On Monday 20th April my cat Pepper gave birth to 5 kittens. Sadly 3 were born dead but 2 I managed to save. Pepper never done what she was meant to do, she never broke the bag or ate the placenta or none of that, I contacted the vet who adviced me what to do, I saved them both, because she never done any of this they didn't start to feed, I kept prompting them to feed as the vet advised me but they never latched on so I had to intervene again wich my vet provided me with all the food and equipment I needed, they both started to feed fine but just yesterday when I went to feed the boy I could't find him, straight away I knew he was dead, I moved Pepper out of the way and found that she had laid on him casing his death, I felt terrible apart from the feeding process she was brilliant with them but they just couldn't get used to latching on to there mother. So now out of 5 there is only one, a liitle girl who was feeding fine but now today she is not eating again, just like the little boy, I don't what to do I spoke the vet and they advised me that the some litters just don't make it but I can't except that. This has been one of the most cruelest moments in my life that I never want to visit again, I am now going to get Pepper spayed, I am sure this is an experience she doesn't want to visit again. Any advice on the litlle one that is still going, it would be great Thank You.
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I need advice
- Thread starter mycatpepper
- Start Date
Hello, First of all, I recommend you google 'orphaned kittens', there are lots of informative websites out there.
I, personally would take the last kitten away from the mother to give it the best chance of survival. Put it into a cardboard box, with soft bedding and perhaps a teddy. The kitten must be kept warm, between 88 and 92 degrees F during her first week.
You really must 's get some milk into her. If you're feeding her with a pet feeding bottle and she's not suckling (my two won't suckle from a bottle), ask you vet for a syringe.
I'm using: a 3ml syringe, with the sheath for a hypodermic needle (obviously not the needle itself)
like this:
cut the white plastic tube off down to the snub, this will steady the milk flow, lessening the likelihood of the milk coming out too fast and drowning the kitten.
Next get the soft nozzle from a baby nasal aspirator (you can buy these in baby shops), this will be nice and soft for your baby to have in her mouth.
The finished feeder should look like this:
You'll need to syringe the formula out very slowly, maybe drip by drip till she gets the hand of it, if it comes out of her nostrils or drips out of her mouth you're going to fast. Also it is quite easy to get it into their lungs, if this happens, hold the kitten upside down until she stops coughing. The kitten will need to be fed every 3-4 hours day and night.
I always boil my equipment for 5 minutes in between uses.
Did your kitten receive any milk at all from the mother? The first milk contains the colostrum, important antibodies which help protect the baby from illness during her first weeks. If she hasn't had this you need to be ultra vigilant about hygiene. Wash your hands and use alcohol hand gel on your hands before handling the kitten or its food.
Also you will need to stimulate the baby to go to the toilet, the mother usually does this by licking the kitten's abdomen, genitals and bottom. I use damp cotton wool to imitate the mother's action. Stimulate the kitten until it has passed urine and faeces, they are unable to do this on their own.
If you think you don't have the time to give the kitten the overwhelming time and care it needs, ask your local shelter to take her.
Check out the kitten websites, as I said, google 'orphaned kittens' and it will bring up loads of results. Read all you can before making you descision.
Good luck!
I, personally would take the last kitten away from the mother to give it the best chance of survival. Put it into a cardboard box, with soft bedding and perhaps a teddy. The kitten must be kept warm, between 88 and 92 degrees F during her first week.
You really must 's get some milk into her. If you're feeding her with a pet feeding bottle and she's not suckling (my two won't suckle from a bottle), ask you vet for a syringe.
I'm using: a 3ml syringe, with the sheath for a hypodermic needle (obviously not the needle itself)
like this:
cut the white plastic tube off down to the snub, this will steady the milk flow, lessening the likelihood of the milk coming out too fast and drowning the kitten.
Next get the soft nozzle from a baby nasal aspirator (you can buy these in baby shops), this will be nice and soft for your baby to have in her mouth.
The finished feeder should look like this:
You'll need to syringe the formula out very slowly, maybe drip by drip till she gets the hand of it, if it comes out of her nostrils or drips out of her mouth you're going to fast. Also it is quite easy to get it into their lungs, if this happens, hold the kitten upside down until she stops coughing. The kitten will need to be fed every 3-4 hours day and night.
I always boil my equipment for 5 minutes in between uses.
Did your kitten receive any milk at all from the mother? The first milk contains the colostrum, important antibodies which help protect the baby from illness during her first weeks. If she hasn't had this you need to be ultra vigilant about hygiene. Wash your hands and use alcohol hand gel on your hands before handling the kitten or its food.
