Upate on my weak kitten...

monarchcat

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I think he's doing better. I weighed him yesterday and he was 6.4 oz. Today he is 6.8 oz, so that seems to be a good weight gain in one day. The others gained between .1 and .6 oz

I have a theory as to why he was not doing well. See if you think this could be it. Last Saturday morning I went to check on them, and that's when I found the mother cat very, very ill. She was in another part of the room, very lethargic and sick. She had obviously been out of the box a good part of the night because the kittens were ravenous. The kitten who is now my concern (Comet) had actually escaped the box and was sleeping outside of it. I don't know how long he had been there, but I feel it is possible he became chilled without the warmth of his nest and littermates. Could he have stopped progressing at that point and is now slowly rebounding?

The mom went to the vet for the emergency spay for an infected uterus (the kittens spent the day at the vet with her). She seemed to recover nicely. Perhaps Comet didn't nurse well for several days? It was difficult to tell how much they were nursing because as soon as I or my husband would open the door, she would immediately get up and leave the box to come see us. I think I just may not have noticed that he wasn't nursing and getting weaker. When I did notice that he was suddenly smaller and weaker than his littermates (2 days ago), he DID seem to be nursing, but perhaps he was already coming back around by then.

Does this make sense? I had a vet appt. scheduled for him today, but decided not to stress him out by taking him out in the cold since he seems to be improving.
 

godiva

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That's all very possible. Just be sure to keep him warm (I kept a heating pad in the nursing cage on low, but it was large enough to where they could move off it if they got too hot). Make sure the little guy nurses as often as the others, and he should be fine. If you have any doubts and he doesn't improve or gain weight, take him to the vet... and use you can use hot water bottles in the carrier for him to snuggle up next to.
 

chupi

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hi - our cat had the same thing - an infected uterus, the kittens didnt really suffer from it though becuase we were feeding them at the same time. Are you supplementing their feed? It might be a good idea, esp if mum cat is ill...
 

lsulover

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Sending prayers and hugs from Mississippi for all you little kittens and the mama cat too.

 

callista

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Hmm... I know momcat's milk is best for them, but maybe if you supplemented a little, it would be easier on her spay incision... Ask your vet, though 'cause I'm not a professional
 
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monarchcat

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Originally Posted by Callista

Hmm... I know momcat's milk is best for them, but maybe if you supplemented a little, it would be easier on her spay incision... Ask your vet, though 'cause I'm not a professional
She seems to feel fine, and the other kittens seem to be thriving. It's just this little guy that is worrisome.


I have tried giving him a little KMR, but he won't take the bottle. I put a drop on my fingertip and he would lick it off occasionally, but it didn't seem to really get a decent amount into him. I really don't want to force-feed him as it just seems way to risky, and hopefully he's not that desperate yet.

I'm hoping for another weight gain tomorrow. It's like he skipped a week of development. He started out as one of the bigger, stronger kittens, which is why I feel like something happened. Most likely the chillly night out of the box that set him back.

The vet will see him if I feel it's warranted, and agreed with trying to supplement him if he would take it. At this point I'm not sure it's worth the risk of stressing him out by taking him out in the cold. I'm not sure what the vet could find. He did say that they do see "fading kittens" sometimes and there is generally no cause found. I hope that's not the case here, and that he'll continue to improve.
 

carolpetunia

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You probably have far more experience with brand-new kittens than I do, so forgive me if this is so basic that I don't need to say it...

...but when I fostered a couple of babies awhile back, I learned that I had to stroke their backs for a bit to help them poop before they would get interested in food. Also, it helped when I gave them the palm of my hand to knead on while they drank. And of course, they tend to lose track of the nipple and have to be guided to it sometimes. (Except for one of mine, who cracked us up -- once he got hold of that bottle, wild horses couldn't drag him away! His strength was amazing!)

Love and blessings to Comet!
I dearly hope he starts to thrive soon...
 

sarahp

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Wow, the poor mother cat's been through a fair bit!!! I'm glad you got onto her health issues and the kitten's health issues fast - good on you!

I'd say that could very well be the cause of his poor health. It doesn't take much for a kitten to lose fluid/nutrition/warmth.

Our kitten was 12oz when we got her and not very well. Try hard to get this kitten to eat more solid foods on its own if you can. We gave our girl a mixture of Pedialyte, Gerber all meat baby food, Royal Canin babycat dry food (it's made for little kittens), a high calorie kitty nutrition supplement, KMR, a bit more water, and mixed it all together, then kept it in the fridge, and gave her small amounts on a regular basis and it did great things for her!

Good luck and keep us updated
 

beckiboo

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I think that little chill may have been what put your kitten behind. And being sure to keep him with the litter, and having his Momma feed him is the way to fix it. Also keep up they daily weighings, so you will know if he has another setback.
When the kittens are 3-4 weeks old, they should probably be wormed with Strongid. I almost lost several kittens from worms, so just wanted to let you know about it. With my vet, I can just take a fresh poo sample in, and he doesn't need to see the actual kitten. Be sure to test and treat Momma, too. Of course, if any worms show up, you treat the whole family!
 
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monarchcat

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Thanks, guys. He is doing much better and has been gaining between .2 and .5 ounces a day, which seems pretty good. He is still underweight, but seems healthy and is catching up. The others are doing well, though there is another whose weight gain has slowed down. I have tried supplementing, but I think that because they all ARE nursing from mom, I can't seem to get them interested in supplements. I am going to try gerber turkey tonight with Comet and Dasher (the one who's gaining slowly now).

Mom started worm treatment the day after she delivered (3 doses, 10 days apart), though I never saw any signs of worms, so that's good. Hopefully the babies won't have worms. What would the symptoms be, and would I be able to tell?

Originally Posted by Beckiboo

I think that little chill may have been what put your kitten behind. And being sure to keep him with the litter, and having his Momma feed him is the way to fix it. Also keep up they daily weighings, so you will know if he has another setback.
When the kittens are 3-4 weeks old, they should probably be wormed with Strongid. I almost lost several kittens from worms, so just wanted to let you know about it. With my vet, I can just take a fresh poo sample in, and he doesn't need to see the actual kitten. Be sure to test and treat Momma, too. Of course, if any worms show up, you treat the whole family!
 

callista

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Worms? Big belly, generally skinny cat, diarrhea, little white rice-looking things in the stool... I wouldn't worry about it unless momcat has worms.

Your vet can worm the kits if necessary; ask about it when they come in for their kitten shots.
 

semiferal

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It sounds like he's doing well. How much he weighs is less important than that he's gaining weight steadily, which it seems like he is. Good work!
 
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