Weight gain during the last 26 days is essentially equivalent to the in utero growth of the kittens. Food intake naturally increases during pregnancy. From onset of gestation, a queen should be fed a diet high in fats, such as foods formulated for kittens and lactating/gestating cats. This will increase the survival rate of the kittens at birth. Particular attention should be given to taurine content: a minimum of 0.1% in dry food and 0.25% in canned food.
Food must not be acidic, or the skeleton of the foetus will not develop properly. The daily quantities fed should be increased by 10% each week during the first eight weeks of pregnancy. However, feeding should not be increased to the extent that the queen becomes overweight, or she could have difficulties at delivery.
The period during which the queen is lactating is also crucial. A mother cat will produce 1 1/2 to 2 times her weight in milk (particularly high in proteins and fats in cats). As a result, lactation demands much greater energy expenditure than gestation.
A lactating cat requires as much as twice or three times the daily calories of a cat on a maintenance diet. No matter how much or how rich the food provided, a lactating cat will not consume enough to meet all her energy needs.
The excess 20% body weight (essentially stored in fat reserves) at delivery, as compared to weight at mating, is typically utilized for extra energy during lactation.
Once the kittens are born, high-calorie food should be constantly available so the queen can feed freely. During this period, kitten food is ideal.
This diet should be fed until the kittens are weaned, at which time, the queens diet is gradually returned to a maintenance diet.
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