My kitty mickey had 4 kittens 2 days ago. 2 white kittens, and 2 gray kittens. One gray kitten was still born and the other is healthy and nursing all on its own. The 2 white kittens are struggling. They wont nurse off mom even with help. They arent latching. I went to walmart yesterday and got krm and a nursing bottle and dropper and have been feeding them every hour to two hours. They seem to be getting a little better but still pretty weak and still not latching to mom. One of them keeps going very stiff for a minute or two and then relaxes again. Could it be seizures? so stressed!!!
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3 kittens, 2 days old, 2 not nursing
- Thread starter mickey kitty
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I will try to get someone with experience to answer you. Good luck.
We will have several people offering help very soon.
If you are hand feeding the kittens two things are very important. It is dangerous to feed a kitten on its back as it can inhale milk this way and if even a little drop gets in it will get pneumonia and die. They should be belly down, head slightly raised. And they must be warm in order to nurse, warm either from mom's body or a heating pad or similar.
Secondly kittens under 3 weeks of age need to be manually stimulated to pee or they will just hold it until their bladders burst and then they will die of this. This is easy to do. One just wets a paper towel with warm water and rubs their urethra and anus with it over a trash can or similar and they will let loose. This should be done until they are finished. This should be done after every meal.
Videos and constructional links below.
Bottle feeding:
Stimulating to pee: http://www.maddiesfund.org/Maddies_...re_How_to/Stimulating_an_Orphaned_Kitten.html
and written info at http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Kitten-Poop
If you are hand feeding the kittens two things are very important. It is dangerous to feed a kitten on its back as it can inhale milk this way and if even a little drop gets in it will get pneumonia and die. They should be belly down, head slightly raised. And they must be warm in order to nurse, warm either from mom's body or a heating pad or similar.
Secondly kittens under 3 weeks of age need to be manually stimulated to pee or they will just hold it until their bladders burst and then they will die of this. This is easy to do. One just wets a paper towel with warm water and rubs their urethra and anus with it over a trash can or similar and they will let loose. This should be done until they are finished. This should be done after every meal.
Videos and constructional links below.
Bottle feeding:
Stimulating to pee: http://www.maddiesfund.org/Maddies_...re_How_to/Stimulating_an_Orphaned_Kitten.html
and written info at http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Kitten-Poop
You got good advices already. What kmr do you use? Dropper is usually easier with such small kittens than a bottle.
The stiffing doesnt sound good... May be seizures. Unless it was protest if you feed them on the back (which is dangerous). Anyway, just to fight on and hope for the best...
How they thrive and gain, a good help for knowing is to weigh them every day, at the same time. An electronical scale measuring in grammes is easier.
Walmart has cheap kitchen scales, they tell me.
Is the mom taking care of them otherwise? Washing, stimulating, warming up? I understand they are too weak to nurse, but the other needs?
If not you must do it yourself, including stimulating as said above, and actively keeping them warm. Having them at your chest is a good trick.
Good luck! *vibes!*
The stiffing doesnt sound good... May be seizures. Unless it was protest if you feed them on the back (which is dangerous). Anyway, just to fight on and hope for the best...
How they thrive and gain, a good help for knowing is to weigh them every day, at the same time. An electronical scale measuring in grammes is easier.
Walmart has cheap kitchen scales, they tell me.
Is the mom taking care of them otherwise? Washing, stimulating, warming up? I understand they are too weak to nurse, but the other needs?
If not you must do it yourself, including stimulating as said above, and actively keeping them warm. Having them at your chest is a good trick.
Good luck! *vibes!*
ps. If your vet is good at handling small weak kittens, you can ask him too. He may have tips and resources.
The problem is, many vets arent used with helping small weak kittens.... They may help them for clear cut symptoms, but not of the fact they are weak...
So the standard advice to consult your vet doesnt work always...
In such cases an experienced rescuer, or even a good forum like ours, is better. And of course, dedicated wholehearted work by the owner herself.
The problem is, many vets arent used with helping small weak kittens.... They may help them for clear cut symptoms, but not of the fact they are weak...
So the standard advice to consult your vet doesnt work always...
In such cases an experienced rescuer, or even a good forum like ours, is better. And of course, dedicated wholehearted work by the owner herself.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #6
Mickey is stimulating them amd taking care of them otherwise. They just wont latch to feed. I made sure to read how to feed them before hand. My vet just says to continue feeding by hand until they start to nurse from mom.
OK good!
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #8
They didnt make it. The gray kitten is still good. Eating all the time on her own. The two white ones didnt make it. Vet said lumgs weren't developed all the way so they were having a hard time breathing.
Aww, that is so sad, poor little punkins. It happens, as you know I'm sure.
It's impossible to know what might be happening when they are so young, but not latching on is bad right from the start.
Without that drive to nurse and live/thrive, from the start will quite often have the same outcome.
Glad you do have one that is healthy and nursing well.
Good luck.
It's impossible to know what might be happening when they are so young, but not latching on is bad right from the start.
Without that drive to nurse and live/thrive, from the start will quite often have the same outcome.
Glad you do have one that is healthy and nursing well.
Good luck.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #10
Thank you. We decided that we are going to keep this one. We named her Minnie. Mickeys daughter Minnie. 
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Oh, that's adorably sweet. Very nice little mini family
Im sorry to hear it. RIP little ones.
I did suspected they were somewhat premature, so its always a fight upphill. But as long the owner is fighting on, and mom accepting them, there is a chance.
Minnie is clearly the strongest of them all, and with a strong will to live, also the ability for life. As she showed it from beginning. Go on Minnie!
I am thinking. Mickey seems to be an excellent mother. and for Minnie (and Mickey) it may be better to have a couple of siblings. It is easier to foster them, an alone kitten is often a pest for her mom.
You perhaps want to look if there are some small kittens needing a foster mom?
It may be a very big litter too big for a small mom to handle. Or a litter where mom had some accident... And is no more, or, cant take care of them.
With a little luck, it may become a win-win situation.
Just make sure you are reasonably sure they are healthy. You dont want to draw contagion on your residents. If for example, the fosterlings mom or siblings did died of distemper or something similiar... such cases happens.
Ask your vet, he perhaps knows such needy case nearby.
Good luck!
I'm sorry that you lost the others, but very happy for Minnie and her happy life ahead!
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #14
Weighted Minnie yesterday. 140 grams at 3 days old. She is doing very well and Mickey actually likes when we get keep her warm on our laps. She takes the time to play with Smokey our male car amd eat and stretch out. We are very happy. Talked to a local shelter about fosters needing a momma kitty. Waiting a reply.
This is an excellent idea, kittens really do need littermates to learn correct playing and how to interact with other cats, and will determine how they do with other cats for the rest of their lives. Often times an only kitten will play rough with you, biting and scratching hands, etc.
As littermates progress into playing after 3 weeks old, they will pounce and wrestle the others, and the underdog will cry out, which signals the top guy to let up. They learn the limitations of what's too much and what's fine basically.
AND you will likely be saving other babies by plugging them in to momma)
Great weight btw, she should gain a good 10 grams per day, or close to it.
As littermates progress into playing after 3 weeks old, they will pounce and wrestle the others, and the underdog will cry out, which signals the top guy to let up. They learn the limitations of what's too much and what's fine basically.
AND you will likely be saving other babies by plugging them in to momma
)Great weight btw, she should gain a good 10 grams per day, or close to it.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #16
Update. Momma and baby minnie are doing great! Didnt have any litters that needed fosters at the time so we didnt get to do that but minnie is doing great on her own. Mickey loves when we hold her. She goes off amd plays with our other cat for a bit amd relaxes
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