Kitten seems a bit weak?

Hi, I'm new here. A little background: On Christmas weekend we were "adopted" by a pregnant stray cat. She showed up and INSISTED that she was supposed to be our cat. LOL We took her in and set her up in a separate room, as we have 3 other cats (all rescues/shelter cats). We began feeding her kitten food and she saw the vet and all seemed well. She had her kittens 2 weeks ago and the birth went well and we've got six gorgeous, adorable kittens. This past weekend when the kittens were 10 days old, the Mama cat got very ill, with a uterine infection. The vet did an emergency ovariohysterectomy and she is recovering nicely, and has been nursing the kittens well.

Most of the six seem to be quite robust and healthy. One of the little girls has always been smaller and more.. petite and dainty. I was a tad worried about her, but she seems ok, just a smaller kitten.

Sorry to be so wordy, but I felt as though I should provide the whole story. My question is actually about one of the male kittens, who up until perhaps yesterday never struck me as small or weak. I noticed yesterday that he seemed to be fairly sleepy and would sort of fall asleep wherever he was. Tonight, my husband and I were sitting with the kittens and handling/watching them and he again seemed to be mostly sleepy. When held he would meow and squirm, and when put down he would move around, but he doesn't seem to be walking as well as the others, who are just starting to get up on their legs and walk. Some are starting to play and wrestle a bit, but he doesn't get involved.

When the mama cat went back in the cage tongiht, I put him on her first and he did find a nipple right away and begin nursing, but I'm wondering if he's perhaps not getting enough overall?

Do they sometimes just develop at different rates? Could he just be "younger" in a sense? He reminds me of how they ALL were just a short time ago... sleepy and dazy and not very interactive. Could he just need more time to catch up, or could something be wrong?

Since this is already so long, I'll just finish by saying that the mother cat (Misty) is going to be adopted by my parents, and the kittens will be adopted out (after being spayed/neutered, etc.) by a very reputable local rescue.

Thanks for any advice!

Does he seem wet when you pick him up? Are his paws, or his tiny testicles swollen? Males especially are susceptible to the littermates suckling them. This can cause problems including weakness, sleeplessness, and urine scald among other things. If he is getting enough milk he won't be fussy or squirmy.

That is wonderful that you took in a pregnant stray, spayed her and are going to be so responsible about rehoming the kittens! I wish there were more people like you in the world!

As for the problem. It is hard to say. That one may just be the runt and developing slower. Be sure he is eating enough, you may have to suppliment him with a bottle or something. Maybe a little Nutrical when he is old enough, I don't know if there is an age minimum for that stuff.

I wouldn't worry too much since they are so young and just give him another few days or a week to see if anything changes. The second you see him change for the worse though if it happens, you might want a vet to see him. I forget where you live but be very careful doing this, you might have to take the mom in because it sure is cold her and you don't want those babies getting too cold.

Hi there...welcome....I would recommend that you get a scale and weigh the kittens. This way, you can verify that they are all gaining weight:

Kitten Weight
At birth, weight should be approx 3-3.4 ounces.

At age 1 week weight should be approx. 4 ounces.

At age 2 weeks, weight should be approx. 7 ounces.

At age 3 weeks, weight should be approx. 10 ounces.

At age 4 weeks weight should be approx. 13 ounces.

At age 5 weeks, weight should be approximately 1 pound.

By the end of the 8th week, kittens should weigh approximately 2.2 pounds.

Of course, all these weights are approximate. You may have a kitten that is slightly under or over these weights and still be perfectly healthy. If ever you have a concern about your kitten, or he just doesn't seem 'right', consult a vet. On the internet there is a pretty extensive kitty calendar you can use.

http://www.kitten-rescue.com/bottle_feeding_kitten.html

If another kitten starts showing similar symptoms, it could be that the momma cat has mastitis, so she would then need to go to the vet along with the kittens. Good luck, and bless you for helping this kitty and her little ones.

Cheers, from
SwampWitch

Here is hoping that the little kitty is doing better.

Sending prayers and hugs from Mississippi for the little kitty.

Ok, I'm officially worried about the little guy now. I weighed them all this morning on a postal scale and here are the results (they are 16 days old today):

Because the mom cat found us at Christmas time, the kittens got reindeer names, lol:

Dasher - 9.1 oz

Dancer - 8.8 oz

Prancer - 9.8 oz

Vixen - 9.6 oz

Comet - 6.4 oz

Cupid - 11 oz (BIG guy!)

Obviously, Comet is the one who I'm worried about. I'm going to call the vet and see what he says. Hopefully we can just supplement him with something and he'll be ok... hopefully it's nothing more serious.

Originally Posted by TNR1

Kitten Weight
At birth, weight should be approx 3-3.4 ounces.

At age 1 week weight should be approx. 4 ounces.

At age 2 weeks, weight should be approx. 7 ounces.

At age 3 weeks, weight should be approx. 10 ounces.

At age 4 weeks weight should be approx. 13 ounces.

At age 5 weeks, weight should be approximately 1 pound.

By the end of the 8th week, kittens should weigh approximately 2.2 pounds.

Of course, all these weights are approximate. You may have a kitten that is slightly under or over these weights and still be perfectly healthy. If ever you have a concern about your kitten, or he just doesn't seem 'right', consult a vet. On the internet there is a pretty extensive kitty calendar you can use.

http://www.kitten-rescue.com/bottle_feeding_kitten.html

Click to expand...

Originally Posted by hissy

Does he seem wet when you pick him up? Are his paws, or his tiny testicles swollen? Males especially are susceptible to the littermates suckling them. This can cause problems including weakness, sleeplessness, and urine scald among other things. If he is getting enough milk he won't be fussy or squirmy.

Click to expand...

Oh, no, he doesn't seem wet. I've not noticed any sign of his littermates suckling on him.