Page 393 - Small Animal Clinical Nutrition 5th Edition

Feeding Reproducing Cats 403

At parturition, only 40% of the weight gained by queens dur-
Table 22-1. Key nutritional factors for foods for
VetBooks.ir as bitches should return to pre-breeding weight (Feldman and reproducing cats. Mating** Gestation/lactation
ing gestation will be lost (Loveridge and Rivers, 1989), where-
Factors (units)*
Nelson, 1996a). The remaining 60% of prepartum weight gain
Energy density (kcal ME/g) 4.0-5.0 4.0-5.0
will be used during lactation to sustain milk production. Poor
Energy density (kJ ME/g) 16.7-20.9 16.7-20.9
nutrition may lead to failure to conceive, fetal death, fetal mal- Protein (%) 30-45 35-50
formations and underweight kittens. Queens underweight at Fat (%) 10-30 18-35
DHA (%) - ≥0.004
parturition may subsequently experience poor lactation per-
Digestible carbohydrate (%)*** - ≥10
formance and inability to maintain body condition. Poor ma- Calcium (%) - 1.1-1.6
ternal nutrition may impair the kittens’ immunocompetence for Phosphorus (%) 0.5-0.7 0.8-1.4
Ca:P ratio - 1:1-1.5:1
life.
Sodium (%) 0.2-0.5 0.3-0.6
Overnutrition or obesity (BCS 5/5) has an equally negative Average urinary pH 6.2-6.4 6.2-6.5
effect on pregnancy outcome. Stillbirths, dystocia and cesarean Key: ME = metabolizable energy, DHA = docosahexaenoic acid.
*Units expressed on a dry matter basis. Concentrations pre-
sections occur more frequently in obese queens than in cats at
sume an energy density of 4.0 kcal/g. Levels should be correct-
ideal body condition (Lawler and Monti, 1984; Bilkei, 1990). ed for foods with higher energy densities. Adjustment is unnec-
Ensuring the queen is at ideal weight (BCS 3/5) before breed- essary for foods with lower energy densities.
**Foods for most breeding males and females are usually simi-
ing is preferable to limiting food intake during gestation.
lar to those for young adult cats (Chapter 20).
Therefore, good nutritional management is important to opti- ***Important for lactation.
mal reproductive performance.
If queens are listless or have a poor appetite, the physical
examination should closely evaluate uterine size and shape and
any vaginal discharges. Laboratory evaluation should include a 5.9% of the queen’s body weight/day at peak lactation then
complete blood count and measurement of serum concentra- decline slightly until weaning. Although mammary glands
tions of glucose, calcium, protein, urea nitrogen, creatinine, should be closely evaluated to ensure health and ready access for
phosphorus and potassium.The abdomen and uterus should be the kittens, expressing milk from each gland does not ensure
evaluated by ultrasound to evaluate fetal viability or if pyome- adequate milk production. Continuous weight gain by the kit-
tra is suspected. tens is the best indicator of the queen’s lactation performance.
Neonatal kittens should gain between 10 to 15 g daily. Gains
Lactation less than 7 g/day are inadequate (Lawler and Bebiak, 1986).
Unless difficulties arise during parturition or lactation, a veteri- A veterinarian should immediately evaluate the queen and lit-
narian will not examine most queens.Thus, pre-lactation coun- ter if health problems arise during lactation or kitten growth rates
seling of the breeder or owner is important because most of the are suboptimal. A complete physical evaluation, anamnesis and
assessment will be performed without veterinary supervision. review of the reproduction records and the nutritional plan
The queen and kittens should be weighed within 24 hours after should be performed. Blood and urine should be collected from
parturition. The queen should weigh 700 to 900 g above the the queen; a minimum database should include a complete blood
pre-breeding weight and each kitten should weigh approxi- count, urinalysis and serum biochemistry analysis including elec-
mately 100 g. The queen should be evaluated for vaginal dis- trolytes. Ancillary tests should be performed as indicated.
charges, body temperature and maternal behavioral characteris-
tics. A dark reddish vaginal discharge is normal. Bright red dis- Key Nutritional Factors
charges indicate hemorrhage, whereas foul-smelling, greenish, Few studies establish the minimum nutritional requirements
gray or brown discharges may indicate a retained fetus, retained for reproducing queens and breeding male cats. Most nutrient
placenta or infection.The queen’s appetite, which is reduced 24 recommendations are extrapolated from growth studies, results
to 48 hours before parturition, should return to normal or to an from other species and clinical experience. Although most
increased level within 24 hours of parturition (Lawler and commercial foods appropriate for growing kittens are deemed
Bebiak, 1986). All kittens should nurse soon after parturition adequate for female reproduction, ideally, complete and bal-
and within the first six to eight hours to ensure transfer of anced foods specifically designed to support gestation/lactation
colostral antibodies. Neonatal kittens may not absorb should be fed. Key nutritional factors for tomcats and queens
immunoglobulins after 12 hours postpartum. This window of during mating do not appear to be significantly different from
absorption is much shorter in kittens than in puppies and live- those of young adults (Chapter 20). Exceptions will be noted
stock (Casal et al, 1996). below. Table 22-1 summarizes key nutritional factors for repro-
Milk production should begin at parturition. Colostrum is ducing cats eating commercial foods. The following section
produced during the first 24 to 72 hours of lactation. Milk yield describes these key nutritional factors in more detail.
depends on litter size and stage of lactation, with peak lactation
occurring at three to four weeks. Investigators measured aver- Water
age milk yields of 1 to 3% of the queen’s body weight/day dur- Water is important for normal reproduction. Expansion of
ing Week 1 (Dobenecker et al, 1998). Yields increase to 1.3 to extracellular fluid compartments and maternal and fetal tissues