# Thin and Young Mum to Be



## Flossiemum (Jul 16, 2010)

Hi, I have a ragdoll x who is 7.5 months old and a week off kittening.

She completely caught me out - and I feel quite ashamed of letter her get into this condition :-(

Anyway, I have been feeding her felix kitten food ad lib and James W kitten dry food ad lib but she is very thin.

I am very very worried about her and understand that when the kittens are feeding off her this situation could very easily get worse.

Any advice would be very appreciated. She is by the way eating like a horse!


----------



## lizward (Feb 29, 2008)

Are you sure she's pregnant? Pregnant cats don't normally look thin!

Liz


----------



## Aurelia (Apr 29, 2010)

Flossiemum said:


> Hi, I have a ragdoll x who is 7.5 months old and a week off kittening.
> 
> *She completely caught me out - and I feel quite ashamed of letter her get into this condition :-(*
> 
> ...


I agree with Liz on wondering if you are sure ... but I don't understand. If you are ashamed of yourself for letting her get pregnant, why did you not get her spayed as soon as you were aware she was pregnant?

You clearly know of all the possible implications with letting her continue with the pregnancy. You're a breeder right?

As for feeding her up pregnant or not. Have you considered giving her higher meat content quality foods, or even RAW feeding?


----------



## sequeena (Apr 30, 2009)

Has pregnancy been confirmed?

Cotton is a very small cat but she filled out when she was pregnant - it was impossible to miss.


----------



## Flossiemum (Jul 16, 2010)

I assure you she is pregnant. Vet confirmed pregnancy and how far along she was with a scan. She was too far gone to terminate by spaying.

I feel guilty about being nieve enough to think she was too young to get pregnant and for not getting her spayed earlier. She is a well loved family pet and it would be devastating to me and my children if we lost her due to this pregnancy. She did not call at all by the way - showed no normal signs of being in season. I used to have a BSH silver spotty queen on the open register so know what I am talking about! But this one is baffling me...

Now, I came on here for help and advice about feeding her up. Not to be judged by you.

Please could someone with a little more love and compassion for cats answer my original question.

As I said. I am feeding her kitten milk, JW kitten and felix kitten. She is eating really well. In fact I cannot believe she can eat that much and still be so thin. Yes she has a pregnant tummy and the kittens are moving but the rest of her is very obviously underweight. She is however very happy and bright in herself. 

I am very very worried about her condition and the strain the labour and lactating will have on her.

Thanks, Fi.


----------



## celicababe1986 (Jun 22, 2009)

sorry no advice, but want to wish you the best of luck. 
have you had any advice from the vet about your concerns?

but good luck


----------



## sequeena (Apr 30, 2009)

No-one is judging you as ar as I can see 

I can't give you too much advice as I have only had one accidental litter and I'm nowhere near an expert... This is how Cotton looked 9 days before giving birth and she ate everything going too  I would just continue to let her eat what she wants.


----------



## celicababe1986 (Jun 22, 2009)

sequeena said:


> No-one is judging you as ar as I can see
> 
> I can't give you too much advice as I have only had one accidental litter and I'm nowhere near an expert... This is how Cotton looked 9 days before giving birth and she ate everything going too  I would just continue to let her eat what she wants.


she has wonderful eyes!


----------



## Aurelia (Apr 29, 2010)

Flossiemum said:


> I assure you she is pregnant. Vet confirmed pregnancy and how far along she was with a scan. She was too far gone to terminate by spaying.
> 
> I feel guilty about being nieve enough to think she was too young to get pregnant and for not getting her spayed earlier. She is a well loved family pet and it would be devastating to me and my children if we lost her due to this pregnancy. She did not call at all by the way - showed no normal signs of being in season. I used to have a BSH silver spotty queen on the open register so know what I am talking about! But this one is baffling me...
> 
> ...


You couldn't be any further from the truth, especially the bold bit 

I'll come back and try and help a bit more later, but for now I think I best not.


----------



## DKDREAM (Sep 15, 2008)

Could you take a picture of your girl for us to see, Her diet seems fine she will eat what she needs. It maybe just that she is a thin cat and only has 1 or 2 kittens.


----------



## lizward (Feb 29, 2008)

I'd be concerned that there might be something seriously wrong that is not connected with the pregnancy. You've done the obvious like worming her, I assume? What did your vet say about her condition?

