Friday, May 21, 2010

How long do I have to keep my cat away from her 11 week old kitten in order to get her milk dried up?

We need to get our cat spayed v. soon so she doesn't have another litter but our vet won't do the op while she's lactating, and the kitten we're keeping won't stop feeding from her. As long as there is a demand for the milk she keeps on producing it, so we have to keep mother and babe apart, but for how long? The whole business is distressing - for the animals and us.
Answers:
Keep them apart for 3 or 4 weeks if kitten is literally hanging off her all the time.

Usually you don't need to actually separate them, just keep discouraging kitten from suckling every time she goes to her mother - that usually works. But if kitten is persistant should be fine after separation for a few weeks.
LEAVE HER WITH HER KITTENS SHE WILL WEAN THEM WHEN THE TIME COMES , LET NATURE TAKE ITS COURSE
All of the rescued mum cats I have cared for over 45 years have been spayed while lactating. Your vet should have advised you regarding her kittens- I really think you should try another vet.
My mother cats have always weened the kittens themselves. She'll tell the kitten when to back off and leave her alone. It is much better than punishing them both by keeping them apart.
If they are more than 12 weeks old and they are still nursing I would be worried. In the mean time if their eyes are opened and they are walking around properly on all four legs I would start introducing them to both kitten food and the litter box as soon as possible.

You may want to get a crate and put the mother cat in, feed the kittens and feed their mom separately when the kids have eaten let the kids out. This will help them to leave their mom's milk and eat other food quicker.

Sydney
Get rid of the kitten, don't you think one animal that does nothing but lay around and demand food enough?
The mother needs a break from producing milk, which is best done
by separating her from the kittens. To prevent her glands from
becoming over-full and painful, it helps to impose a 24-hour fast,
withholding both food and water. It sounds cruel, but it forces her
body to reabsorb the milk in her mammary glands, thereby keeping
her from having painful swelling and potential mastitis (mammary infection).

You can also apply an ice pack to the swollen area to reduce pain and
further milk production. Since the act of nursing stimulates the
production of more milk, it is important to keep the kittens away
for at least one week.

And there is nothing at all wrong with your current vet. Some vets advise against spaying while the mother is still nursing because the mammary (breast) development present during nursing can make surgery slightly more difficult.
I believe nature tell mom cat to ween the kittens when it is time. I don't think I have ever heard of keeping the babies away before mom is done.
I think I would look into another vet's opinion before I made the babies scream for their mommy.
Aw you can't to that, they wean when they're ready, you mean nasty person!
Sorry, but if I were you I'd just keep her away from the men so she can't get pregnant and let her stay with her babies.
I don't know how long it would take for her milk to dry out. I've found each "mom" is different. I've had a lot of cats over the years.
But one thing to try : it's called a belly band made for dogs, it will fit cats though. You can find them at pet shops. Get one for a small size dog, i.e. chihauhau, and have her wear it to deter nursing.
I can understand your distress and the reasons why you want her spayed but if it's causing too much stress for the kitten and it's mother wouldn't it be best just to let her feed for a bit longer? I remember we always had cats that had litters and I'm sure the kittens we kept just grew out of it after a while. Have you introduced the kitten to solids? It may start to wean off mum. I know you may have to keep mum in for a couple of weeks or so but I'm sure she'll be a lot happier in the long run and baby too if she's allowed to suckle for a while longer. It's a toughie I know so good luck on this one! P.S. Is it definitely true that she would still produce milk? I'm clutching at straws but just trying to think of options. Hope there's a vet on here who can help you.
My cat was spayed while lactating, and still continued to nurse her kittens for 5 weeks afterwards, until they went to new homes
she will probably ween them herself but if you are really worried about it then whenever you see them together then maybe you could take the kitten off. you can also by special lactose removed milk from a supermarket or hypermarket i have not seen much but if you search long enough then i think you will find some! we had a cat with 2 litters and just like you we want it spayed. one of our cats kittens from the first litter copied the rest of the kittens and decided to have a drink even though it was nearly 4 months!i hope you find some cat milk with no lactose and then if you do try feeding it to the kitten in stead of the mums milk it will like it if it is a cat and you can then do the weening yourself! hope you have good luck finding some milk, bye!
The simple answer is one week. I must say i have never read so much rubbish in my life from so called cat experts. These people can actual cause great distress.

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