Shunned Babies

fyreflair

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My cat just had kittens a few days ago, two stillborn and one didn't make it through the night, now she's shunning the other two who are still alive, she barely lays with them even while I'm in the room now, she ignores their cries and she seems to want nothing to do with them. I have KMR and am trying to feed them but I can't seem to get them to try and drink. If any one has any suggestions please I could really use the help.
 

StefanZ

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First, it is necessary they are warm enough beforey you try and feed them.

Second, you can try and perk some energy in them by smearing a little wet dextrose (=glucose sugar),

if you dont have it, honey or white caro syrup,  on their gum.

When their blood sugar is low, they lose forces.  Or if they are chilled.

continuing.

Third.   Use a dropper, it may be easier.  Drop by drop if so is.

Fourth.  They may be dehydrated now. So begin with water / pedialyte or a very diluted kmr.

A good home made basic pedialyte is:

continuing.

1,5 soup spoon (15grammes) dextrose or honey or white caro syrup

1 tea spoon (3grammes) kitchen salt

   -  you can also add a trifle of bicarbonate (baking soda) if you have, not necessary.

1 litre water.    Stir up and sterilise by boiling, let it be body warm, use.

Another, similiar reciept is

1 litre of rice water after well boiled rice

1 tea spoon (3grammes) of kitchen salt.

If you have different kitchen salts, use the "minerale" with both Na and K and Mg salts.

But common kitchen salt, with just Na  is OK.

5.  You can massage them!   Carry them at your chest is useful and helps often.

Use your imagination and intuition.

You "should" contact your vet, sorrowfully many vets arent good at saving small kittens...  But they can surely help you with injecting fluid  under their skin, helps nicely against dehydration.

6.  They MAY be dying anyway, it is probably why mom doesnt care much any longer...  She understands the fight is over.

But human help often helps in such cases, so if you want they have a chance, YOU must fight.

Please continue with reports and questions!

Good luck!
 
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fyreflair

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Because of their young age I'm using a dropper, and diluted KMR. They still don't seem to want it and get very distressed when I try to give it to them. As far as I can tell I don't think they are dehydrated yet, the mother was going in and feeding them as long as I would take her in there and set her down with them and sit there, but now she just walks away and ignores them. I've been using a hot water bottle and just recently found my heating pad so I've been very vigilant about keeping them warm.

Now the dextrose is something I completely forgot. I'm going to have to try that see if it'll help.

So far since they wouldn't eat from me I actually had to hold down the mother to keep her in the box. I worry though that that will just cause her to shun them even more and I don't want to do it. I wasn't really rough with her but I did coax her into laying down and have my hand hovering over her scruff for when she would try to take off (usually after only 5 minutes) 

Also if I do manage to get her to lay with them at least to feed about how long should she be laying there so that they get enough?
 

StefanZ

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Also if I do manage to get her to lay with them at least to feed about how long should she be laying there so that they get enough?
Preferably till you see they are done with the eating, and get to sleep.

If they get enough?, the only sure way to know is to weigh them every day, preferably in grammes.  So you see if they gain or not.

A trick to get them take bottle or dropper may be, they are lying on their tummy, head up, as usual.

you give bottle dropper with one hand, the other hand you held over them, like an cozy umbrella.

One of our forumites discovered this in the far India.

Good luck!

EDIT a couple of unclearances.
 
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fyreflair

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Thanks a ton, I wrote down that recipe and I plan on trying it here in a little while. (Just got done with making mama stay in there. They were asleep when she got up to leave.)

 I honestly would contact my vet but they tend to give me the run around so I'm in search for a new vet. 

I have been massaging them and holding them to my chest. I know the sound of a heartbeat is calming and figured that trick was worth a shot to try and calm them down before feeding them. 

I don't think they are dying, namely due to their amount of energy and growth rate. But you may be right since sometimes the mother can sense thing that us humans can't immediently detect, but I figured that they need a chance at least. That's why I'm trying so hard to save them.
 
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fyreflair

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Also thanks for the tip about the dropper, when the next feeding time comes around I'll use that trick see if it does any good.
 

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In addition to  all Stefans good advice,   some more details  I want to repeat  that they need to be kept warm.    if the mom is not lying with them they can get chilled. They can' maintain their  body temperature.   If they get too chilled their organs stop working right and they cannot digest  the food and it is dangerous to feed them then. 

  So you need either a heated pet bed or a human heating pad turned on low and wrapped up in a towel or fleece blanket,  then put in side a pillow case,   (    If you use a pad,  make sure it does not cover all the bottom of the box,  only half,  so if they get too warm they can crawl off it to the cooler part. ) 

 or take some plastic bottles and fill with hot water and wrap in towels an arrange around the edges of the nest.  ( obviously if you use bottles you will have to keep re-filling them..
 
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fyreflair

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Thanks Maewkaew, I originally was using water bottles and was refilling them as needed but I finally found my heating pad so yay on that. I knew right away that I had to keep them warm since for some reason mama was being neglectful to them so I got on that right away. But it's still good advice.
 
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fyreflair

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Now I'm beginning to get upset. Ryu the mama is willingly letting some of the other young cats nurse but not the ones who need it. I'm beginning to get at a loss =(
 

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Now I'm beginning to get upset. Ryu the mama is willingly letting some of the other young cats nurse but not the ones who need it. I'm beginning to get at a loss =(
You perhaps must keep mom and the two needing kittens for themselves, in their own room.

I presume the other young cats you mention are from another mom?  Or Ryu´s  earlier litter?
 
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fyreflair

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StefanZ, I actually tried that, that made it a little worse. I put her and the newborns in the bathroom by themselves and that made her paw and scratch at the door because she doesn't like feeling trapped. And yes they are from a previous litter. 

Things may either get better or worse after recent events though. The newborns were actually feeding with mama willingly staying there but something startled her and she shot up out of the box the babies still attached. This caused one of the two's neck to break and I didn't have a way to save him...
 he's crossed to the Rainbow Bridge now. Since then she has been in and out of the box more often and staying for longer periods of time but I don't know if it'll last.

Extra update-- The last survivor of this litter is named Lucky and he is staying part of the family. 
 

StefanZ

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Life is so fragile. And especielly the life of babies.  This is the reason life is such a precious gift given to us, to try and keep and beware.

Good luck!
 

vball91

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Sorry to hear another newborn didn't make it. Many vibes for Lucky.

You may have posted this already in another thread, but any plans to get Ryu spayed? It really sounds like she could use a break (permanently) from having litters.
 
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fyreflair

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Sorry to hear another newborn didn't make it. Many vibes for Lucky.

You may have posted this already in another thread, but any plans to get Ryu spayed? It really sounds like she could use a break (permanently) from having litters.
Thanks, I appreciate it. And she had originally had an appointment to get fixed but went into heat before the date. My boyfriend and I have the house locked up pretty tight to keep our male cat  Rascal inside but he is much bigger than Ryu and she managed to slip out a crack he could't fit into and got outside. When I finally found her she was pregnant. That won't happen again, sealed every crack that even the littlest of the first litter (the runt) could get through. But thanks for asking though, I know she needs a permanent break from having kittens, the way I'm feeling so do I, unless I start helping out a shelter (possible future plans)
 
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