Should I worry...

Hi all. Our cat had kittens 5.5 weeks ago. There are 4 of them and they are pretty cute. One of them has this thing where he (almost) always has it's head tilted to one side. He is also more wobbly than the others.

When they were born, the last one had a membrane covering it's whole face (couldn't breathe). I removed the membrane but I didn't pay attn to which one it was.

The mother cat hasn't abandoned it.

Could this be a sign of some sort of brain damage?

This is my 7yr old son's fav. kitten (mine too) so we are probably gonna keep him/her/it.

Also, how long should they be nursing? I figured about 6 wks.

Thanks,
Kevin

They should stay with their mother until they are 10-12 weeks old.

I advise getting that kitten to the vet ASAP to determine what is wrong. It's possible it's neurological, or that there is something going on that needs medical attention.

WOW! My wife thought only 6 weeks (we had several litters of puppies and they are 6-8 weeks). This is our first dealing with kittens.

Kevin

Kittens need to stay with mom until 10-12 weeks to learn how to behave (often, "terror cats" are ones who were seperated from mom too early).

Originally Posted by white cat lover

Kittens need to stay with mom until 10-12 weeks to learn how to behave (often, "terror cats" are ones who were seperated from mom too early).

Click to expand...

This explains a lot about Morgan.
Nuf said.

Originally Posted by psycho_dad

WOW! My wife thought only 6 weeks (we had several litters of puppies and they are 6-8 weeks). This is our first dealing with kittens.

Kevin

Click to expand...

Actually puppies are 8-10 weeks. Puppies should never ever leave their mothers until they are 8 weeks old.

Sounds like he might have a little brain damage, or an inner ear infection. I hope everything is OK. He could probably do OK even if he is a little wobbly. It's good that you want to keep him and take care of him.

Could be an ear infection, could be something more serious. I'd get him to the vet and have him evaluated. Also kittens will nurse up to 8-12 weeks old, so you really should keep everyone together for a good 10-12 weeks at the minimum.

Its more then weaning and using the litter pan. They need important social and behavior time with mom and siblings to be well-adjusted kittens that will be ok in their new homes.

I have had kittens like that. One in a litter, and then the whole next litter. They got better in time. After I treated with antibiotics I had no more kittens like that. It was some sort of infection but none of the vets knew what was causing the problem.

Well, we're gonna keep him regardless. They are all black & white and fluffy. My son wants to keep them all. Not gonna happen!

Kevin

Welcome to TCS So glad you're gonna keep this little guy! Please let us know what the vet says. Also, when you can, we'd love photos.

Thanks for all the info! My wife just asked me something that I have no idea about. Approx. how old before the kittens start to purr?

Kevin

I had a cat that had a head injury that made him a little wobbly. He was fine, and wonderful, loving cat that was my buddy for 18 years. He was my alpha cat, wobbly or not, he kept the others very kindly in line. He was the most affectionate cat I have ever had. I am glad you are keeping your wobbly little guy, some people would think of that as a problem and not want him. Does he have a name yet?

Kittens can start eating dry food at 6 weeks but they still need to stay with their mother for a few more weeks. She keeps them in line and lets them know what is and not acceptible. Plus interaction with their littermates helps them get the knowledge they need for their new home. Just becuase they don't NEED to nurse doesn't mean they are ready to go out by themselves.

As for the purring, 5 out of the 6 cats we have had to be bottle fed (mother abondoned them or was killed). When they saw the bottle the purring started but it's very faint in such little bodies. Check and see if they are purring when they are nursing from their mom. At that point, I think purring as more to do with food than with petting.

I'm so glad you're keeping the little one. I agree thought, have the vet check it out and see if it is an infection in one ear. Some kittens just develope faster than others, and there is always a runt in the mix (I'm a sucker for the runt!). If the mother hasn't abandoned her yet, that is a very good sign. Hopefully it's just an ear infection.

And BTW...we want PICS!!!!!

To All : Thanks for the info.

Some ppl have PM'd me, but this board is new to me so I didn't write back (Sorry)- the next thing I am gonna do is try to get some pics up. I will have to re-read one of the PMs as it listed how to do it.

When I do get up some pics, they will have been taken with my phone so I don't know how they will look.

Anyway, I do think it is NOT brain damage because the little guy(?) is real rambunctios<sp?>... He is a big instigator, too. He runs around with the others, just as well, too. Except that he kinda goes off-course with the head tilt

We have not named any of them. Our other cat's names are Hemi & Holley - i.e. the Dodge Hemi engine (purrs a lot) and Holley Carbs. This one will be a car or car part, too.

Hemi is an outside cat and he is hardly ever around. But, Holley is an inside cat and, this one will also be.

I will try to get some pics up soon (hopefully tonight).

Kevin

Hmmm... It's dark & grainy but, here you go. I will have to get more, too - with better lighting!

This is not the one with the tilted head.





Kevin

Even if he runs around fine, it could still be brain damage. I know of a family friend who has a kitten that the kid was tired of after mom "gifted" it to him, so he kicked the living daylights out of it. The kitten suffered severe brain damage, but runs around...completely acts normal.

Brain or neurological damage is a possibility. However, take a look in his ears. If one or both have dark, crusty, oily stuff in them, he may have either an ear infection or ear mites, or both.