Mother cat giving nourishment to her kittens?

Question
We found a stray cat that has had her babies under my neighbors old playhouse. She is concerned because the mother is not engourged. She thinks the babies are hungry? How can we tell? The momma cat does not want us near the babies. we have already removed them once to try to get the crusty and gooey stuff from their eyes. Neither of us have the money to take the cats to the vet. Can you help us with any advise on what we should do? Thank you for all your help.

Answer
Hi Gaye.  This is such a hard situation.  If the kittens have just nursed, the mammary area might not be enlarged enough to see because they're empty.  Since you say you have had to remove crust from the kittens' eyes, I'm assuming their eyes are open, which means they are between one and two weeks old at the youngest.  So mama is producing SOME milk.  But as the kittens grow, it may not be enough.  If you're able to feel her belly and there seems to be no milk building up between nursings, then the kittens will soon suffer malnutrition.  You could either opt to take the kittens away and bottle feed them with kitten formula, or leave them a saucer of warm kitten formula (not cow's milk) a few times a day.  Even if the kittens are too little to understand the concept of lapping, the formula might supplement mama's diet enough to help her produce more milk.  A shot of pitocin could stimulate milk production, but that would require a vet visit.

The babies' eyes are another issue that will need intervention.  At this age, they are especially susceptible to infections of the eye.  Any thick white or yellow crustiness or gooiness that you see is indicative that there is a bacterial infection in the eyes, which can cause corneal ulcers and blindess.  The eyelids can actually adhere together and cause deformities, too.  If you can get your hands on a tube of Terramycin eye ointment and apply it to the kittens' eyes 2-3 times daily, this should get rid of the bacteria.  Terramycin is available without a prescription online.  I find it to be least expensive at Amazon.com

You can contact your local shelter and ask if there are any Trap-Neuter-Return organizations in your area, which will help you trap the mother and get her in to be spayed.  They may also be able to help you find a foster home for the family until the kittens can be adopted out, and the mother can be adopted out or returned to your neighbor's property.  Or, check here to see if there's a no-kill shelter that will take the whole clan: http://www.nokillnetwork.org/

A word of warning - conventional shelters kill between 70% and 85% of cats that are turned in to their shelters.  Sick kittens, even those with simple eye infections, could be euthanized to prevent the spread of the germ, or simply because they cannot afford the time or money to treat them for their illness.  So I myself would not involve an organization that uses euthanasia.  I made that mistake once and wish every day I had known the probability that the kitty would be put to sleep.