How to Care for Nursing Cats and Their Kittens

• Feed the mother cat about 600-800 calories of kitten food each day as she nurses to help her maintain her weight and feed her kittens.
• Set up a birthing box in a dark, quiet room for the mother and her kittens. Give them a shallow dish of water, flat blankets, and a separate litter box.
• Bring the mother and her kittens to the vet once they’re 3 weeks old to get them vital medications like flea and heartworm vaccinations.

Feeding Mom & Her Kittens

Feed a pregnant cat enough to increase her weight. Mother cats typically lose weight while nursing their kittens, so they need to bulk up in the days before giving birth. Care for your pregnant cat by feeding her about 600 calories a day if she weighs 10 lb (4.5 kg). Pregnant cats that are 15–20 lb (6.8–9.1 kg) need about 800-1,000 calories a day. A mother cat's body weight may have increased by 40 to 50% by the end of her pregnancy. Feeding her too much before the last third of a cat's pregnancy can lead to her becoming overweight and that can make giving birth more difficult, so be sure to give her only the recommended amount.

Feed new mother cats larger portions of kitten food. After your cat gives birth, continue to feed her more than she typically eats, like you did when she was pregnant. She will need more calories since she is now providing energy to her kittens by nursing them. It’s best to give her kitten food, which is high in the calories, protein, and fat she needs to pass on to her young. If your cat is nursing more than 2 kittens, give her 2 to 2.5 times more calories than usual. A 10-pound cat nursing 4 kittens needs approximately 603 calories per day. A 15-pound cat nursing 4 kittens needs approximately 851 calories per day. If the kittens are especially noisy or mobile, it may be a sign that the mother is not getting enough protein. Switch the mother to a more protein-heavy cat food. To ensure the quality of your cat food and guarantee that your cat is getting proper nutrition, look for a food that’s been certified by the Association of American Feed Control Officials.

Give your cat free access to food and water. Giving your cat the opportunity to graze at will can be the easiest way of ensuring that she gets adequate nutrition. Leave her food and water dishes outside the birthing box, but full and freely available at all times. Wet food is best, since it’s often easier to digest and helps her get her daily recommended amount of water. If your cat is used to dry food, or if the wet food spoils too quickly, let her have free access to dry food as well, but add 1 US tbsp (15 mL) of water to help her digest it.

Wean the kittens off their mother’s milk when they’re able to walk. Most kittens will nurse for an average of 8 weeks. However, start introducing solid food at about 4 weeks, or when they’re mobile and their eyes are open. Keep 3 dishes full and available in the birthing box: one with “gruel,” one with dry kibble, and one with water. To make kitten gruel, mix equal parts dry kitten food with kitten milk replacer until it has the consistency of oatmeal. Keep an eye on the mother’s belly. If her teats appear swollen, red, bruised, or inflamed, she may have a mammary infection. In this case, bring her to a vet immediately to have her checked.

Use a milk replacement if the kittens are undernourished. If the kittens look or feel unusually thin, or are very vocal, it may be a sign that their mother is having trouble producing milk, or that they just aren’t getting enough. Commercial cat milk replacements are available, however, and can be fed to kittens using a bottle, dropper, or other method. Talk to your veterinarian if you are concerned about the kittens’ nutrition and for milk replacement recommendations if necessary. Generally, a kitten that’s being fed solely on milk replacer needs to be fed every 3-4 hours until they’re 2 weeks old, at which point they need to be fed every 6-8 hours. Follow the instructions on the milk replacer packaging to properly mix it, and for proper feeding amounts and methods, since each product is different. Typically, you'll administer the milk replacer with a syringe.

Providing a Comfortable Environment

Give your cat a dark space in an isolated room. A mother cat needs a place to set up a nest for her kittens, and will probably start looking for one while still pregnant. Offer her a spare bedroom, an unused closet, or a carrier—as long as it’s tucked away in a quiet corner. If the space is large, place a roomy cardboard box in it, and line the box with puppy pads or old blankets topped with newspaper to contain the mess. Make sure the sides of the box are about 8–12 in (20–30 cm) high—enough to keep the kittens inside, but low enough for the mother to come and go. The most important thing is that the space is quiet, safe, and free from disruptions or dangers (other pets, traffic, etc.). Don’t attempt to bring a mother and her kittens inside if the mother is feral or has already nested outside, which can cause dangerous amounts of stress to the cats.

