I have a lactating female that gave birth to 6 kittens not eating?

Question

and she is not eating. I have her in a bedroom with a crate and soft flannel sheets in it. She has obviously a lot of fleas judging from the flea dirt. At what point do I get worried and take her to the vet. She has open access to kitten food and water constantly and a very quiet environmenet. The kittens are not crying but I cannot see that she is eating very much at all. She is spotting a little too. Could this be anemia?

Answer 1

for the first two weeks, mom lays with the kittens for about 23 hours a day. the kittens need mom to stay warm, protection, baths, go to the bathroom and of course, milk.

she does not get much time to eat.

if the kittens are not screaming, they are well fed, if they are well fed, mom is ok. a sick starving mom will not produce milk. she will usually abandon the kittens and save herself.

the fleas are a big problem. check with a vet to see if you can use any flea treatments, and change the bedding daily. wash it or throw it away.

the fleas live in the bedding.

edit - the vet will tell you if fleas are a problem and recommend a flea treatment, if there is one for for a nursing mom. do not use frontline until the vet ok's it.

also, ask vet if he thinks mom needs help nursing, you can easily help by buying a bottle and formula at stores like walmart.

vet has to show you how to bottle feed. if you feed like a human, on its back in your arms, you will drown it.

how often you feed is up to the vet, but you could easily bottle feed while they are nursing, one at a time, that would reduce the amount of milk mom had to produce.

the only disadvantage is, it will stress mom, she wil not like you handling them. so it should only be done if the vet feels the kittens are not getting enough milk from mom.

Answer 2

Glad to hear you are taking it to the vet, oh my goodness. Thanks for caring for her and the kittens. make sure you use a cat carrier so she don't get frightened and run off if she gets away from you. Cover the carrier with a sheet so she cannot see the cars and keep windows up and air contition on and no radio on. Ok? I had allot of expierence with this. Good Luck!

Answer 3

don't worry your cat might not want to eat as soon as she has had kittens mine didn't she had a litter of 5 it if she doesn't eat for more then 2 days then take her to the vet but make sure you give her plenty of drink that might be why she isn't eating because she is dehydrated so give her either milk or water whatever she is used to because she will need it after feeding her kittens and giving birth or one last exception is that she doesn't want to leave her kittens (just being a good mum) have you tried putting it close to them

Answer 4

frank  is right give her some can food  thay like it  get some flea powder

ask your vet for a safe one  

Answer 5

yeah it could be fleas because my dad's friend has a cat who had kittens alot and they have fleas alot.or if there too skinny they might not be hungry too much so try to take them to a vet

Answer 6

What kind of spotting is she doing? This could be SERIOUS, very very serious. I had recently lost a cat (august 10th) she had 5 kittens, and a few days after birth she got sick, she was panting, raised tempature, losing weight, and was spotting yellow stuff.... she passed away, because it was fatal and we got help too late because she wasn't complaining. It could be "eclampsia" which is what a vet may refer to as "Milk Fever", very serious. It's when the mom doesn't get enoguh calcium in her blood, it all goes to the milk. Keep the mom away from her babies until you can get her into the vet, and do that VERY soon. eclampsia can kill her if not caught in time. Because 6 kittens is a big litter. Check her temp, by feeling her ears and her paws, if they are hot then put her near a fan. Keep a CLOSE eye on her, feel her ears and paws periodically to see if it goes up or down. I hope your cat is ok, really.... just comb her with a flea comb to eliminate the fleas. But get her to the vet ASAP, as soon as it opens in the morning, this could be serious.. if not, its better safe than sorry right? GOOD LUCK!!!

We have to feed our five kittens with a bottle and potty them ourselves! A lot of work, but thye are doing fine :)!

OH AND ANOTHER THING. A MOTHER WITH ECLAMPSIA MAY STILL TRY TO FEED HER BABIES, MY CAT TRIED, DO NOT LET HER.. IT WILL MAKE HER WORSE IF SHE HAS THAT. MAKE SURE  YOU KEEP THE KITTENS WARM WHILE SHES SICK, PUT A HEATING PAD UNDER MAYBE A BATHROOM TOWEL, KEEP IT ON LOW, AND MAKE SURE THEY HAVE ROOM TO CRAWL OFF THE HEATING PAD IF THEY GET TOO HOT. MAKE SURE ITS COVERED AND NOT DIRECTLY ON THEM. THEY SHOULD NOT SHIVER WITH IN THE FIRST 7 TO 10DAYS OF LIFE.

Answer 7

Yes, it is anemia. The fleas are sucking the life out of her.  Given she is infested with fleas the kittens are also infested.  Fleas are not just a nuisance they are a serious health threat to your animals and your environment. POOR BABIES. Take mom an kittens to the vet.

Answer 8

hi!

Yes she needs the vet.

I imagine they will give youa f rontline spray for her & the babies which will do the job- prescription only product for babies that age- then you will need to feed the kittens yourself-vet will give you milk etc- to help out while momma gets her strength back. good luck!