Questions on kitten care

New here and found this site some time ago. I am finally getting around to asking my question (s).

My female, who will be spayed after this litter, has one litter before. ALL of them died right between the third and fourth week. I tried using kitten formula. By the time I saw one fading, I know now, it was too late. They each began refusing to eat and gradually weakened. I had no idea what was going on.

This time.. and there is a "this time" because I am disabled and spread thin at home too.. I have prepared to use Bene-Bac gel at birth and thereafter supplementing with that and KMR kitten formula. Mom.. is a great cat, a domestic longhair/Maine Coone mix, but she moves them too much. I think she really does NOT like, at all, my two grandkids coming to look at the kittens. Really... she only wants me then and even right now, does not want others in the family she normally loves, to even touch her. Just me.

Anyway, besides moving then repeatedly last time, she took great care of them, but then they just didn't see to be getting enough nutrition I think.

So I ask.. will the Benebac gel be useful? When should I begin to supplement with kitten formula? And... can anyone guess why the kittens faded away in the last litter?

It was a huge disappointment. I own two cats... both indoor cats with a cat door so they can go out to potty. My male is a Ragdoll/Maine Coone mix. The kittens were gorgeous and I am probably not going to want to let one go if any survive out of this litter. I've owned and loved cats all my life since a young child and almost 62 yo now.

My husband has promised he will make sure both adult cats will be spayed and neutered when this is over. None of us can take cats in heat. Their behavior changes so dramatically. All we want now is to have out pets be happy, healthy and safe and the kittens to survive.

She is less than a week away from giving birth. I thought I'd put this post up for feedback now and call our vet as well for advice. At this point, I am not sure whether to try and take care of the kittens myself or take them to the vet if I see one begin to fade. I am just not sure what to do cause though I've owned cats before, I've never seen this happen before.

Thanks for any input you have to offer.

Do these kittens have the same father as the earlier litter? If so, it could be a bloodtype issue unless you have had the parents tested and are sure they are suitable for each other? (Mom having B and sire having A can cause the kittens to die). Then you can avoid the deaths by bottle feeding the kittens for the first 24hours of their life, they can die if they nurse from the mother. Weigh the kittens twice per day to make sure they are gaining weight.
What size were the previous kittens when they were born? I'm also a bit concerned.. Have you tested your cats for HCM? If they have Maine Coon and Ragdoll in them, that could be an issue aswell.

If your male is still unneutered, you should get him fixed now. He can get the female pregnant again as soon as she's had the kittens and can produce even 2months after the neutering.

Welcome to the Forums!

Agreeing with NorthernGlow, I want to add some.

Yes, stressing mom is not good. Her moving a lot of the kittens, and her strongly protective attitude (moms ARE usually more or less protective - they SHALL be protective)... Thus - if the childs really want to see the family, they must do it on her premises. If she says no - dont let them.
I have seen example where the family children were really nice and well behaving girls, and the other cats - very frriendly. But the familys female had stress-related hair loss. She become well and healthy when she moved into another, childless family, and where she was the only cat.
Anyway, separating mom and kittens from others is rather standard.

You can and should fix the father NOW. You dont tell how he behaved. If he was one of these toms who was acting an extra mom. If not, prob he was also an extra source of stress... When he is neutered, chances are even bigger he will act extra mom.

You can also try with a Feliway diffuser. Cant harm, may do good.


Abouth the kitten fading. It may have been not enough with mother milk, but there are many other reasons too, as hinted above. "the fading kitten syndrome" is not unheard of...
You do mention vet. Talk also with your vet...

At the very least, talk with the vet as latest when they begin to be not well.
You ask: try to help them yourself or let the vet do it?
Most vets arent happy of themselves taking 24/7 care of sick kittens. IF they do, they may also take payment for it. (exceptions occur, where the payment is rather symbolic!).