Change the cat’s bedding daily. After the cat has its kittens, change the bedding regularly to keep it clean, warm, and dry. You will likely need to change it daily at first, but in general, do it as often as necessary to keep the nest tidy and hygienic. Make sure the blankets are relatively flat and not too plush to avoid smothering the kittens. Lay several layers of towels down at a time. Remove a wet or dirty one to reveal a new, clean layer beneath it. This will make the process faster and easier. Also, keep a low-sided litter box in an accessible area that’s near but separate from the birthing box.

Let the mother move the kittens around. In the wild, mother cats may move their kittens around frequently as a way to protect them from predators. Don’t be alarmed if your cat wants to pick her kittens up and move them to a different location, as long as it is a safe one. Give her an alternate birthing box for her to switch to if she seems restless. Also, expect your cat to act a bit different around you while she rears her kittens. She may become distant, moody, or protective. That’s normal! Give her some space—she’ll most likely return to her usual self soon enough.

Socialize the kittens when they’re 3-4 weeks old. At this point, the kittens are old enough and sturdy enough for you to touch and handle them. Your cat will be very protective of her kittens at first, so only interact with them as much as she allows you to. Handling the kittens will get them more used to humans, and help with transitioning them away from their mother. Also, introduce kitten-friendly toys to the box to help the kittens explore and learn to interact with their surroundings. If possible, keep the kittens together until they’re fully grown, or are around 7 weeks old. This helps them learn to socialize with other cats.

Caring for Your Cats’ Health

Monitor the kittens' growth every day. Kittens are prone to a number of diseases and conditions, like “fading kitten” disorder (sudden decline in health), malnourishment, or neglect from their mother. To avoid these, weigh each kitten on a scale each day to make sure they double their birth weight within the first 10 days. Also, keep a close eye on each kitten and look for signs of poor health like very little movement, excessively crusty eyes, diarrhea, excessive crying, or visible wounds. Kittens are considered newborn when they’re under 2 weeks old. At this point, they’re heavily reliant on their mother for warmth, food, and mobility. At 2-7 weeks, kittens’ senses fully develop and they’re fully mobile, relying less on their mother. They also begin to wean, groom, and socialize. At 6-8 months old, kittens become fully-fledged cats, and it’s time to spay or neuter them.

Monitor the mother cat for nursing complications. Cat moms are also prone to a number of health complications shortly after giving birth. Each day, check the mother cat for bleeding from the vagina, a prolapsed uterus, lack of appetite or vomiting, or clumsy movement. If she displays any of these signs, bring her to a vet immediately to have her examined. Also, the mother may neglect to help their kitten pass waste for a number of reasons, in which case you’ll need to gently rub the kitten’s lower belly, genitals, and rectum with a warm, damp cotton ball until they pass waste.

Examine the kittens for fleas daily. Kittens infested with fleas are at risk of flea anemia. Once they’re 3-4 weeks old, gently part their fur to look for fleas. However, typical flea treatments are not intended for young kittens. Treat the mother for ticks with over-the-counter medication, but bring any kittens with fleas to your veterinarian immediately for the best care. If you do see fleas on the kittens, give them a bath in a solution of mild, non-antibacterial dishwashing liquid and warm water. Remove the fleas using a flea comb. Dry the kittens well after the bath.

Deworm the cat and kittens at 3 weeks old. Hookworms, roundworms, and tapeworms can be a problem for some cats and kittens. Once the kittens are 3-6 weeks old, consult your vet about the best methods and schedules for preventing worms and deworming your cats, if necessary.

Bring the mother and kittens to the vet to check for diseases. Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) are diseases that can affect a variety of cats. One way that these diseases can be spread is by a mother transmitting them to her kittens via her milk. Bring the kittens to a vet at about 1-2 weeks of age for an inspection, and for treatment if necessary. Testing the mother for FeLV and FIV beforehand can indicate how likely the kittens are to contract these diseases.