Kitten born last night doesnt seem the same as others

nika1328

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Im quite worried about this little kitten. The mother had five kittens and 1 of them seems so small and failing to attach to the mother. The others are all crawling around and this one seems to barely roll. They are all over this little one and she seems to kind of get walked on and it stays on its back and just opens its mouth. Im worried it will die. What do I do? Why does it seem like it isnt eating and the others are. What can i do to help this kitten stay alive?
 

marianjela

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Welcome to TCS. There are a lot of knowledgeable, friendly people here. Unfortunately the mortality rate of kittens is quite high and sometimes, despite all our best efforts, there is just nothing we can do to save them.

Here are a few things you can try:

It may be that the little guy is having trouble latching on, try giving him some private time with mom and see if he'll latch on preferably on a hind teat. You can try to entice him by placing a little corn syrup on mom's nipple.

If that fails, you can try feeding him yourself with some KMR (kitten replacement milk) I imagine he will have a difficult time with a bottle, so I recommend a bulb syringe/medicine dropper. Never feed a cold kitten so be sure that the kitten is warm prior to feeding it. Always hold a kitten tummy down when feeding it - as if it were nursing. Holding a kitten on it's back could cause it to aspirate the milk and drown.

If the kitten is looking dehydrated, you can administer glucose intramuscularly. You would need a glucose solution and very small gauge needles. The shot goes into the skin on the back of their neck, if you are comfortable with this, PM me and I can explain the process in detail more.

To tell if the kitten is dehydrated, pinch the skin on the back of his neck. If it rebounds quickly, he is not dehydrated, but if it takes awhile to spring back, he is.

Lastly he could be tube fed, but I recommend a vet show you how this is done. There are some risks associated with this treatment, but if the benefits call for it, it can be life-saving.

I hope your little guy turns the corner.
 
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nika1328

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Thank you for your advice. Unfortunately when I went to go feed the baby she had passed. I am so upset by this. I wish this didnt happen. I feel horrible. I had a HUGE feeling this baby never fully developed. all the others are full of fur and crawling around and this one didnt do any of that and hardly had fur and the jaw seemed a little out of line. Poor little baby.
 

mrblanche

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It's not all that unusual for a kitten to have birth defects or other problems. Nature's way of fighting that is, of course, larger litters. The odds of a kitten in the wild surviving to adulthood is pretty small.
 

marianjela

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Another thing that is possible is that that kitten was conceived at a later date then the others. Cats can ovulate several times and have kittens by multiple fathers.
I'm sorry to hear that (s)he passed. It is always sad when this happens.
 
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nika1328

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I have felt so bad all day because of this kitty. I hate seeing dead animals. I didnt know cats could conceive at different times. Thats really interesting. Kind of dangerous if she is in labor and some arent ready. thanks again for your support
 

lindsey88

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I'm so sorry for the loss of your little one. I hope the rest do well and have a long happy life.
 

hissy

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Originally Posted by mrblanche

It's not all that unusual for a kitten to have birth defects or other problems. Nature's way of fighting that is, of course, larger litters. The odds of a kitten in the wild surviving to adulthood is pretty small.
Actually, that isn't correct. Many kittens born outside will survive. Chances are the mom cat would have taken this kitten out of the nest and sacrificed it to predators to ensure the remaining kittens would survive.

The problem with letting cats outside to mate and breed means that the female is taken multiple times by various toms. This can create more than one litter inside the queen and when the first litter is ready, all of them come out. Some, just aren't ready yet but are forced out anyway.
 

mrblanche

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I just did a quick search, and the lowest average mortality rate in kittens (not reaching adulthood) seems to be a minimum of 50%, and 75% is not at all uncommon, according to the feral care experts I read. Climate and urbanization, I think, would have a big effect on those numbers.

Kittens born indoors, of course, are a whole different story.
 

marianjela

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Originally Posted by mrblanche

I just did a quick search, and the lowest average mortality rate in kittens (not reaching adulthood) seems to be a minimum of 50%, and 75% is not at all uncommon, according to the feral care experts I read. Climate and urbanization, I think, would have a big effect on those numbers.
You're right, mortality rate for kittens is depressingly high. However, could you imagine the number of cats in shelters if is wasnt....

My heart aches both ways.

Speutering pets prevents suffering
 
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