So, with all probability he will NOT take care of them, but if shehe is any good, you can get medical treatment and good advices. A knowleable vet can also try with forcefeeding with a sond - this can often make wonders. Sond feeding is nothing for an amateur - but for a experienced, knowleable person it often makes an enormous difference.
Most vets vill also take blood tests and other tests... Sometimes much useful, sometimes more costly and tiring...
May help or may not.
Ask him all these questions when you are phoning - as you tell you are going to phone him already now.

In your case - you can perhaps already now try to see if there is a bad mix of parents blood groups. If no bad mix - it is of course good the kittens got moms milk from beginning.
If yes - you must act accordingly.
He will be spayed soon, so you can take the blood work on him at the same time...

About when to begin to extra feed: Like NorthernGlow said: the standard is to weigh them every day - good to do it twice a day, especielly as you worry - and then you will know for sure, without having to guess.
Practically all breeders do so, and most rescuers too.
You do observe them too of course. But handling them and weighing them makes it also easier to observe them, no?

Good luck!

How do you bottle feed a kitten?

Originally Posted by notjay

How do you bottle feed a kitten?

Click to expand...

You get a kitten-sized bottle or a feeding syringe and some kitten formula, and try to get them to take it. This is harder with newborns, easier as they get bigger. If they won't take a bottle, ask a vet about tube feeding.

Ok.. I am trying to absorb what I am reading. I know NOTHING about cat breeding, so yes... I am totally with you on getting my Ted neutered NOW and not waiting. Why am I waiting? I have no idea cause I KNOW waiting will mean certain death for him sooner rather than later and he is just the best cat anyone could ever hope for. He's like a dog, follows me in the yard, runs when called right to you. Kaya is the very same. Just great cats. I REALLY regret not having gotten them spayed and neutered already.

So I have no idea what this blood type business is about, so treat me like a child, even though I am 61 yo. I guess its too late to test them now? And yes... Ted is the same father as the litter before.

Now... early one the kittens do just great. They nurse and grow great, opened their eyes... toddle around until sometime around the time... between the 3rd and 4th week and I am thinking it seems like it was closer to the 4th week, they each began to just fade. They seemed weak, like not interested in suckling and just weakened and weakened until death.

I am completely miffed and scared I don't know what to do to save these babies coming soon. I would like to take them to the vet and say... SAVE THEM .. please!

I am presently armed with a can of KMR milk, already mixed and ready to use.. Its in a pop top can like a soda and a big can of powdered KMR kitten milk. I also have two baby bottles for kittens.. about 6 tubes of the Benebac gel and a bottle brush.

I am prepared to boil everything to sterilize just as I would for a newborn baby... and have prepared a secluded, clean quilted place in the closet of a bedroom not ever used. I have door propped open a bit for Mom to find available and another clean quilt ready to change after she delivers.

Should I strive to keep everything really clean? Could they have caught some bacteria? ugh... I am completely out of my element here. Babies and children... I am very good at and loving my cats.... a given. But raising baby kittens... this is something a professional should be doing.

Is there anything I can buy to have ready? Should I buy a vitamin supplement? I have already talked to my 5 and 7 yo grandchildren, who my husband and I adopted as babies, no going near kittens! I told them they may peek once or twice with me only and then no more until they are eating food on their own.

Does that sound about right?

Also... I used to know this stuff and it was easy for kittens when they are 8 weeks and older, but what DO you introduce to kittens first for feeding them outside of Mother's milk??

I am a nervous wreck about these kittens, because it was such a horrible thing watching these babies die, one after the other. I want to do all I can to stop it from happening again AND see to it each and every one of them is spayed or neutered before I even think of placing them in a new home.

btw... about getting Ted neutered. His personality won't change will it? He never sprays or marks in the house, but how long does it take for the smell to go down some, cause when we bathe him...whew!!

Originally Posted by azur199

btw... about getting Ted neutered. His personality won't change will it? He never sprays or marks in the house, but how long does it take for the smell to go down some, cause when we bathe him...whew!!

Click to expand...

