When your cat is pregnant, she’ll undergo not only major physical changes but lots of behavioral changes as well. For instance, she may lose appetite and feel lethargic for 3-4 weeks.

In this phase, you must ensure her good health. Set the queen on a healthy diet for pregnant cats full of protein, healthy fats, vitamins, minerals, and hydration to offer optimal nutrition both for her and the soon-to-be babies.

However, if you’re not sure what to feed her, here are some nutritious dry and wet food well-rounded diet options!

Dry Food Diet for Pregnant Cat

Dry food comprises low-moisture store-bought food. These can be added to other wet food forms or even dissolved in water to add taste. Here are the best dry foods for your preggo kitty!

Fish meal

Include fish meal or sardine (or other oily fish) powder in your feline mom-to-be’s diet. This dry food is rich in omega-3 fatty acid that boosts brain development in the growing kittens within her.

Pregnant cats often suffer from skin and coat health issues. Fish meal also eliminates these issues. Sprinkle the fish meal on their daily food and increase its quantity with time.

Goat milk powder

Cow milk can cause indigestion and other complications in your pregnant cat. However, milk is an essential food for them. That’s why you must introduce goat milk powder dissolved into her food.

Powdered goat milk is packed with natural probiotics and smaller fat globules that are easy to digest.

Bone meal

Another highly nutritious dry food option for your queen is bone meal. It is rich in calcium and phosphorus, which ensures healthy development and bone growth of her babies and the mother-to-be’s skeletal health.

Add some bone meal to their food to support safe fetal development and even milk production post-delivery.  

This powerhouse of nutrition also offers them sufficient vitamin D, calcium, and phosphorus. These nutrients ensure ample nourishment for the mother and babies' strong bones.

You can mix the goat milk powder in your feline’s drinking water if she’s a picky eater or doesn’t want to drink water. The taste will make her drink her water faster.

Pumpkin powder diet for pregnant cat

During pregnancy, the future mama cat might experience irregularity. For such issues, the best dry cat food for pregnant cats is organic pumpkin powder. The rich source of fiber prevents constipation and digestive issues.

It’s also an amazing source of antioxidants, such as vitamins A and C, and omega fatty acids. This also has sufficient prebiotics to ensure optimal gut health and nutrient absorption from the meal.

This can be an amazing taste enhancer for her regular meals if she doesn’t have enough appetite.

Kitten food

Your expecting cat’s nutritional needs grow during pregnancy. So, most vets advise feeding them high-quality kitten food. This dry food is rich in calories, protein, fat, and other essential supplements, such as DHA, phosphorus, and calcium.

It offers adequate nutrition and energy to the mother cat and supports kittens’ brain development.

Post-delivery, seeing the mother cat feed on kitten food, the kittens will also learn to transition to solids from breastmilk.

Canned kitten food is available as both dry and wet food. However, the dry food variety is more nutrient-rich. Add it to her regular food in every meal.

Wet Food Diet for Pregnant Cat

Wet cat food includes high-moisture content food, including canned food and homemade food. Let’s know what kind of wet diet is best for your queen!

Note: Serve store-bought wet cat food at room temperature or warm it slightly if kept in the refrigerator. You can also add a little warm water.

Meat-based food

An essential pregnant cat food is meat-based wet food. You can opt for high-quality chicken or turkey meat canned food, rich in lean proteins and amino acids. This helps your expecting girl’s tissue repair and her litter’s muscle development.

Alternatively, you can offer beef-based canned food. It’s packed with calcium, magnesium, and many other nutrients essential in the diet for pregnant cats.

You can also make meat-based wet food at home. Steam or boil chicken or poultry meat and shred them. Offer it with pumpkin powder to boost the taste. Or add the shredded chicken to other canned wet food to boost the protein value of the meal. 

Pâté style canned food

If your cat is picky or nauseous, she might lick the gravy of standard wet food and leave out the solids.

In that case, pâté wet cat food saves the day. These have a smooth, blended texture that helps the soon-to-be mother eat well by preventing nausea.

They are primarily made of ground chicken or fish, chicken liver and heart, bone broth, and flavoring. They contain essential nutrients, such as proteins, fiber, carbohydrates, vitamins A, E, and D, iron, zinc, and calcium for the mama cat’s good health and energy levels.

Bone broth diet for pregnant cat

Bone broth has great nutritional value and hydrating power for pregnant cats. This food is rich in glucosamine, chondroitin, and collagen. These are beneficial for mother and baby cats.

You can buy packaged bone broth or make one from scratch without salt or seasoning. Add it to the cat’s regular meals as flavoring.

Fish-based food

Fish like salmon and mackerel are full of protein and omega-3 fatty acids. These boost kitten brain development and support the mother cat’s coat and skin health. Soft-boiled sardines are especially easy to digest and boost kittens' eye health.

You can offer canned fish-based wet food. Or thoroughly steam fish at home and debone it before feeding.

Boiled eggs

Quail eggs are rich in protein, vitamin Bs, and essential fatty and amino acids (like choline). These are good for hydration and digestion.

Boil them well and deshell them. Let them cool, break them apart to help your cat eat easily, and serve. These are small, making them easy to eat even if not broken down. You can also prepare scrambled eggs. Offer it on its own or add it to other wet meals.

Conclusion

During pregnancy, your kitty needs a balanced diet of top-quality dry and wet food with great nutritional value. So, list the food items your cat is most likely to chow down and seek your vet’s recommendation on the diet.

However, if she ever shows disinterest in food because of the bland taste, Pure Paws’ taste-enhancing nutritious foods offer the perfect solution! 

Our powdered pet foods, made with a single natural ingredient, ensure that every scoop keeps your cat healthy while stimulating her appetite throughout her pregnancy journey and beyond!