It seems to me that the only thing you can do is to get her through the birth and then try to stuff her with as much as she will eat, even if it means constantly getting more food, and more expensive food - anything to get her to eat. If she begins to look like an RSPCA case then the other thing you can do is try to supplement the kittens so they take less from her. They won't take a lot from her at first, it's when they get to about three weeks old that the cat really begins to look dreadful, if she is going to look dreadful, and then you have only a week before you can start thinking about feeding them.

Liz


----------



## havoc (Dec 8, 2008)

Was she wormed regularly before she got pregnant and did you use a comprehensive wormer?


----------



## havoc (Dec 8, 2008)

Must type faster


----------



## Taylorbaby (Jan 10, 2009)

that means she got pregnant at 5 & half months old?? I have a 5 month old here now and no way could she be big or old enugh to carry/have kittens, are you Sure that she is in kitten??


----------



## Flossiemum (Jul 16, 2010)

She has been wormed regularly and yes she is pregnant as previously said, confirmed by vet.

I was hoping somone on here would give me some advice on alternative feeding to what I have already said she is eating in vast quantities.

She is carrying at least 3 kittens and to make it very clear she had a HUGE stomach but is thin everywhere else ie spine, ribs, chest, hips. A pregnant cat is not fat all over - just round the middle.

Just to clarify - does anyone on here know of any foods suitable for cats that assists in fast weight gain.......


----------



## LittleStar2010 (May 18, 2010)

Might be worth asking your vets to do bloods as its possible she could have a thyroid problem.

Other than that you could try offering high protein foods, dry and wet, and plenty of it, which should help her gain muscle mass - there's some great info in the feeding and nutrition forum about different foods, but bozita always seems to come out on top. Fish oil supplements like salmon oil can be added which are calorie dense and will give her more energy and supplement her natural fat intake. Also maybe offer her calorie and protein rich tidbits - chicken, mince and small bits of cheese. If that fails, Hills do a calorie dense perscription diet for weight gain.


----------



## havoc (Dec 8, 2008)

> I'd be concerned that there might be something seriously wrong that is not connected with the pregnancy


Wish I could disagree with this. Bloods would be the obvious first screen but maybe the vet doesn't want to muck her about too much until the kittens are born.


----------



## lauren001 (Jun 30, 2008)

Though I have never used it myself many like lamb mince to put weight on on skinny cats, due to its high fat content.



Littlestar2010 said:


> she could have a thyroid problem


What did the vet say about her skinniness? I agree she could have some other underlying illness?


----------



## DKDREAM (Sep 15, 2008)

Hi Life foods put weight on Dotty when she was un spayed.


----------



## KathyM (Jul 30, 2008)

Agree with the others about an underlying condition. A healthy cat, even as young as her, should not be to the point of bones sticking out during pregnancy. I would be getting her screened by the vet as a matter of emergency.

In the meantime, Felix is pants, as is JWB in my opinion. Saying that, without knowing her health status I would be worried about changing her too quickly onto anything else. Vets first, then changing the food if she is ok, I would think.


----------



## sequeena (Apr 30, 2009)

Throughout Cotton's pregnancy and beyond she's been on hi life/feline fayre/applaws. She looks great.


----------



## Milly22 (Sep 15, 2008)

I find this completely believable, my newest Ragdoll started calling when we got her at 16 weeks, she is now on her third call as we speak!!

Rabbit is also supposed to be good for putting the weight on, I would if it were me, swap the dry food to RC Queening or kitten and leave that out all night, steak mince (raw) is also good for putting weight on, Pollock (fish) Lidl £3.49 is also a good food for keeping the weight on.


----------



## KathyM (Jul 30, 2008)

I didn't know rabbit was good for weight gain - it's something I've always heard plugged as a diet food as it's so lean! You learn something new every day! xx


----------



## The Twins (Oct 11, 2009)

Any raw or pure meat is excellent for putting weight on but rabbit is particularly lean so would use lamb, beef or chicken and i'd add extra fat if possible. Chicken with skin on. Goose fat. Etc.