Also you will need to stimulate the baby to go to the toilet, the mother usually does this by licking the kitten's abdomen, genitals and bottom. I use damp cotton wool to imitate the mother's action. Stimulate the kitten until it has passed urine and faeces, they are unable to do this on their own.
If you think you don't have the time to give the kitten the overwhelming time and care it needs, ask your local shelter to take her.
Check out the kitten websites, as I said, google 'orphaned kittens' and it will bring up loads of results. Read all you can before making you descision.
Good luck!
I am sorry for the loss of the kittens.
So Pepper stays with the kitten, cleans her, keeps her warm - except the feeding part? Loss of body heat is another kitten killer along with no nourishment.
In my experience, if the kitten does not eat it means it is ill or too weak to nurse. Maybe Pepper senses this and that is why she is not being a perfect mom?
Even though the kitten is not an orphan, you can check this link. It says you can stimulate nursing by rubbing Karo syrup on its lips. There may be other tips to help the little girl survive.
Good luck and please let us now how it all turns out.
So Pepper stays with the kitten, cleans her, keeps her warm - except the feeding part? Loss of body heat is another kitten killer along with no nourishment.
In my experience, if the kitten does not eat it means it is ill or too weak to nurse. Maybe Pepper senses this and that is why she is not being a perfect mom?
Even though the kitten is not an orphan, you can check this link. It says you can stimulate nursing by rubbing Karo syrup on its lips. There may be other tips to help the little girl survive.
Good luck and please let us now how it all turns out.
Just thought, before commiting to raise her yourself, ask at your vets and shelter about finding a feline foster mother, maybe a cat who has lost her own babies.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #5
I want to thank you all for taking time to lend me your advice but sadly little lucky passed away this morning at 10 am only 5 days old. Lucky grew very weak last night, I checked her through out the night trying to get her to feed but she was just to weak, I tried again this morning and I knew she had gave up the battle so I just had to make her comfortable and shortly after she passed away. Pepper is extremly lost, I keep comforting her but there is not much I can do apart from call her and love her when she wonders the house crying for her baby, she keeps laying in the last spot she was with her, it is very sad.
I just want to thank you once again for your help.
Thank you.
I just want to thank you once again for your help.
Thank you.
I am sorry this has happened, and that you had to find out the hard way why it is so important cats are spayed. To help Pepper, you could give her a soft toy, she might feel some comfort in that. Do talk to your vet about when it is best to have her spayed, and make sure she can't get out before then, she may come into heat and will then do her best to get out. Good luck, and RIP babies.
Aww, I'm sorry, poor mummy. Give her lots of love and get her spayed as soon as its safe to.
to you and poor Pepper.
to you and poor Pepper.
I'm so sorry. I can't imagine how sad that is to witness.
I almost wonder if the kittens had some kind of problem or deformity and that's why she was rejecting them. I think it's pretty common for animals to do that. Then again she could have just been a clueless new mom.
I almost wonder if the kittens had some kind of problem or deformity and that's why she was rejecting them. I think it's pretty common for animals to do that. Then again she could have just been a clueless new mom.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #9
I want to thank you for your lovely messages it brings comfort in the fact that people do care. This was in fact Peppers 2nd litter, her first was almost a year and a half ago, but being ignorant I didn't get her spayed believing that she had experienced being a Mum and the urge wouldn't be so strong, Pepper did come into heat but she never went looking for a Tom till before having her last litter, she got out some how prob with the kids coming in and out, and suprisingly she fell pregnant by the same tom so we belived all would be ok as the last 3 kittens were beautiful and she took such great care of them, everything was by the book. This time the kittens seemed alot smaller so I think they may have been premature, as I mentioned 3 were still born, Pepper layed on one of them and little Lucky the fighter who unfortunatly just grew so weak. It has been a very sad day and I have to keep comforting Pepper as she is roaming the house doing her very soft meow she would do with the kittens, I will try a teddy and see how that goes I may even look at getting a kitten to keep her company but before that I will have her spayed as this is something I don't want neither of us to go through and for my 4 year old son he has been very saddend by Peppers loss.
Once again Thank You and I wil let you's know how Pepper is doing.
Take Care
Once again Thank You and I wil let you's know how Pepper is doing.
Take Care
I hope you can find something to comfort her, and I am glad that she is going to get spayed now - there are a multitude of reasons why she could have had issues this time round, you will just never know.
