Best Foods for Your Nursing Cat

A nursing cat requires high quality nutrition in order to provide the healthiest milk to kittens. Maternal antibodies and nutrition is passed on to kittens in their first 24 hours of life so owners should provide healthy and nutritious foods to nursing cats and in the final stages of pregnancy.

Starting Proper Nutrition Early

Pregnant cats should be eating foods that are high in protein, vitamins and minerals as soon as possible. Keep your cat on premium cat food until the final weeks of pregnancy. During these last three to four weeks, gradually switch over to premium canned kitten food. Start by mixing this new diet with the old food to prevent digestive upsets. A nursing cat should be kept on the kitten food until the kittens are weaned.

Switching Foods After Birth

Your cat will probably not be eating much right after giving birth so it's important that she has the proper nutrients before having her kittens. After a few days, however, she should be more than eager to eat. Keep plenty of her kitten food and fresh water out and feed her at least three times a day. This feeding schedule can be kept up for the first three to four weeks of nursing as long as your cat isn't rapidly gaining weight and becoming obese.

Vitamin supplements can be given to cats during and after pregnancy as long as the right doses are given. Calcium supplements are especially important along with quality food. A lack of calcium, which can be common for nursing cats and in the last weeks of pregnancy, may lead to a fatal disease called eclampsia.

The Best Foods For Nursing Cats

Your cat should be fed quality cat food before giving birth and equally nutritious kitten food in the final stages of pregnancy and first weeks of nursing. Canned cat food is generally considered the better option due to the high carbohydrate levels in dry food. Cat food ingredients should be mainly composed of protein from high quality sources, vitamins and minerals like arginine, and few carbs. Foods labeled 'complete and balanced' are required to follow AAFCO nutrient standards, but still check the labels for proper nutrition levels.

The Importance of Maternal Nutrition

The first milk that a mother produces, known as colostrum, is a major source of nutrition, antibodies *for immunity) and hydration for nursing kittens. Right after giving birth, a nursing cat passes on essential nutrients, protein antibodies, vitamins and electrolytes to kittens on the first day they are born. It is essential that kittens nurse in the first 24 hours after they are born in order to receive these maternal antibodies. Kittens that receive bottle feeding immediately after birth will not get this immunity from their mother to prevent possibly fatal diseases like feline panleukopenia.