Will milk dry up after spaying?

carmen_grower_2007

13 years ago

My kittens are now 10 weeks old and the mommy was away for two days this week for spaying. When she returned, she returned to nursing the kittens once/twice a day. I know she does it because the milk pressure becomes uncomfortable but it seems like it is about time for the kitties to be weaned.

Will her hormonal changes from the operation automatically start drying up the milk or will she keep producing it as long as the kittens want it?

Featured Answer

carmen_grower_2007
Original Author

13 years ago

We don't want to separate the kittens from the mom because she is doing such an excellent job of keeping them in close proximity to the house, training them to come immediately when she calls them, and teaching the value of hunting.

Since it doesn't seem to be hurting anybody, I think we will just let her nurse them as long as she wants. She even has them on a schedule now where at about 7:00 p.m., she coralles them all into the guest house, then goes out and hunts for a couple of hours with the other cats.

She comes back when it gets dark to be let inside with her babies for the night.

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (10)

sylviatexas1
13 years ago
Kittens will nurse forever if mom lets them, & mom usually lets them "nurse" even when she doesn't have milk, for the lovey-ness of it.

By now the kits should be weaned & her milk should be dry-vets often won't spay if she's still producing milk.
carmen_grower_2007
Original Author
13 years ago
Well, this vet did and didn't even mention the fact that she is obviously 'full'. Since they are all together daily I don't know how I would discourage them from nursing. She is teaching them the ropes of outdoor life (bringing them wiggling frogs and voles) and it is a hoot to watch.

She encourages them to go a little further each day and once it starts to get dark, she corals them back indoors for the night. I can't imagine them being outdoors overnight for many months.
Related Professionals
Fayetteville Architects & Building Designers · Portage Architects & Building Designers · West Palm Beach Architects & Building Designers · Liberty Township Interior Designers & Decorators · Savannah Furniture & Accessories · Toledo Furniture & Accessories · Genova Furniture & Accessories · Robbinsdale Furniture & Accessories · Crestline Cabinets & Cabinetry · Gilroy Flooring Contractors · Monrovia Flooring Contractors · Oswego Flooring Contractors · Rockledge Flooring Contractors · South Lake Tahoe Flooring Contractors · St. Johns Flooring Contractors
sylviatexas1
13 years ago
Please don't let those kittens go off into the woods & fields;
not only are there predators (coyotes, owls, hawks, raccoons, probably more), but sometimes mother cats will take their offspring away & leave them.
Elly_NJ
13 years ago
Carmen has no problem breeding cats and letting them roam.

At 10 weeks you should have weaned the kittens by providing kitten food and keeping mom separate (like: keeping the kittens in at night while you let her prowl).

You know, I read your posts and just shake my head in disbelief. I just hope new pet owners and lurking visitors looking to learn take what you say as a cautionary tale.
susanjn
13 years ago
Why should she have weaned the kittens by now? Why does it matter how long they nurse? Seems like mom cat will do it when she's ready.
carmen_grower_2007
Original Author
13 years ago
Why does anyone have a problem with my cats 'being cats' and hunting outdoors? The adults are all neutered and spayed and the kittens will be in another couple of months. They are able to come indoors to our guest house when they want and normally don't want to unless it is extremely cold in the winter or on extremely hot days in summer.

Yes, there are predators (who also have to eat) but we don't let them out unsupervised until they are street-smart or at least 8 mos. old. This litter will have three adult cats to help them learn and are already very involved in the teaching. They may die earlier than indoor cats (our oldest are 5 yrs. old now) but will never have a problem with boredom.
sylviatexas1
13 years ago
"The adults are all neutered and spayed"

& you ended up with a litter of kittens...how?

Mother cats' milk usually dries up by the time the kits are 8 weeks old, but I thought maybe carmen had lost track of the time.

I'm beginning to wonder if the tbreads are posted to create a stir & start arguments.
carmen_grower_2007
Original Author
13 years ago
The mother cat who had kittens was found on our property. We had her spayed last week when the kittens were 9 weeks old. The kittens were born on Mother's Day so I did not lose track of time.

The mother's milk has not dried up and I understand it won't as long as the kittens are nursing. As long as they want to nurse, they can as far as we are concerned.

Maybe I haven't made my posts clear enough or just maybe, the 'stir' is being created in the minds of people who thrive on controversy.
olyagrove
13 years ago
Carmen, I am honestly happy you did the right thing and spayed the mom.

Milk dries up within 2 weeks if kittens are not nursing anymore. She will produce for long as long as she has customers. Had a foster who after being spayed nursed foster kittens for a more than a month. She started off taking care of them and before we knew it, she was nursing a whole bunch of (not her own) kittens. Once they were old enough, she was done and never showed interest in other foster kids again...

Daisy, a few weeks after spay and nursing foster kids - we let her do it because it was a huge help with socializing the kittens...
{{!gwi}}From Daisy the Super Mom