premature kitten

OK I'm new to this so here goes. I really need some advice My cat had her kittens according to tge vet two weeks early!! Only one survived. At first the mom would not have anything to do with it but now she is nursing he/she and cleaning her. Today makes the kitten two days old and as of right now she just wants to slerp and is not wanting to nurse so i fed her .75 ml Of cream and water out of a medicine dropper. Shes sleeping now but i notice the change from perkiness yesterday to sleepy today and im worried help please!!!!!!!

Hi! First I am very sorry this has happened.

First, cream is not something you should be feeding the kitten.  Can you get kitten milk replacer (KMR) or goats milk? If you are in the USA you should be able to find this at any major grocery store- Walmart, Target, local big supermarket, even some CVS/Walgreens.  Goats milk can also be found at many big grocery stores.

Using a medicine Dropper is good.  Once you have the KMR or goats milk you will want to feed her as much as she will eat every 2 hours. Overnight while you sleep, you can go to a 4 hour schedule if necessary, but during waking hours, with one so young and little, every 2 hours is necessary.

Have you weighed her? How much does she weigh? You should be weighing her every day at the same time to make sure she is gaining weight. Generally healthy kittens will gain .25 to .5 oz per day (7  to 15 grams).In this case it may be a little less but she should be gaining.

Other very important things: Make sure the kitten is kept warm at all times.  They cannot regulate their body temperature AT ALL.  It sounds like mom is doing this for the kitten right now but if she starts to reject the kitten you have to be prepared with a heating pad.  In the alternative you can keep the kitten against your own body for warmth. Kittens also can't go to the bathroom on their own.  Is mom doing this for the kitten? If not you will need to step in here too.

Good luck!

janice gruver said:

OK I'm new to this so here goes. I really need some advice My cat had her kittens according to tge vet two weeks early!! Only one survived. At first the mom would not have anything to do with it but now she is nursing he/she and cleaning her. Today makes the kitten two days old and as of right now she just wants to slerp and is not wanting to nurse so i fed her .75 ml Of cream and water out of a medicine dropper. Shes sleeping now but i notice the change from perkiness yesterday to sleepy today and im worried help please!!!!!!!

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Reading and thinking, will write soon, hold on

I asked a mod to move this to our Preg and Kitten forum, and also, to change the title to Premature kitten.

janice gruver said:

OK I'm new to this so here goes. I really need some advice My cat had her kittens according to tge vet two weeks early!! Only one survived. At first the mom would not have anything to do with it but now she is nursing he/she and cleaning her. Today makes the kitten two days old and as of right now she just wants to slerp and is not wanting to nurse so i fed her .75 ml Of cream and water out of a medicine dropper. Shes sleeping now but i notice the change from perkiness yesterday to sleepy today and im worried help please!!!!!!!

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Ok, the itten is hardly two weeks too early. It wouldnt be alive, or died seconds after delivery.   Three days premature, perhaps.  But its hard enough, and you have a fight uphill.

but fighting vigorously enough, there is a decent chance.

This sleepy sounds suspect.  You can perk in some energy by smearing a little good sugar on the gum.  Glucose sugar is best, brand names may be Dextrose or Dextropur.  There ara also sport tablets, they are flavored, but useful anywyas, with pure glucose sugar.

If you dont have it in a hurry, white caro syrup or honey, are also useful.  Both contain a lot of  glucose.  Even common sugar may be useful, but works must slower - it must be digested.

Tulosais post is good.  Keep her warm up at all costs.  If mom isnt caring very much, carry her at your chest.   And let her lay on a fleece, with heat pad under.

This cream and water is better than nothing and surely works as an emergency food.   Add perhaps a raw egg yolk too.

But  goat milk, preferably raw is much better.   Or some good kmr milk.  This made by PetAg, usully called KMR, in powder, is the best.

Give often, but not too much at once, so you are sure there are no refluxes.  If she swallows actively, you can give some more.

Her tummy down, head diagonally up, alike she would nurse from mom.   tthe dropper or a small syringe in the corner of the mouth, and slowly in.   If she swallows acitvely, you can give a little faster, if she doesnt swallow actively, very slowly.

Be sure she is warm enogugh when you give food!  They cant digest properly if cold.

This with smearing glucose sugar, you can do even if she isnt warm enough. Glucose suger goes into blood already in the mouth.

With prematures, the really safest is to feed them by a tube to the stomach.  The problem is, ist difficult and dangerous, nothing for a newbe.  And next problem is, quite a few vets do really know how to do it.  Most vets have just very little experience with helping weak kittens.

