Flat Chested Kitten Syndrome??

Cut it out @Mani  !! It's almost embarrassing!  

I cut up a padded envelope!  

catwoman707 Ok, I can do that! I'm sorry I didn't reply sooner, I just found out I have pneumonia so I've been sleeping any chance I get. Kinda hard with 5 kids plus my little guy to check on. I really appreciate your example and I think that will be more comfortable for him to wear instead of the one I have. You're a life saver. I'll make it tomorrow morning as soon as I wake up. I'll take a photo of his little butt in it too, so we can both be so proud of your art.

mani Your kitty gives me so much hope. I am definitely keeping this boy, he completely stole my heart. Where do I sign up for the crazy cat lady club? I also kidnapped a cat off the street a week ago and keeping her in our spare room. She is too skinny to be out in the cold.

Well. I think I should change his name to Fonzie.

I found that the part that goes by his head and neck, isn't necessary to use supports since his ribcage is only behind his legs. I put them in anyways but it makes it kind of hard to lift his head. He's walking up and off his belly now. Excited!

PS: I used a plastic bubble mailer, and cut a baby sock to make a shirt as cushion.

fatedone said:

Well. I think I should change his name to Fonzie.

I found that the part that goes by his head and neck, isn't necessary to use supports since his ribcage is only behind his legs. I put them in anyways but it makes it kind of hard to lift his head. He's walking up and off his belly now. Excited!

PS: I used a plastic bubble mailer, and cut a baby sock to make a shirt as cushion.

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What a neat bit of work you have done with this little 'jacket'; I am so impressed!   I've been reading your thread these past few days and your kitten looks to be a determined little guy here and is really lucky to have you taking care of him, along with a vet who has some knowledge of the condition.  'Fonzie' looks comfortable in his new jacket - how is his breathing doing?  

BTW, he has such a wise face here it is hard to believe he is such a young kitten!  He has a furry little Yoda face, esp with that expression!     

MServant said:

What a neat bit of work you have done with this little 'jacket'; I am so impressed!   I've been reading your thread these past few days and your kitten looks to be a determined little guy here and is really lucky to have you taking care of him, along with a vet who has some knowledge of the condition.  'Fonzie' looks comfortable in his new jacket - how is his breathing doing?  

BTW, he has such a wise face here it is hard to believe he is such a young kitten!  He has a furry little Yoda face, esp with that expression!  :heart4:   

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You know, I had been stressing out for days before the delivery (mom was supposedly spayed so I was rushed for researching kitten care). I felt very uneasy that something was wrong. When they were born over 3 days, I knew in my heart that I was right. Only the first two survived. So, I was really determined to have the last two really thrive, and especially this little guy. Although EXTREMELY stressful, it has been quite a rewarding experience. The jacket credit goes to catwoman707 lol. She's been there helping me through this. He can walk around in it and his breathing is around 45rpm (resting)! He does indeed have a wise face! Sadly my husband thinks he looks evil and resembles a lycan. I'm excited to see his permanent color, he is getting grey hairs on the bottom of his feet and behind his ears!

@fatedone   Lycon?   Nooooo!!!  He's way too cute!     That's how come Fonzie suits him.   :-D   

My heart is still in my mouth with your little guy as he is so young and his breathing still fast, but like Catwoman707 has said, getting through the first 3 weeks is a significant milestone.  I remember posting in a thread recently with a little one who had the same rib condition (though I don't think they were prem'),  only to find myself in another thread by them a matter of weeks later when the kitten had grown and got somewhat stronger to the point they were racing about the place driving everyone crazy with their energy!  I'm sure @Mani  will remember them too.       I would love nothing more than to see something similar from you because at this stage the thought of getting to a point where you have sleepless nights due to endless play time is something you can dream of and hope for.   

I'm sure you will, but remember and keep a close eye on your little jacket each day and adjust as soon as it looks a little tight or uncomfortable around his shoulders or chest:  it needs to leave comfortable room for growth and not press on any nerves around his foreleg joints at the same time as maintaining pressure at the sides of his ribs and keeping his chest free of pressure.  

mservant LOL. My husband is wonky. He loves cats but makes fun of them endlessly. I hope we can get through this as well as Mani and the other family have, because I just LOVE this little guy! Fonzie it is then, the jacket is too funny so it kind of comforts me that he is stylin' and being fixed up. I'll keep an eye on his jacket daily since he's growing like a weed. Thank you so much for your kind words!!!!! Is there a way to search for that thread about the fcks success you mentioned?

Piper here looks more like a kitten than her big (little) brother. She's just a regular ball of fluffy sunshine.

