mama cat nursing

Question
Hi  I am fostering mama cats & kittens for the local humane society.  I have a mama & 4 kittens 6 weeks old.  they are eating & still occasionally nurse.  I have another 3 kittens approx. 2 weeks old that are here with a surrogate mom.  She quit taking care of them so I brought the kittens to my other mom who will nurse them.  Is this too much for her & what can I do to supplement her so she can take care of all the kittens.  thank you for your help

Answer
Patti,

I would remove the 6 week olds as they should be weaned anyway.  I would put the 2 week olds on her and supplement her diet with powdered bone meal (for the calcium).  Remember, when supplementing with calcium, it is important to keep the phosphorous levels correct which is why bone meal is so good. A good kitty vitamin like Kitty Bloom would also be a good idea!  Do not give her cows milk. If you want to use a milk supplement, goats milk is better.

Neither of these litters is large enough to really stress the mama, but the 2 week olds will have trouble coping with the more active 6 week old kittens.  This is another reason to remove the 6 week olds.

Make sure mama is getting all she wants to eat.

best regards... Norm.