Worried about kitten weight evolution.

poes

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My kittens are already 9 days old... but one of them, what looks like a female is getting behind in terms of size and weight. She is still 160g. She didnt gain any weight in the last 4 days and im getting worried. Her behaviour is not as energetic compared to the others when it comes to sucking.

Is this normal? Should I start feeding her some extra milk? I got some last week just in case...
 

clynn11

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Most definitely if she hasn't gained weight in 4 days you should attempt to start supplementing with kitten replacement milk. A healthy kitten gains 10-20 grams a day and her being less energetic is a sign of her healthy declining.
 
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poes

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Well... i tried it, but it seems my skills are not good enough :( at first she didnt want... and then it looked like she was just moving her mouth with the feeding bottle inside... Afterwards I left her with her mum and she started to suck... but just for a little while :(

I think i need better instructions on how to do it :(
 
 

clynn11

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Alright here's what I know from experience, but i'm obviously no expert.

You want the kitten on their tummy, 4 paws on the ground or on your lap like they'd be laying nursing on momma. Don't put them on their back or upright because they can inhale the milk into their lungs. Sometimes if they're really tiny instead of a bottle you have to use a syringe to put a tiny drop in the side of their cheek, then allow them to swallow that, and continue doing that drop by drop so they can swallow each tiny amount without inhaling it. It's tedious and long work but hopefully that will work. Some of the really young ones just can't handle the nipple. Also, if it's still willing to latch on i'd hold it next to a nipple and kind of rub the side of it's mouth, i've noticed with my kittens they think it's their brother or sister coming to steal a nipple from them and they'll latch on. Hopefully that will work, just constant vigilance with supplemental feeding and latching the baby onto its momma every hour or so as well.

Also if the kitten starts to lose energy with feeding i've heard you can water down a little drop of syrup and rub it on their gums to give them an extra boost with the sugar.

Good luck, i'm sending good vibes for the little ones.
 

missymotus

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For young kittens an eye dropper or syringe is easier, or tube feeding - but get someone to show you how to tube.
You also need to carefully balance supp feeding so she will still want to feed from mum. Add a drop of Pet Nutri-Drops (http://www.bovidr.com/pets.html) to the formula too.
 
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poes

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Thanks, I have some syringes I got from the vet.

This morning i weight her, and she seems to have get some 0.3 - 0.5 oz (10-15g) in the last 12 hours. I will check her again this afternoon. She seems to be the only one sucking from the front nipples, but it looks she has a hard time finding the nipples, and then she tops sucking really fast, so I decided to shave some hair around the nipples to help her find them.
 

clynn11

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Yay! It is great great progress that she gained that weight in the last 24 hours! Hopefully this is a good sign!!! Definitely keep us updated!!
 
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