low weight kitten

My elderly neighbor passed away and i inherited her three cats, a male and two females. One of the females is pregnant and due any day now. I made an appointment for the other female and male to be spayed/neutered and the day before their appointment i came home from work to discover the other female had given birth to one small kitten, this was April 1st. I was so surprised because she did not look pregnant at all! The only thing that should have clued me in was her nipples but this cat had a litter back in December and all but one where stillborn and the one that did live only survived for a day. I actually thought it was from where she was pregnant before. The kitten looked good. It was eating and moving around really well but just looked so small to me. It's been 20 something years since I've been around newborns so i thought it was just me. We have just fell in love with the little bit. I started doing research because i want to be prepared for the other female. I notice every picture i saw the newborn always looked a lot bigger than our little one. I bought a kitchen scale today and it only weighs 57 grams. Could it have been premature? It has grown and is getting stronger. It's eyes are even starting to open.

This picture is from the day it was born. My daughter thought I was April fooling her lol

This one is at 8 days old

And this one is from today

StefanZ

KimberlyB said:

My elderly neighbor passed away and i inherited her three cats, a male and two females. One of the females is pregnant and due any day now. I made an appointment for the other female and male to be spayed/neutered and the day before their appointment i came home from work to discover the other female had given birth to one small kitten, this was April 1st. I was so surprised because she did not look pregnant at all! The only thing that should have clued me in was her nipples but this cat had a litter back in December and all but one where stillborn and the one that did live only survived for a day. I actually thought it was from where she was pregnant before. The kitten looked good. It was eating and moving around really well but just looked so small to me. It's been 20 something years since I've been around newborns so i thought it was just me. We have just fell in love with the little bit. I started doing research because i want to be prepared for the other female. I notice every picture i saw the newborn always looked a lot bigger than our little one. I bought a kitchen scale today and it only weighs 57 grams. Could it have been premature? It has grown and is getting stronger. It's eyes are even starting to open.

This picture is from the day it was born. My daughter thought I was April fooling her lol


This one is at 8 days old


And this one is from today
 

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He doesnt look very premature.  So I think he is just very small.  True, very much below the usual, but yet, not really premature.    Even if he must have been even smaller than these 57 of today,  at his birth.  Probably even under 50.   Unless your scale isnt reliable.  Try and calibrate it against other known weights, of about these 50-60 g.

You hadnt mentioned any big extra pains with extra supplementing and special care, it sounds as mom managed with everything?   Good.

Proceed to watch, proceed to report and ask questions, because the situation IS touchy, and the margins are minimal.

I wont throw over you lotsa of advices, as you apparently had managed excellently so far, you and this moma.

We did had alive two super low weigh  kittens of as I remember,  48 and 49.  Different  owners.  49 died as these low weight often do.

That of 48 did even survive, after much struggle and fight of the owner, lotsa of extra care.

But the tragedy struck.   When the fight for life was won, it was clear he would live and thrive, become moveable, began to play and all, he happened to get on himself  some heavy books - and died.   Although healthy now, he was still  little and very fragile.

So in the end he died not because he was little and sick, but because he was now a healthy big boy...

Tragic, but it was as an illustration of what  the teacher, philosopher, physician, caretaker of orphans, dr Janusz Korczak wrote back in the 1930-thies:  Every child has a right to meet its own death.

Do protect and take care of the children, but dont overprotect.  They must search, explore, make their own experiences - and thus, it means, they must also take some risks to get a full worthy lifes.

Welcome and Good luck!

I just wanted to update. I took our little one to the vet today because it's still not gaining weight. It's still eating and moving around fairly well just not gaining weight. The vet had me change momma cats food to science diet kitten food and gave me vetoquinol care nutri-cal to give her as well to improve the nutrition of her milk. He said I could supplement with kmr as well. Hopefully this will help. Also the kittens bum and other area ( can't tell if it's a boy or girl yet and neither could the vet) is very raw. The vet said it would be pointless to put anything on it because the mom would just clean it off. Do you think it would be ok to put just a little vaseline or something on it? It just looks painful. Thanks for the responses to my original post.

catwoman707

Have you started the KMR yet? Let us know how the supplemental feeding goes. Hopefully this baby will begin to grow. It is recommended to use the powdered formula, and feed the baby on its tummy. Someone else will advise you on the sore bum. It would seem a little vaseline wouldn't be a problem. So glad you took the baby to the vet!

Oh my goodness, this is a tiny, fragile little bug! How precious

Just going to tell it the way I see it, brutally honest, first off that low of a weight alone is very iffy and worrisome.

It is absolutely critical to start supplementing immediately with KMR and a 1.0 ml feeding syringe if there is any chance of saving him/her.

Tiny baby not gaining weight is the issue, and each day that there is no weight gain lessens the chance of surviving.

Clearly small size means not a strong enough sucking action, and thriving enough to consume enough for growth and health.

So, you are going to need to jump in here, despite the baby nursing, and every 2-3 hours feed 2 mls of warm KMR. 

Baby is kept on his tummy, paws down as nursing position. You will raise the head a bit, and go in from the side of his mouth with the feeding syringe, gently pushing to work it in, when mouth opens slightly squeeze the plunger to expel only a couple drops at a time.

