Cat Food During Motherhood And The Kittens

Motherhood – The first sign of a cat’s pregnancy will probably not be a noticeable increase in abdominal size but a demand for more food. If the queen is in good condition at the time of mating, she should not need extra food until about the last third of the pregnancy, which is seven to nine weeks.

By this time, the fetuses will be growing in the womb and space is at a premium, so the cat needs frequent small means, up to four times daily. The total quantity should only be increased by about one third. Top quality, nourishing food of low bulk is of special importance at this time.

Nursing – To maintain the amount of milk needed for her kittens, a nursing queen will certainly at least double her normal food intake. Food should be of high quality and low bulk, in other words, as much energy and nutrients packed into as small a volume as possible.

These requirements are most easily met by some of the special high energy diets specially devised for nursing queens. Alternatively, kitten food can be used.

The Kittens – Kittens suckle from their mother exclusively for the first three or four weeks of their lives. As they become more aware of their surroundings they may start to nibble at their mother’s food, a sure sign they are ready for weaning.

The queen will happily continue to nurse her litter to some extent well into their third month of life. However, by the time they are about eight weeks old, the greater part of the kittens’ diet will usually be provided by the owner.

There is a fine line between allowing the kittens to gorge themselves, which may cause digestive problems, and giving them enough to maintain healthy growth.

The weaning process should be gradual, and the kittens fed little and often, with small quantities of high protein food well chopped so as to be easily consumable. The easiest method of weaning is to use one of the readily available, well established kitten foods, either in the dry or canned version.

During the actual weaning process, canned foods are probably preferable, as the kittens may be attracted by the meaty smell. However, the dry foods are just as nutritious and have proven success.

Do plan feeding times carefully so that mother and kittens may eat extra meals in peace, away from other animals or disturbance in the household.