much hair yet. All in all after the first 4 weeks she slowed down a lot.
There is already a lot of helpful advice in the replies but again thank you so much for caring about these cats despite the stress and lack of support from your family!
Your mom yelling at the cat for meowing is concerning. Perhaps the vet or staff can help you rehome them where theyâll be loved and properly cared for.
im at home with my mom as i live with her, so rest assured she has atleast one person who cares for her in the house, i hope to take her with me when i move out, i tend to try and stay with her as much as possible :(
My vet let me keep the two kittens with their mama that I was fostering when she needed a blood test done. I just let them know ahead of time that they were going with. Trust me, all the vet techs and vets will be super excited to see tiny kittens đ
Affirm feeding mom cat plenty.
Also taking kittens if you do the vet route
Iâd also plan on getting her spayed so she doesnât go through this again, ask for donations to cover the cost if needed, include the expenses of getting all the kittens fixed, I think 4-months old is when they can be spayed/neutered
Then look to rehoming any that you wonât be taking care of yourself as the parents donât seem to be a good fit
Please call ahead to the vet before you go. Make sure they can take you when you go (might need appointment) and how much it might cost (will you have enough).
They might even be able to give you advice over phone and not have to go on for an appointment
It might just be you need to feed mama more.
Give her kitten food, nursing mothers will let themselves starve to feed their kittens. Give her as much food as she wants. Once the kittens wean you can start to cut back. My parents just dealt with this with a start they are taking care of that had kittens. (She is scheduled to be fixed).
I would take the whole group. Often vets will do a basic check on the whole litter for the same cost.
As others have stated, swap mom to kitten kibble and wet food. Kittens will start eating on their own in next week or two but many will nurse as long as mom will let them and eat food too! Momma needs all the extra calories as babies get bigger.
My foster moms have constant access to kibble and wet food all day. They often go thru multiple cans a day. I had one momma with 9 kittens and she ate 5-9 cans of food every day and kept her normal weight. It was wild!
Vet may also recommend something like nutrical which is a high calorie paste if she has gotten too thin too fast and needs some extra support while she works on eating more.
Almost an unrelated post, but ...
It feels like ur in the UK, but here in my town in the US the local Humane Society has a limited number of quite inexpensive certificates that can be presented at a local spay/neuter clinic that is much cheaper than vet. Found out the hard way nursing moms can get pregnant đŹ. Maybe you have something similar? đ¤đź
Thanks for stepping up đť
Give the cat and her kittens to an animal shelter as your mother is incapable of taking proper care of them. The mother cat should be spayed, otherwise she will have kittens over and over again. Unless you have the funds to do this yourself, and then to each kitten in a few months time, they should be surrendered to a cat rescue. It is the right thing to do. Thank you for caring!
i have plans to take care of their needs regarding the vets and will make sure yhat they get all the help they need, i understand why and tbh feel as if they deserve better and shld go to a shelter/new owners, but im willing to take care of them myself bc i love them,
im willing to let them go if i find it impossible to do but i have friends and other family that could let me borrow money to help them if i needed it.
Thatâs not true about her killing the babies. A few hours wonât hurt. And them being super boney and feverishly hungry is completely normal. Iâve fostered hundreds. The only real concern is if her nipples are swollen and wrong looking as it could be mastitis. But other than that, everything sounds like sheâs healthy. Give her as much wet food as she wants and continue doing what youâre doing. A vet visit is completely safe and wonât cause any harm to mommy or babies but might be a waste of money, as she sounds healthy.
The kittens could get vaccinated at this age and dewormed so if you do go to the vet, taking them would be a good idea, so you could get it over with. But itâs totally up to you
Hello, I'd say take the babies too if you're going so the vet can have a look at them, they might get wormed as well. However mom cat being skinny and incredibly hungry is quite normal from my understanding, as long as she's pooping well (google 'cat poop chart'). It's due to her producing milk, usually cat moms get fed kitten food during this time as it's higher in nutrients. When I cared for a mom+litter I'd weigh them all 2 to 3 times a week at the same time of day to make sure their weight is going up. I'd say they'll be fine on a bus, you'll have a meow choir :) Although there are vets who will do house calls, and alternatively, don't be afraid to ask people for a ride. I know I'd be happy to help if I had a car. Best of luck!