This is tricky because you need to watch his breathing too, as one little drop inhaled will cause pneumonia and baby will die.

Be sure baby and KMR stay warmed, as this takes some time and patience, but is necessary now and may be for a while, a couple weeks perhaps, but weight gain MUST start NOW.

He's not going to like it either, and will squirm and fight it, but that's okay, do it anyway, he doesn't know that his life depends on it.

Lack of weight gain is caused by one thing in newborns, not consuming enough milk.

By you stepping in and supplementing, you will increase his chance of survival a great deal.

Good luck!

Let momma do the rest, and nurse him too. Key now is daily weighing and getting at least 8-10 grams gained every single day.

Thank you! I have already started feeding and your right he does not like it at all. I only have one of those plugers like you give babys medicine with( brand new) but will see if i can get one of the smaller ones tomorrow. I have to work 8 hours tomorrow but my sister is going to take over care til i get home. The vet closes before i can get there. Do you think i could get one from a pharmacy?

KimberlyB said:

I just wanted to update. I took our little one to the vet today because it's still not gaining weight. It's still eating and moving around fairly well just not gaining weight. The vet had me change momma cats food to science diet kitten food and gave me vetoquinol care nutri-cal to give her as well to improve the nutrition of her milk. He said I could supplement with kmr as well. Hopefully this will help. Also the kittens bum and other area ( can't tell if it's a boy or girl yet and neither could the vet) is very raw. The vet said it would be pointless to put anything on it because the mom would just clean it off. Do you think it would be ok to put just a little vaseline or something on it? It just looks painful. Thanks for the responses to my original post.

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Ouch.  So the vet suggested supplementing momma - which isnt a bad idea, but not enough, but he didnt mentioned anything about supplementing this tiny kitten?

With a big healthy kitten you could try this receipt, but with your little one your margins are very narrow, you dont afford to experiment.   You must work on double traces, and supplement both of them.  ESPECIELLY the kitten!!!

Also, re the raw bottom.  Do YOU help with eliminating, or is this rawness form moms washing and other natural causes?  He has perhaps some diarrhea?

OK, re what to give.  Re mom, so is also Royal Canine Babycat  dry food good a good alternative, both for moms and later on, for him too.   That is one of Catwomans many advices, I do buy it, as most of them. 

Their  baby cat milk is also quite good, roughly in the class of PetAg´s  KMR in powder, which we usually do recommend.   Also, RC bottle is one of the better on the market.

Beware of Hartz kmr. They carry one variation in powder, and thus may be mistaken for the PetAg´s KMR equivalent, but it isnt...

Goat milk is also good, especially if you can get raw goat milk.  Bottled is OK,  full fat.   Similiar for the kitten, if you cant get some really good kmr.

This tip too both for mom, and for the kitten, now and in the future.

Continue to monitor the weigh closely, and come back with tight reports.  He shall gain every day.   As he is very smallish, still in the lowest segment of any newborn, way under what is given as "normal birthing weight",  it may be enough if you for a beginning manage with 6g a day, but it should soon enough go up to these 8-10 grams a day.   Its first when he is there, you will be fairly confident he has good chances to survive. 

But please, dont forget to kittensafe his room, and anywhere he may get to. Including non clumping litter.  Do it in good time.

I think Catwoman told already all other things I wanted to say.

Good luck!

KimberlyB said:

Thank you! I have already started feeding and your right he does not like it at all. I only have one of those plugers like you give babys medicine with( brand new) but will see if i can get one of the smaller ones tomorrow. I have to work 8 hours tomorrow but my sister is going to take over care til i get home. The vet closes before i can get there. Do you think i could get one from a pharmacy?

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Yes, pharmacies too carry them, and some even tell you can get them for free if you ask.

Also, some of your neigbours perhaps happen to have one at home.  They will help out, if you phone and ask, explaining why.   That is the rule of social behavior.   Even people whom normally dont talk with you, do try and help in situations of real need.

A dropper like you use is entirely OK to begin with.

Be sure your sis has read thoruoughly Catwomans post.   And also train some on just gently and slowly squeezing out dropwise.

   Its easy to give the feed wrongly, especielly if the kitten isnt swallowing actively.   And inhaling the milk in wrong throat, ie into the lungs, is almost certain pneumonia.  Dangerous!

If he is swallowing actively, its of course much easier, but still, you must be careful.

Yes, you must go drop by drop. Otherwise, because this kitten is so tiny, it will inhale it and can die. The smaller the dropper or syringe right now, the better. Also, only in the side of the mouth. Did you put a dab of vaseline on its bottom? So glad your sister can help while you work. Hopefully with nursing and supplementing, kitten will soon turn the corner to healthy weight! Please give an update this evening.

The problem with applying vaseline to his butt is, vaseline blocks off any air to the skin, which is required for healing.

Use a very small amt of Desitin diaper rash ointment instead.