He will of course still be the friendly, cosy cat he is. Prob even more. He will not be so much on his watch for female scents, or possible rivals. He will begin to play again... As he is not dominant, territorial male, his smell will weaken in a week (although he may be fertile a couple of weeks-a month more, so watch out).
Does he go around happily with his tail straigh up, somewhat wigging? No? - so you shall see him in this position...

To start them on solids, around 3 weeks of age I start offering a shallow dish of canned kitten food (Iams and Fancy Feast make decent kitten foods that are smooth and easily mixed. Every other brand I've tried is grainy and doesn't mix well) mixed with KMR to make a soupy mush. At first they just step in it and the mama cat eats the food, but eventually they get the idea. Around 5 or 6 weeks I leave a bowl of dry kitten food out, but I don't expect them to really eat it yet (mostly they play with it) and I continue offering the canned food/KMR mush until at least 9-12 weeks, gradually reducing the amount of KMR added. By then they're usually eating the dry food well, but of course I still give them one meal a day of canned food (like all my cats). About this time (3-4 weeks) is when to start putting out a shallow litter pan with non-clumping litter, because mama cats don't like cleaning up solid food poop . They'll need their first shots and de-worming around 6 weeks. Ask your vet exactly what age he thinks is best.

If the mama cat is doing well with nursing, don't think you have to bottle-feed the babies! Mother's milk is much better for them; only bottle-feed if absolutely necessary.

No, neutering shouldn't change your male's personality one bit, except maybe to make him cuddlier. He won't have to worry about fighting for breeding rights, so he'll probably be more relaxed.

If you haven't switched her food already, make sure your mama cat is eating kitten food. She needs the extra nutrients to make enough milk.

While you should keep the kids from handling the kittens excessively, make sure someone handles each kitten every day from birth (well, if mama cat is nervous, you can wait a few days, but no longer than a week). Touch their little paws and ears and tummies (gently of course!) So that they get used to being handled. This will make them much better pets in the long run.

Yes... I have had her on Purina Kitten Nurturing throughout and will keep her on it plus goodies from canned tuna or salmon each day while nursing and probably for a while after so she can build back up. Both cats are pretty hefty cats, so I like to keep them well fed.

Ted... yes... much of the time his tail is straight up and he is perky...but other times, especially if he is on the back deck for a while, he comes in tail down. There IS another intact male in the neighborhood and he comes around. Ted despises this of course.

I have already called our vet, but they were at lunch I guess. I am going to make him an appointment for as soon as possible.

The feeding instructions for the kittens is very helpful. I hope they will get to that point. As soon as I am able I will post pictures of everyone.

Originally Posted by azur199

So I have no idea what this blood type business is about, so treat me like a child, even though I am 61 yo. I guess its too late to test them now? And yes... Ted is the same father as the litter before.

btw... about getting Ted neutered. His personality won't change will it? He never sprays or marks in the house, but how long does it take for the smell to go down some, cause when we bathe him...whew!!

Click to expand...

If you have time, you can still have the mom's bloodtype tested, if it turns out to be B or you don't have time to take her to the vet before she's having the kittens, I'd suggest you bottle feed the kittens just in case for the first day, after that the mom can take care of them. Here is a short version of what the bloodtype incompatibility is all about: click
If you're taking your male to be neutered they can check his bloodtype then (if it turns out to be same as mommy's, then it's ok but if he's A and mom is B the bottle feeding will basically save the kittens unless there's something else wrong with them). While getting the male neutered, ask the vet to check him for HCM. Maine Coons and Ragdolls suffer from it a bit more than other breeds and they have their own mutations of it. I'd get the mom tested aswell if she indeed has Maine Coon in her. (HCM can be passed on to the kittens if one or both of the parents have it).

When I've neutered my boys, they have become calmer and more playful. The other one didn't have the typical male cat smell so no difference there, but the other actually lost his signature scent the next day after the neutering.

Just want to say thank you for all the advice. She has not yet had the kittens, but she is so huge, its got to be soon.

I will keep in touch about their well-being.