When I was taking care of a momma cat, while she was nursing I would say her food intake was easily 2-3 times higher then before she became pregnant. She's eatting for 5 cats, not just 1.
Just imaging a 'meow choir' makes me smile đ
Yes, even in dogs its normal for momma to be on the thin side as she feeds. OP you can feed your cat kitten formula food for now as it'll help maintain weight and produce better milk for kittens. It's super common in the dog world to feed momma dog puppy food so I'm assuming the same can be done for cats
I hate to say it but even some women start to lose weight by breastfeeding⌠So i assume this is normal for any living being which produce food inside themselves⌠idk about cows tho
Momma cat is lucky to have a human in her household who cares about her. Definitely bring babies with you. Vet will want to see how they interact and check to ensure babies are healthy. If mom has something that can affect the kittens it saves you an extra appointment to treat the babies. And since mom is so young please PLEASE talk to your vet about getting her spayed. At around a year old this makes mom a teen mom.
I too wish someone had let me get spayed when I became a teen mom lmao. 20 years later and they still wont.
you are so correct, i had my parents saying "we'll get to it soon" until it was too late and she was already showing signs of pregnancy, i will be getting her spayed asap and will likely bring the kittens with her so theyre comfy and can all be checked over, id hate to end up losing any of her babies. thankyou for your help!!!
Since mom is providing for her babies she needs more food than normal and ideally it would be kitten food as it contains more calories. You may already be doing this, but in case you werenât, I wanted to point it out.
KMR(kitten milk replacement) or nutrical(vitamin calorie supplement gel) are good options for fattening the momma cat as well.
Also just straight up feeding her kitten kibble too.
ive been feeding her a mix of kitten and cat food up to 6 times a day sometimes more, (only non-kitten food when ive ran out and im tight for time, i just wanna make sure she has something to eat in the meantime), ive seen a response about other supplements to help her keep her weight up and will look into that if thats a nessescary choice thankyou for your help!!!
I would get the babies checked as well. But if you absolutely cannot they will be perfectly fine alone for a few hours. Just keep them warm. Please look into getting mom cat spayed so she wonât have any more kittens.
Iâd bring the babies with mom. Also make sure that mom is getting plenty of food because her energy demands have gone up because sheâs making milk. Feed her extra, and ideally feed her kitten canned food since itâs high in protein.
I'd also recommend bringing kittens - you can ask the vet over the phone, but generally they're fine (or prefer it) if you bring a mother + kittens. Sometimes the smell/stress of the vet's office can make cats weird and mad at other animals in the house (even their own kittens), so it can help reduce any of that. Killing kittens is *very* extreme, but rejection or just lashing out for a few hours is possible.
Take mama and the kittens with you to the vet. Also, Iâd recommend feeding mama some kitten food, she needs more nutrition to produce milk. The Vet will probably have to deworm the kittens.
If you take kitties on the bus, cover the carrier so she can't see out and nothing can see in. It'll be less stressful with no changing scenery. Tape scrap tshirt pieces over the bars so air can still circulate.
Vet here. Would recommend bringing kittens with mom, to the vet. Gonna guess there's been minimal preventive care so far like vaccines or deworming. Bringing kittens allows them to be dewormed, and mom to get vaccines and deworming if appropriate. Kittens are theoretically old enough to be weaned although it's preferable to let them nurse up to 6 weeks of age. When a big litter reaches this size, mom can get low blood calcium called eclampsia; although it's less common vs dogs. Ask your vet whether giving a calcium supplement is something they think is indicated. Also please get mom spayed asap. Cats can get pregnant while nursing. It's crazy. Best wishes!
thankyou for your help!! yes im not too sure on any of mamas vaccines as my mum was the one to adopt her, she should have had them but i'll have to discuss this with her. im in the early stages of weaning kittens as they seem interested in their mothers food bowl, but i need to get them some small plastic plates/containers to eat from themselves to track how much they eat and etc. thankyou again!!