But if you DO have access to a vet who works much together with rescuers, or with breeders, try and get advices and help from him...

Another option is of course, if you do have an experienced rescuer nearby. Or breeder. Of cats, or dogs, or rabbits. Perhaps even of mices or rats.  They wont want to do the job for you, but they will surely be happy to give you advice, and perhaps even lend you gears.

Also, if necessary, ask your neigbours to lend you gears.  Like if they do have glucose sugar powder at home.  Or a mail scale to weith the kitten...

And of message for now.

Please come with reports, and questions.  Somebody of us is usually on hand, in our Preg and kitten forum.

Good luck!

The mom cat at first was rejecting her but now she's came round and is nurseing her cleaning her and everything but where the kitten is so tiny I don't let her sleep with mom I worry she may accidently sit on her or hurt her so I put the kitten in his own bed with a heat pad.

janice gruver said:

The mom cat at first was rejecting her but now she's came round and is nurseing her cleaning her and everything but where the kitten is so tiny I don't let her sleep with mom I worry she may accidently sit on her or hurt her so I put the kitten in his own bed with a heat pad.

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I understand. but if the mom has come around and is taking care, I think it is best to be with  them mom.  Do observe, but mom is usually best.  Its also a question of  feeling.  Feeling the alive mom gives the kitten extra strengh.  Its why it is so useful to carry orphans, and human or animal premies, at your chest.

Poor hospitals do have almost the same good statistics as top notch  hospitals with incubators and everything.   Their trick? They let the premature babies by carried at the mom chest. If mom cant, so some relative, neigbour or even personnel.

Mom warmth and love forever!

I'm just scared I guess. Reallyyyyy nervous at leaving her alone with mom cat. Is he has tried to pick her up and run with her but she dropped her!!! What if she hurts it??

OK I tried to set up a spot for her and the kitten in the bathroom and the bedroom closet but she refuses. She wants on tge bed with the kitten. Im assuming thats cuz i let her nurse beside me on tge bed. So should i juat lwt them stay their.im single so its just me in the bed.

janice gruver said:

OK I tried to set up a spot for her and the kitten in the bathroom and the bedroom closet but she refuses. She wants on tge bed with the kitten. Im assuming thats cuz i let her nurse beside me on tge bed. So should i juat lwt them stay their.im single so its just me in the bed.

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It may be the best solution, if you accept them having their place in your bed.

Other forumists has done so earlier.

Put a towel under her place, so it protects your matterace, and makes it easy to change now and then...  

I hope this kitten isnt too early, as it clearly hangs on, and mom maternal isntincts has kicked in.   If the kitten is very premature, the maternal instincts often dont kick in - wrong phase of hormones.

Also, get yoursel a scale measuring in grammes,  so you can follow the development - gaining is good, not gaining isnt good... 

Good luck!

OK the mom keeps sitting on the kitten so should I leave her alone overnight with the kitten?

I would really leave the mom with kitten if at all possible.  It  will be much easier for everyone if kitten can stay with mom unless you truly think kitten is in danger. Moms accidentially sitting on kittens is actually not uncommon.  What happens once she sits on her? Does she get off? Usually kitten will make a sound like get off of me and mom will be like ooops and get off, but if you genuinely fear for the kittens safety then you have to make a difficult decision.

Even though mom is feeding her now I really also hope you willl continue to suppliment this with a dropper,at least until you are sure the kitten is gaining good weight.

I am still feeding with the dropper as well. However I can't get out till Monday to get kitten milk and bottle so I'm still using cream and water. I give him 1 mil each time I feed him. I did this at 9:30 tonight and as I write this he is laying with his mom nursing. However he seems to fall asleep on the tit so I don't really know how much he's getting and I'm wondering if she's even got milk. Is it possible for her to not have any milk? And should I be switching tits cuz I put him on the same one all the time.

His falling asleep on the nipple is very normal.  Kittens this young do almost nothing but eat and sleep

It is possible but not very likely that she does not have milk.  The best way to tell if everything is okay is honestly just to keep weighing the kitten, every day, at the same time, and to keep supplementing.  As StefanZ said above the cream is better than nothing in a pinch but really if there is any way to get KMR or goats milk sooner than Monday that would be better-  most kittens are lactose intolerant so cream will only go so far to help them. 

You can rotate what nipple you put him by but most kittens become partial to one nipple all on their own anyway and will use that one primarily, so I don't think you are doing harm by putting him on one nipple.

Again, good luck with all of this.

Also, I mean this as gently as possible, but I sincerely hope you will consider getting mom spayed at the absolute first opportunity.