We had a rough night last night with the feeding. What I was using just wasn't working and even though I was very careful, and made sure the baby didn't get too much at one time, I think my leg ended up with more milk on it than in the babys stomach. I even took a mid night trip to Walmart to see if I could find something different but had no luck. When I got up this morning and weighed him he had lost down to 55 grams. I just sat and cried and felt like I was failing it.

Sometimes my vet will open early if they have a spay or neuter that day so the kids got ready for school early and we rode to their office. Luckily they were and he gave me a few of the 1ml feeding syringes. I came home and the baby took a good feeding and my sister said the feedings she gave were good too. The last one i gave he actually turned his head and tried to suckle the tube. I just weighed and he is at 58 grams so hopefully by tomorrow evening I will see some improvement.

It's bottom and other area actually looked better this morning. I saw the comment about Desitin and picked up a tube on my way home from work. I have been taking cotton rounds after every feeding and dipping them in warm water that has a drop of baby shampoo to try and keep the area clean and have started putting a small amount of desitin on after.

I'm pretty sure momma's milk is gone or nearly gone and this has caused the problem. When i inspected her today her teets are almost flat and dont look they are producing anything. I also bought a heating pad for the nest because even though momma still naps with baby, she spends a lot of time out of the box. I have put the pad on the lowest setting and placed it under the fleece and to one side so the baby can crawl if if too warrm.

This is a lovely report! So good you went to the vet & got the smaller syringes. And glad the baby has gained 3 grams. You will have to work hard to get him up to a healthy weight, but it can be done. You will have to be diligent and adhere to the feeding schedule every 2 hours with KMR. He will eventually take a bottle. They have kitten bottles at Walmart, and he will enjoy sucking as soon as he can. I am glad he was anticipating the milk. That's a good sign!

The heating pad underneath and to the side is good, especially if mama is not staying much with baby. You might want to add a soft stuffed toy for comfort too. And glad his little bottom is getting better. Did you check out the charts as to how much formula to give at each feeding? And a bit more even if he seems hungry and will take it. Sounds like you are being an excellent kitten mama. Your concern for the little guy is obvious. Hoping for more weight gain tomorrow, like you said. Hope you have a good night. Fill us in tomorrow night too please! I am rooting for this little guy to make it!

SO glad you got the 1 ml syringes!! What a huge difference they make, so much more control over the drops.

It doesn't sound like mom has any milk, so it's time to up the feeding amt to 3 mls minimum.

You will surely get weight gain then, and it is your only hope of this tiny baby making it now.

Born on the 1st? 2 weeks old, at 2 ounces is crazy, baby must be a fighter, but is so extremely tiny, baby should weight about 10 ounces on average now, so you see how big this battle is!

NEVER give up, miracles do happen. You have to know within yourself too, that you did everything possible to give him life. You don't want or need, or deserve any guilt, but it's our human nature regardless.

3 mls, every 3 hours, or better yet if possible that is, 2 mls every 2 hours, but round the clock is a must.

catwoman707

Thank you!

K kimberlyb

Expert advice for you from one of our experts!

Weighed this morning and just now and there has been absolutely no weight gain. The baby is eating 3 ml or close to it every three hours. I have seen no decline though and it still moves around and meows just as strongly as it did since birth. It's the craziest thing I've ever seen. I have seen growth length wise in the kitten. Here is a picture I took just a few minutes ago.

Then he needs more. It's not possible to stay healthy and living for much longer at this weight. It's just not possible.

Increase it to 3 mls every 2 hours, whatever it takes to see a weight gain every day then that's what you will need to do.

2 ounces, at 2 weeks, you are going to hit a brick wall here very soon, so please try to feed more asap. There is just no other way, and it's clear you don't want him to die, you are obviously going the lengths to keep him going, but he needs more so he gains.

I know, supplementing is very time consuming and can be frustrating..........I am so glad my feeding days are in the past!

It's not forever, but wow, there is alot of catching up to do here, so once he starts a steady weight gain that is substantial, you will see the difference between how he is surviving now, and how he will be thriving so much, and growing like mad! Only then is when you might be able to back off of the feedings in hope that he will be tough enough to nurse enough on his own.

But that's at least a full 2 weeks of weight gain every day.

Is the formula running out or under his neck? I ask because if you take the 1 ml syringe, fill it up and squirt it out into your hand, it's hardly anything, so he might be losing more than what it looks like.

Yes. Please feed this baby every hour if you have to. The situation is dire. Please post again soon!

Okay I have increased to 3ml every 2 hours. I'm going to use the babys name since i dont know if it's a girl or boy. Marlowe does not loose but a small amount since I switched to the 1 ml syringes. By the third syringe Marlowe doesnt take it as well as the first two and does let some run out but whatever is lost I fill the syringe for a fourth time and make up for it.

The moma is in heat now and shows little interest in the baby. I have taken over stimulation and the urine is clear but the poo is jelly like. What does it mean? I tried researching but my head is just too fuzzy right now. I'm using Pet Ag premixed formula as it is the only thing available to me but I have the powdered version coming in the mail to me today.

As I stated in my first post, the other female I adopted is pregnant and due any day now. As a matter of fact I believe she lost her plug yesterday evening. After she has her kittens and everthing is ok should I see if she will let Marlowe nurse?