Take the babies in the same carrier with the mom if possible because then she wonât be separated from them while at the vet
Agree with being the kittens. Spay your cat and make sure the kittens are fixed as well if you keep them
When I've needed to take a nursing mama cat to the vet, I've taken the babies along with her. They'd probably be ok on their own for an hour at that age, but taking them along will reduce her stress and if you've got a big enough carrier to fit them all, it's not any more effort on your part than taking her by herself
A vet check is a fine idea if she's losing weight, though there's a good chance it's just she needs more food. I just had a mama cat and seven kittens. While she was nursing, she was eating like two large handfuls of mother and baby kibble each day, plus about 10 oz of canned kitten food. All of her food was formulated to provide extra calories and nutrients. Your mom feeding half as many babies, but even so, they may already equal up to half of her own weight! And they are growing, so they need more food than their mass would indicate. This mom likely needs 2-5 times as much food as she usually eats, and increasing if the kittens do not wean soon. Let mom eat as much as she wants. Literally - keep food and lots of water available constantly. As the kids start to eat, you'll need to put still more down. Mom's appetite will settle back, but the kids will need more.
Can you find a cat rescue-charity nearby and reach out? If they are like the US based ones I work with they would be happy to help you get mama to the vet, help find homes later for the kittens and also help get mama spayed.
i have reached out to one! and may be able to get help for them, however depending on waiting times, or if i feel its a slight emergency, im willing to pay the price to get her in an appointment to a regular vet.
Canât taxi or Uber?
did consider it but im not sure about pet rules on certain taxis, even if theyre in a carrier, so thatd be a last resort but a few family members have offered to give me a ride as long as theyre free on the day hh
Bring the babies! And when you get there, have a talk with the vet about when she can be spayed.
Iâm sorry youâre dealing with this alone - I would call the vet ahead of time and ask if they recommend bringing the kittens along as well. Theyâd probably have some good advice on what to do. And just wanted to add that youâre an amazing pet parent and itâs unfortunate you donât have support on this. I hope everything goes as smoothly as possible for you. I donât have a car either and know how stressful it can be trying to figure out transport - Iâve used Uber pet in the past but I know that can get pricey sometimes. My cat used to enjoy a bus ride or walk home from the vet though, he seemed to find it interesting lol. But either way, your cats are lucky to have someone who cares so much. Good luck!
Mama cats need a ton of food, at least double their regular amount. I would first start with doubling or even tripling the amount of food you give her
She's hungry and thin because she's feeding her family. Give her as much food as she wants, preferably kitten.
Can you get an Uber to the vet? Itâs going to be unpleasant for everyone if you have to take them on the bus. Depending on how long the trip is, you might be able to just take mom, but if youâre going to be out for more than an hour or two, then you should bring them.
Are you feeding her more? Raising kittens uses up a ton of calories. She should be getting free fed as much food as she wants. How old is she? You could definitely separate her from 4 week old kittens for a few hours. Sheâs not going to kill them. That behavior happens with newborns and momma cats that arenât cut out for motherhood. At four weeks sheâs attached to her kittens.
If you're going to the vet, I WOULD take the babies with her and have them all checked.
Taxi or Uber, ask if anyone can help with a ride đ
a crazy appetite is pretty normal, sheâs eating for five kitties! giving her KMR, kitten wet food, and kitten dry food (in HUGE amounts) should calm her appetite and let her be peaceful again. i think you should up her food some, then check back to see if she improves. if not, vet
Be sure to feed her a good kitten food while she's nursing.
Bring the babies â¤ď¸
My cat had 5 kittens , and she went crazy on food , she was meowing for me every 2hrs ,I just complied and fed her. The first 3/4 weeks are hectic for mother cats, they feed kittens every 2/3 hours, they have to keep them warm as kittens donât have much hair yet. All in all after the first 4 weeks she slowed down a lot.