----------



## serenitylove (Nov 23, 2008)

my cat gave birth at 11months also an accidental pregnancy she had 5 which im still in shock over as she is a tiny little thing and also a thin cat naturally but hasnt got any thinner since kittening she wakes me once in the night for food tho which i give her she has all she can eat and it seems to be all ok id say give her as much as she wants


----------



## Milly22 (Sep 15, 2008)

mellowma said:


> Rabbit is also supposed to be good for putting the weight on or keeping the weight on.


I got that tip on here!:lol:


----------



## Biawhiska (Mar 28, 2008)

If you are concerned about her weight then I would take her straight to the Vet in the morning explaining her young age etc and if they can suggest what you should do.


----------



## Flossiemum (Jul 16, 2010)

Hopefully I have this under control now - She currently has on her feeding mat the following:

Kitten Milk
Water
Tesco Value Lamb Mince (as it was the fattiest)
Felix "as good as it looks" kitten pouch
James WB kitten dry 
I also tried some sardines in oil at the weekend but although she seemed to quite like them I believe the oil upset her tum.....

She is still feeding regularly but would assume that, if she feels anything like I did when I was pregnant, she won't be eating much at a time. Hopefully when she has had the kittens she will be eating better. 

Only a few more days now I believe  

I spoke to the vet and he just said it was due to her age and that she was still growing herself. ie. food energy is going in three directions: Kittens, her own growth and the normal day to day calories a cat would use up..


----------



## lizward (Feb 29, 2008)

Hang in there, if there is no underlying condition she should pick up eventually. At any rate there's really not a lot you can do now until the kittens are born. I find they don't eat a vast amount in late pregnancy, they make up for it once the kittens arrive though!

Liz


----------



## Aurelia (Apr 29, 2010)

Can you get some Nutridrops ordered today? You might get them just in time. I think you can only order them online though.

They may well be a god send for your girl, as she may get exhausted very quickly being so small.


----------



## JANICE199 (Feb 1, 2008)

*Glad to hear you seem to have it under control now.All the best for when babies arrive,i just hope its befor saturday as i'm off on my holidays.*


----------



## Flossiemum (Jul 16, 2010)

I have just ordered some nutridrops off ebay and paid for 24 hour delivery - fingers crossed.

Thank you all so much for all your help.


----------



## LisaLQ (Dec 19, 2009)

Flossiemum said:


> She was too far gone to terminate by spaying.


I would question a vet who said this. Spaying can be done right up until a cat is due, just people prefer not to do it at this age because the kittens are viable and (I assume) would need to be pts at the same time.

Not saying that's what you should have done - just saying the vet's told a porky there!


----------



## Flossiemum (Jul 16, 2010)

I was told it was to do with the high blood supply and the shock that could occur.

I don't believe it was for any "moral" reason.


----------



## LisaLQ (Dec 19, 2009)

Yep - there is that too. But it can be done, that's all I'm saying. Not saying it's right, or the safest option, or even something I'd consider (although IMO spaying is preferably to raising unwanted kittens - that isn't the case here). Just that it is possible and it is done. Just folks dont like to talk about it.


----------



## Milly22 (Sep 15, 2008)

In one of my Cat Breeding books, if you have a cat that escapes and mates with tom, you are told that it is best to let the cat have the litter, that's for pedigrees though, as you will want to mate them again. 

So that's really a useless bit of information.

Well, not really useless because it's from an expert and she thinks it's okay so young, well not ideal but no huge disaster, well that's how she comes across, in her book.

Anyway........

Yes nutridrops are great, I thought I would have to force them down my girl but she loved them. 

The thing is with cats, they are selfish, they look after themselves first, then the kittens (believe it or not) so she must feel she has enough weight about her, I think.

Any pics ? 

Have you got faceclothes, I wipe their faces so I hear a squeal


----------



## Lealou (Feb 25, 2010)

Aurelia said:


> Can you get some Nutridrops ordered today? You might get them just in time. I think you can only order them online though.
> 
> They may well be a god send for your girl, as she may get exhausted very quickly being so small.


sorry to ask a stupid question but what are they called as my cat is a week off kittening and i would be interested in getting some


----------



## Flossiemum (Jul 16, 2010)

They are just called nutridrops - I have just bought them off ebay. Only bought via ebay because I had a bit of money in my paypal account.

If you goodle nutridrops you can get them from most decent pet shops by the look of it.


----------



## Milly22 (Sep 15, 2008)

Full of nutrients for Mums and kittens. Good stuff.


----------

