Hi. I'm new today so here goes. My queen has just had her first litter of 6 kittens. She is absolutely fantastic with them, she cleans and feeds all the time and is super. They are now 5 weeks old and the last couple of weeks she has started looking really thin. She has now started being sick a little bit and she is so thin im getting worried. I spoke to the vet who just said to continue feeding her kitten food (which she has been on for the last 3 months). Do i stop her feeding the kittens it's just we are giving them milk and kitten food which they are starting to nibble but it's not as good as having mummy but i'm worried that very soon she won't have any energy left.

I had a Burmese that used to look like a RSPCA "before" case every time she had kittens. As soon as the kittens are on solids she will start to pick up a bit as they will be taking less milk. If she is otherwise well I wouldn't worry too much.

Liz

Burmese queens usually get very thin - this is normal. They regain their weight eventually.
Just make sure she is eating & drinking well.
This is the reason you have a minimum rest time in between litters so that the queen can rebuild her strength

I was kind of hoping that might be the case. She is still eating a mixture of kitten food and chicken it's just she looks so awful and i hate seeing her like it.

my cat as just had her first litter of 6 and she is the same,she will be fine i no its worryin cause im the same but as soon as the kittens start eating she will be back to normal

Ensure you are feeding her good quality food (e.g. Royal Canin and any other top brands) and she will put weight on.
They lose a lot of weight when lactating but once this is over she will start to gain weight again.

(btw hi emma i have just been speaking to u about the bengal snows! (Zowie) LOL)

Hi Zowie, she is on royal canin and cooked chicken at the moment. She seems to eat enough but it is obviously going straight to the kittens. The kittens are all thriving and they have started eating small amounts so i guess i just have to be patient.

Well it seems you are feeding her good stuff.
Im sure when some of the other breeders (more experienced than me) come on later tonight they will be able to give you some additional advice

Have you tried Hills A/D , its highly palatable, high calorie food, that could help. RC also do a powdered convalescence diet that you mix into a milk like liquid. That also is very high calorie. You could try adding those in along side what you are feeding her already. Other things I give my queens are goats yogurt with a little honey and scrambled egg made with either evap or goats yogurt and lashings of butter. Will she eat raw? Beef or lamb mince also helps add substance.

You have to be careful though that if you make things too rich then you upset her tum. But one or two meals of rich stuff along side her normal diet should be OK.

She'll pick up.
In fact the queen we had that did start looking 'emaciated' got really fat after she stopped feeding her kittens!

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