Ha ha, Piper just knows she's got to be a real honey to get attention because her brother is such a cutie.      Look at that little face of hers....        They are too sweet all snuggled up there.  

I'll see if I can find anything in my old subscriptions for the other threads. 

Ah ha!  I always knew there was a good reason for not 'managing' my subscriptions.  

Here you are.  This is one of the earliest threads about the kitten I remembered most recently, but there are others through last year as she grew and developed.  The op' doesn't look to have been logged in for a few months but you might find it interesting to read the threads they started:

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/280614/shortened-ribs-on-2-month-old-kitten/0_100

mservant Ohhhh you're a life saver! I've subcribed to one of Luvmycats threads so I can go back to reference things and if I start to feel discouraged! THANK YOU!!!!

I am not going to sugar coat this so it will seem harsh. I really believe Piper had some blame in this. She is constantly sleeping on his neck and shoulder area, I just came to this conclusion today because she couldn't stay on top of him because of his jacket and was yowling and complaining about it. I won't tell her that it's her fault though, lol. This is their usual sleeping position, although this was a week ago I think when the photo was taken.

Oh how I love seeing him in his little jacket and t-shirt, what a stinkin dollcake he is!!

His breathing is down a bit, this is of course very good, just need to keep that pressure off of his lungs/chest as much as possible.

The supports don't need to be up to his neck/shoulder area, but along the sides, not too short though since you will be relying on them for the support as they are drawn together in front to squeeze his ribs a bit.

Looks like you've got gthe right thing going on here!! 

His face is thinner and makes him look older due to his early birth, and will fill out by the time he is about 4 weeks.

His fur too, he is still behind his sister by about a week, even though he wasn't a week early, but it puts them behind a bit more.

Love hearing all of this and seeing his little pics, and I LOVE the white/silver fur behind his ears! How cute is he?!

Thank you for your kind comments, I am so glad to be able to help.

Ha ha, I think maybe his sister is using her natural instint to heal with her tiny kitten purrs (even though no one will hear her I'm sure she is willing them to heal her brother).      Nice twist that his jacket is to protect him from his sister's hugs.   Don't they look adorable all curled up together - or more acuarately Fonzie being squished by his sibling.         

@fatedone I've been away for a couple of days.. Things are looking so good! 

Sundar did run around like a mad thing.. I actually encouraged a lot of activity as it works the diaphragm and that helps to push on and expand the ribs.  Not too much, of course, but kittens tend to be self-regulating (manic, eat, sleep, repeat )

Please keep us posted..

Would you guys believe that catwoman707's jacket is working already? I took it off to see if it needed adjusted, and it didn't! I felt his ribs and he is A LOT ROUNDER. I will post photos in the morning. His breathing is at 35rpm!!!!! I am so full of hope now! I didn't expect it to start it's work in two days time. He is up and and walking and even came out of the nest to play with his running sister! I feel like they are too little and young for this play stuff. Not even 3 weeks old! I have you guys to thank for my excitement. Thank you so much!

YES!  How good is that! He's only a baby and developing fast, and ribs can be surprisingly flexible.

Fatedone, I just wanted to jump in here and say how freakin awesome you are!!!!

    Well done @fatedone      Keep up with the regular checks so your sprouting kitten gets a larger jacket as soon as he needs to expand width-ways too, they really do grow fast and the bones are so soft you want to keep the pressure on the right bits as he does this.  

I am SO happy for you that he is looking lively and his respiratory rate is coming down noticeably.   I feel a little celebratory dance coming on.

mani This is the first I've taken it off and I've left his little shirt on to show the roundness better. What do you think?

misterwhiskers Thank you, but the credit goes to these fine folks for helping me when I thought all was lost!

mservant I'm sure I'll have to make a new one tomorrow or the next day. He's such an amazing little guy!

catwoman707 Look at this! Beaming with happiness!

fatedone said:

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• fatedone
• Jan 19, 2015

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• fatedone
• Jan 19, 2015

@Mani This is the first I've taken it off and I've left his little shirt on to show the roundness better. What do you think?

@misterwhiskers Thank you, but the credit goes to these fine folks for helping me when I thought all was lost!

@MServant I'm sure I'll have to make a new one tomorrow or the next day. He's such an amazing little guy!

@catwoman707 Look at this!

Beaming with happiness!

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Okay now you have me all teary eyed!! Chills even, I could NOT possibly be beaming with smiles and happiness anymore than right this minute!!

Yaaaay!!

Be veeeery careful with the size and adjusting, we don't want to overdo it and cause problems that way either.

PERFECT!! Well done @fatedone  !! 

Made my day alot brighter