weight loss

Question
my cat had it's first litter on the 18 march, she had 3 kittens but 1 sadly died. my cat is losing weight, we have given her worming tablets but she is still not improving, we have separated her from the kittens. and gave her more cat milk. is it a good idea to keep her kids away from her until she gets better? what else can be done for my cat?
thank you for your help.

Answer
Hi Sonia,

Thanks for your question.

Late pregnancy and nursing vastly increase the nutritional needs of cats. Nursing mothers require even more nutrients than growing cats. The first six weeks of pregnancy the mother should not eat more than its usual pre-pregnancy amount. But starting at the sixth week the cats appetite it should begin to increase. Start to put down twenty-five percent more food. I like to switch the mother over to a diet designed for kittens and growing cats at this time but she should do well on any high-quality cat chow that is marketed for all life stages. Because the kittens are pressing against her internal organs the mother may not be able to eat as much at one sitting as before her pregnancy. Feed her several small meals instead of one or two large ones or better still, keep her food out at all times. Be sure plenty of clean water is available at all times. There is no need to give a vitamin or mineral supplement. If the cat begins to loose weight despite being offered the added food, supplement her diet with canned cat food. As pregnancy progresses the expectant mother will eat more and more. Give her all that she desires unless she has a tendency to get fat as some cats do. There is no need for a vitamin supplement if name brand foods are fed.

Make sure you take your cat to the vet immediately to prevent severe illness.
I also suggest you separate the kittens so you and your vet can nurse your cat back to health.

http://cats.about.com/od/kittencare/Kitten_Care_All_Aspects_of_Kitten_Care.htm

Hope this helps,

Ben.

If you need any help with this don't hesitate to ask I want to help you in the best way I can.