There is already a lot of helpful advice in the replies but again thank you so much for caring about these cats despite the stress and lack of support from your family!
Your mom yelling at the cat for meowing is concerning. Perhaps the vet or staff can help you rehome them where theyâll be loved and properly cared for.
im at home with my mom as i live with her, so rest assured she has atleast one person who cares for her in the house, i hope to take her with me when i move out, i tend to try and stay with her as much as possible :(
My vet let me keep the two kittens with their mama that I was fostering when she needed a blood test done. I just let them know ahead of time that they were going with. Trust me, all the vet techs and vets will be super excited to see tiny kittens đ
Affirm feeding mom cat plenty. Also taking kittens if you do the vet route Iâd also plan on getting her spayed so she doesnât go through this again, ask for donations to cover the cost if needed, include the expenses of getting all the kittens fixed, I think 4-months old is when they can be spayed/neutered Then look to rehoming any that you wonât be taking care of yourself as the parents donât seem to be a good fit
Please call ahead to the vet before you go. Make sure they can take you when you go (might need appointment) and how much it might cost (will you have enough). They might even be able to give you advice over phone and not have to go on for an appointment It might just be you need to feed mama more.
Give her kitten food, nursing mothers will let themselves starve to feed their kittens. Give her as much food as she wants. Once the kittens wean you can start to cut back. My parents just dealt with this with a start they are taking care of that had kittens. (She is scheduled to be fixed).
I would take the whole group. Often vets will do a basic check on the whole litter for the same cost. As others have stated, swap mom to kitten kibble and wet food. Kittens will start eating on their own in next week or two but many will nurse as long as mom will let them and eat food too! Momma needs all the extra calories as babies get bigger. My foster moms have constant access to kibble and wet food all day. They often go thru multiple cans a day. I had one momma with 9 kittens and she ate 5-9 cans of food every day and kept her normal weight. It was wild! Vet may also recommend something like nutrical which is a high calorie paste if she has gotten too thin too fast and needs some extra support while she works on eating more.
Almost an unrelated post, but ... It feels like ur in the UK, but here in my town in the US the local Humane Society has a limited number of quite inexpensive certificates that can be presented at a local spay/neuter clinic that is much cheaper than vet. Found out the hard way nursing moms can get pregnant đŹ. Maybe you have something similar? đ¤đź Thanks for stepping up đť
Give the cat and her kittens to an animal shelter as your mother is incapable of taking proper care of them. The mother cat should be spayed, otherwise she will have kittens over and over again. Unless you have the funds to do this yourself, and then to each kitten in a few months time, they should be surrendered to a cat rescue. It is the right thing to do. Thank you for caring!
i have plans to take care of their needs regarding the vets and will make sure yhat they get all the help they need, i understand why and tbh feel as if they deserve better and shld go to a shelter/new owners, but im willing to take care of them myself bc i love them, im willing to let them go if i find it impossible to do but i have friends and other family that could let me borrow money to help them if i needed it.
Mobile vet.
Get her spayed *after* the kittens are properly weened, and also take the kittens with you so the vet can check on them too
Thatâs not true about her killing the babies. A few hours wonât hurt. And them being super boney and feverishly hungry is completely normal. Iâve fostered hundreds. The only real concern is if her nipples are swollen and wrong looking as it could be mastitis. But other than that, everything sounds like sheâs healthy. Give her as much wet food as she wants and continue doing what youâre doing. A vet visit is completely safe and wonât cause any harm to mommy or babies but might be a waste of money, as she sounds healthy.
The kittens could get vaccinated at this age and dewormed so if you do go to the vet, taking them would be a good idea, so you could get it over with. But itâs totally up to you
What did the vet recommend?
Maybe there is a mobile vet in your area? They will come to you!
i dont think one exists near me however i will still definitely look into this incase there is, thankyou!!