Diet for a Breast Feeding Cat

Pregnancy and breast feeding add a strain to the body of any animal, but nursing cats in particular show proclivities to weight and nutrition issues that can prove unhealthy to both the mother and the kittens. Cat owners need to learn how to adjust their pregnant animals diet prior to birth to provide the best outcome for the new family.

Lactation Diet

During pregnancy, mother cats (called queens) need enough food to allow them to increase their body weight by at least 50 percent because as they suckle their newborns, their weight will drop drastically. According to the National Academies of Science, a pregnant or nursing cat needs approximately 600 calories of nutrients daily for every 10 pounds of weight. In the study Nutrient Requirements of Cats and Dogs, the academy states that lactating mothers with two or more kittens need at least twice as many calories as they were eating prior to becoming pregnant.

Many veterinarians will recommend feeding the queen a prescription diet formulated for nursing mothers and kittens. This diet is particularly high in energy-related proteins, fats, calcium and other minerals. Calcium is necessary for the production of milk, while added phosphorus, magnesium, iron, potassium, and sodium prevents anemia and dehydration in both mother and kittens. Lowered carbohydrates stabilize the new mothers glucose level, preventing the onset of post-parturition diabetes.

Cat owners are urged to begin feeding the diet five to six weeks before their cats due date (gestation is approximately 63 days after breeding), allowing the cat time to gain the weight necessary for a healthy pregnancy and birth. Transitioning the new food into the animals diet over a period of seven days will prevent any digestive upset.

The canned version of a prescribed lactation diet not only adds necessary extra water, but each 14.25 ounce can provides the approximate 600 calories needed daily by a 10 pound mother cat, according to Hills Key to Clinical Nutrition. Owners need to adjust the amount of food they offer to their cat depending on the individuals age, breed, temperament, environment and optimum weight. Veterinarians usually suggest that nursing cats be given access to all the food and water they can eat and drink; increasing the number of meals without increasing the amount in the servings typically supplies the appropriate quantity and calories.

Cat owners may need to supplement the nursing mother diet if the food they offer does not supply all of the necessary nutrients. A consultation with their veterinarian should provide enough information to allow them to choose which vitamins and minerals to add.