Cat Nursing Problems

There are some serious problems during nursing that require immediate cooperation between you and your doctor. Since pregnancy and milk production may demand more calcium than the mother can spare, clamps (low blood calcium)max be seen during nursing. The signs are nervousness, crying, stiffness, staggeration. fever (as high as 107°F), muscle spasms, and convulsions. Eclampsia usually develops within the first three weeks of the nursing period and is a life threatening medical emergency. Fortunately, it is rare in cats. See the veterinarian immediately.If the rectal temperature is 106°F or over, place ice packs between the cat's thighs to lower the fever during the ride to the doctor's office.

Intravenous calcium solutions will usually stop the signs. As the solution is injected, the convulsions cease, the muscles stop twitching, and the cat stops panting. The mother cat will not have to be hospitalized unless it does not respond to treatment (this is rare). Upon returning home. nursing should be stopped or at least restricted. If the kittens are older than three weeks, start them on solid food. Younger kittens will have to be hand fed to prevent a recurrence of the disease.Your doctor may also prescribe a calcium supplement for the next few weeks.

A malfunction in the organ that controls calcium metabolism (the parathyroid gland) is thought to cause eclampsia. To prevent it, consult your doctor before you breed your cat. He or she will advise you on the proper calcium, phosphorus, and vitamin D supplements. Eclampsia can occur again in a female who has had it once and is re bred. To prevent its recurrence, have your cat spayed.

A bacterial infection of the uterus called acute metritis is another emergency .A physical exam, blood tests, and possibly X-rays may be necessary for diagnosis.If retained fetuses are seen on the X-rays, an immediate various is the best treatment. If you want to breed again, a less acceptable and risky choice is to do culture and sensitivity tests and use the specific antibiotic to treat the infection .Flushing the vagina with general antibiotics may also be tried. An injection boomtown within twenty-four hours after delivery may prevent uterine infections.Good hygiene and appropriate care are also important.

Mastitis is a bacterial infection of one or more of the breasts. If your cat develops this, hand feeding the kittens is necessary, because the infected milk may sicken them. In addition, the antibiotics used to treat the infection will be passe din the milk. Again, proper hygiene and care may prevent its development.

Kittens are also susceptible to some problems that can be fatal. For instance,simple diarrhea can dehydrate them quickly. Overfeeding could be the cause, but check with your doctor. Under nutrition from ineffectual nursing can make a kitten cry constantly, but so can other problems, so again - contact your doctor.

The feline infectious peritonitis (FIP), FTLV, and feline leukemia viruses are suspected culprits for the "kitten mortality complex," which includes the death of unborn fetuses, newborn kittens, and very young kittens.