The “interesting situation” of your female Maine Coon requires special care, love, and, most importantly, balanced nutrition. This is the only way healthy offspring will be born.
The gestation period in cats is about 9 weeks. During the first two, the appetite of the animal practically does not change, sometimes even decreases. This is due to toxicosis. If the cat’s health is weak, it is recommended to increase the amount of food consumed by 10-15 percent from the first days after conception.
The needs of a pregnant female Maine Coon cat in food rich in vitamins and animal proteins have doubled since the third week. Feed the animal in small portions 4-5 times a day. It is impossible to overfeed – otherwise childbirth can be long and difficult. Two weeks before their expected term, the cat’s diet is reduced.
When feeding with natural products, the diet should be varied and highly nutritious. It should include raw and boiled meat (rabbit, chicken, turkey, beef, veal), boiled eggs, dairy products, milk, cereals (buckwheat, oatmeal, rice), boiled vegetables. Veterinarians do not recommend giving a pregnant cat fish – it helps to remove the necessary vitamin B from the body.
It is useful to add various vitamin and mineral supplements to natural products – bone meal, brewer’s yeast. Germinated sprouts of barley, wheat, and oats are also useful. Pregnancy is often accompanied by constipation, it can be prevented by adding vegetable oil or boiled beet puree to food.
If the cat ate ready-made food before pregnancy, it is impossible to transfer it to a natural diet. It is necessary to feed the animal with dry or wet feeds specially designed for pregnant female cats. They contain a special balanced composition – minerals, vitamins, omega fatty acids, folic acid, lactobacilli.
These nutritional components contribute to the proper intrauterine development of offspring. Veterinarians recommend using specialized easily digestible feed of the same brand as before pregnancy.