What do I need to know about feeding my nursing cat?
Pregnancy and nursing (lactation) are both very energy-demanding life stages for cats and there are some important considerations to keep in mind. Supporting a nursing cat with nutrition involves first supporting the pregnant cat. Optimal nutrition before and during pregnancy is essential, for several reasons.
- To support conception and a successful pregnancy
- To optimize the number of kittens per litter
- To provide the mother cat with the best chance of delivering her kittens naturally, without intervention
- To ensure the kittens thrive before and after birth
Nursing cats have the greatest energy requirements of any other life stage. It is essential to ensure your cat receives enough calories to meet her own needs, while also supporting the growth of her kittens. The increase in caloric need depends on the week of lactation and the number of kittens: more mouths to feed means an even larger energy requirement. Peak milk production occurs around 3 to 4 weeks of lactation, but the mother cat’s energy requirement peaks at six weeks post-partum.
It can be challenging to meet these high energy requirements because the volume of food required might be too much for your cat to realistically eat. To support your cat during this energy-demanding stage, select a food with a very high energy density so the cat can take in more calories with less volume.
Continue to offer small meals or always leave food available (free choice), so the mother cat can snack and graze continuously. Free-choice feeding has the added advantage of allowing the kittens to sample solid food as soon as they are able (at about three weeks of age).
If you choose to offer "free choice" access to food, ensure you measure the amount offered at the beginning of the day, as well as any top-up amounts added throughout the day. Then measure the amount left over at the end of the day, so you know exactly how much your cat is eating.
Should I change how I feed my cat as she weans her kittens?
As kittens start to wean, the mother’s calorie requirement will begin to decline. Removing kittens for periods of time and reducing your cat’s calorie intake can help to taper off milk production.
- While your cat is still nursing, she can continue to eat a food formulated for gestation and lactation, or an all-life-stages diet.
- Once weaning is complete and your cat is back to her pre-breeding calorie intake, you can start to transition her back to an adult maintenance food or keep her on the all-life-stages diet.
In summary, gestation and lactation are two highly energy demanding life stages and feeding the mother cat appropriately during this time will positively impact her health and the health of her kittens. Your veterinary healthcare team can help create a nutrition plan if you need further guidance.