I am assuming that this mama kitty is young, possibly her first litter? She is most likely stressed about losing her kittens, feeling lost and thinking all is lost. Once she heard the lone kitten cry, I am sure her maternal instincts will return. If this is first litter, she is young, she is still a baby too!  You are her mother. She wants the security of being with you her caretaker. As long as you won't roll over on them, or can secure some sort of surround - a soft sided cat bed, whatever will keep them safely by your side, I really think things will fall in to place. Definitely get the KMR just in case. Be sure to warm the formula, and as previously said, kitten needs to stay warm, be warm when fed. Cold kitten, cold KMR equals certain fail. Good luck, I just really feel the little mama needs your reassurance and comfort of being near you. Remember you are still her rock!

janice gruver said:

 he seems to fall asleep on the tit so I don't really know how much he's getting and I'm wondering if she's even got milk. Is it possible for her to not have any milk? And should I be switching tits cuz I put him on the same one all the time.

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The problem is, we really dont know, unless you are weighitng him, and see if he gains.    Every 12 hours now, every 24 hours when he is stabilized.

Its fully possible she hasnt milk, if he is premature.  Its normally very rare they has no milk when they have normal delivery, but with premature, unsafe.

Also tihis with falling to sleep.  As Tulosai said, this is the normal.  But it depends on, if he falls to sleep after a good while, or almost immediatetely, being too week,...

We cant know if he has any real use of moms milk, or if it is mainly  something nice to do.

Also, being premature he probably suckle very weak.

So, please try to get some real kmr or goat milk - raw / fresh is best, but bottled or even in powder is OK.   Or some KMR.

If you cant leave the house, try perhaps to ask some neigbour go out and buy for you.  Also, lend you a mail scale.

They wll do it if you ask!

Also, its not sure he wants bottle, if he can nurse from mom.  Using such dosage syringe of 1 ml  or 3 ml, is easier.  or a dropper, as you has.

You say "kitten milk"  observe its not kitten milk as sold on the usual pet food shelves, type  Whiskas cat milk.  THIS milk is a treat.

You shall have kmr, ie kitten mothermilk replacement.  There are many different brands.  This made by PetAg, called for KMR in powder, is the best.  That made by Hartz is the least reliable.

You can get in at the vet, in a well sorted pet shop, but also WalMart and the like, should have it.   Walmart has also goat milk.

Such dosage syringes you can probably get complimentary in a Pharmacia or similiar, Surely also at the vets, probably also at a doctors office.

Having raw egg yolk with this watered down cream makes it more nourishing...  I hope you dont have problems with salomonella in eggs at your place.  There are tricks to lessen the risk, although.

But still, goat milk or good KMR is necessary.  This kitten has no margins.

Good luck!

janice gruver said:

 My cat had her kittens according to tge vet two weeks early!! Only one survived.

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How does he looks?  Almost hairless, scrawny like a freshy hatched bird? or fully haired and decently thick all around?  

DID the vet saw him, or you phoned and he told because of when you told when the mating was?

I mean, it is easy to miss the mating, for example.  What you think was a mating for 50 days ago, could actually be a remating.  and thus, she wasnt pregnant in 50 days, 14 days short, but may be more or less done, at about 64 days...

It strikes me it would be peculiar for a vet to miss an almost done kitten with a premature foetus delivered 14 days too early.  Such kittens dont live at all when delivered, or dies immediately.

And they are naked.  We have a parallell thread at this moment, with such a kitten born  10 days too early.  Decently shaped, but totally naked.  It died seconds after delivery.

The mom is still carrying the two remaining kittens inside, and with a little luch, we hope they will make it till their proper delivery time comes.

I hope it was you who counted wrongly, and thus, he may really be fully done.   It would increase his chances very much.

Unfortunately, I talked to the vet on phone. She had a liter of three. First one born is this lil guy no fur on his legs or end of tail and very scrawny!!! The second one was born dead and completely hairless and the third same as thus one but only lived a few seconds.

janice gruver said:

Unfortunately, I talked to the vet on phone. She had a liter of three. First one born is this lil guy no fur on his legs or end of tail and very scrawny!!! The second one was born dead and completely hairless and the third same as thus one but only lived a few seconds.

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I see.  Its just to fight on.  If he is still alive, he is apparently a true fighter of tough wood.   This is yours and his chance.

Good luck!

Thank you. I'm happy to say he turned three days old today! He is definetly a fighte

janice gruver said:

Thank you. I'm happy to say he turned three days old today! He is definetly a fighte

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