Kitten makes these noises and is very thin

Hello I have a cat who had kittens 2 weeks ago and she had 6 cats. One of the male cats seems to be very skinny compared to his siblings being very chunky. I provided a photo to show you exactly his condition. He's eating and I make sure he eats but he doesn't seem to be gaining weight. I tried to bottle feed him but he just won't latch on to the bottle. Does the kitten need to go to the vet or is this just somehow normal?

Do you know for sure that the kitten isn't gaining weight? Was he smaller than the others at birth? Are you weighing them every day? It could be that he's actually gaining, just not as fast as the others, and is going to be a smaller cat. Or there could be a problem. Without more precise information we can't give you much help.

kittyandruby said:

Hello I have a cat who had kittens 2 weeks ago and she had 6 cats. One of the male cats seems to be very skinny compared to his siblings being very chunky. I provided a photo to show you exactly his condition. He's eating and I make sure he eats but he doesn't seem to be gaining weight. I tried to bottle feed him but he just won't latch on to the bottle. Does the kitten need to go to the vet or is this just somehow normal?





 

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GoldyCats questions are correct.  The easiest way to really know if they gain is to weigh them every day.  Almost all breeders and most rescuers do it.  Someone very experienced can see it by a glance and by handling them, but few are that experienced...   So please, begin to take weight at least on the smallest one with problems. (electronical kitchen scale measuring in grammes is best).

But as you do worry, I suppose your impression is he isnt gaing, or at least, gain very little, visibly less than the others.  And this is of course an important clue.

A smallish newborn shall gain minimum 6g a day (0,2OZ),  a more normal born 8-10 g a day, (0,3Oz), a healthy normal born kitten 10+...  0,3+ OZ.

Its wise of you to think on supplement feeding.  Kittens whom do have still access to mom, are often difficult to latch to an bottle, its unpleasant feeling to them, comparing.

So in these cases, a needleless syringe is practically a must.   The problem is, you must be very cautious with the syringe, unskilled or careless feeding risk them to swallow into the lungs - its dangerous.  So, tummy down, head up, in the corner of they mouth, cautiously so the kitten can swallow safely.  burp afterwards.

WHAT  kmr do you use, exactly?  There are different kmr, this by PetAg, called for KMR, in powder is the best of them, although there are others good too.

Raw goat milk is excellent, bottled goat milk is OK.

Visiting your vet?  If this vet is good with kitten care, and espec with care of weak kittens, it is wise.  The problem is, few vets are good, if there is no visible injuries or infections...

Its almost only vets cooperating much with breeders, and with rescuers, who are really good with small kittens.

So, in many cases, consulting an experienced rescuer or alike, is the safest bet with weak kittens.

Or a good Forum, like ours,  Where there are many participants who are rescuers or have  equivalent experience.

GoldyCat said:

Do you know for sure that the kitten isn't gaining weight? Was he smaller than the others at birth? Are you weighing them every day? It could be that he's actually gaining, just not as fast as the others, and is going to be a smaller cat. Or there could be a problem. Without more precise information we can't give you much help.

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GoldyCat said:

Do you know for sure that the kitten isn't gaining weight? Was he smaller than the others at birth? Are you weighing them every day? It could be that he's actually gaining, just not as fast as the others, and is going to be a smaller cat. Or there could be a problem. Without more precise information we can't give you much help.

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- He is still so small and thin while the others gained weight and grew. He also breathes very heavily and I don't know if it's really a health problem.

Can you check his chest?.. do his ribs seem flatter (not rounded outwards) or even curved inwards compared to the other kittens?

Mani said:

Can you check his chest?.. do his ribs seem flatter (not rounded outwards) or even curved inwards compared to the other kittens?

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- His ribs are not flat they feel the same as the other kittens. If I put my finger on his chest his heart beat is fast. He is eating from his mom but I haven't seen any sign of urine or stool for the past days. I grab a cotton ball that is a little damped and rub it on his genitals to see if he does urinate but nothing ever seems to come out. If I do the same thing to the other kittens they do urinate.

Is there a way to help the kitten start urinating?

Are you sure the kitten doesn't have any kind of worms?

kittyandruby said:

Is there a way to help the kitten start urinating?

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      Has he not urinated at all?

misterwhiskers said:

Are you sure the kitten doesn't have any kind of worms?

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- I don't believe he has worms because he's not vomiting or has diarrhea.

Mani said:

      Has he not urinated at all?

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- No he hasn't urinated at least I've tried to make him urniate every time he's done feeding, when he's asleep, or when his mother doesn't do it. I haven't seen any urine from him yet.

This isn't my area at all.. I've been trying to find threads that may help but nothing so far.

To be honest, I'd be taking him to the vet as soon as possible.

Mani said:

This isn't my area at all.. I've been trying to find threads that may help but nothing so far.
To be honest, I'd be taking him to the vet as soon as possible.

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- okay thank you for your help. I've been searching for everything to see what could be wrong with him. But I can't seem to find much information.

Do you have a vet nearby?  I don't know what the time is where you are.   In the meantime, others may come along with help. 

OK.. just a couple of posts that make it really clear that warmth is essential, and may be part of the problem:

OK You might want to microwave a sock with rice, until it steams.(like 5 minutes) then wrap in a bath towel, as it will be very hot! place near the kittens so they can warm up. They won't eat if they and their tummies are too cold. Did you try the Karo syrup to try and stimulate his blood sugar?

(from Anne with Cats)

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The first thing is get baby properly warmed, not a blanket but a heat source.

Temp must stay at 97-99 degrees.

Heating pad on low is good. Place a towel over it so baby doesn't get too hot.

Temp to feed is right when the paws/legs feel the same as your neck, not cool/cold at all.

Do NOT feed cold! This will cause death.

KMR from Petag brand and a no needle small syringe. Baby won't use a bottle for at least a day but still must be fed ASAP.

Baby needs to be fed every 3 hours and will need approx. 8 mls of baby milk for every ounce of weight.

Weigh with a grams/ounce scale, for instance if weight is 7 ounces, 7 oz x 8 mls=56 mls per day is needed.

Potty after feeding with a warm cloth by gently patting the area to stimulate elimination.

(From Catwoman707)

Mani said:

OK.. just a couple of posts that make it really clear that warmth is essential, and may be part of the problem:


OK You might want to microwave a sock with rice, until it steams.(like 5 minutes) then wrap in a bath towel, as it will be very hot! place near the kittens so they can warm up. They won't eat if they and their tummies are too cold. Did you try the Karo syrup to try and stimulate his blood sugar?
(from Anne with Cats)
___________________________________________________________________________________________


The first thing is get baby properly warmed, not a blanket but a heat source.
Temp must stay at 97-99 degrees.
Heating pad on low is good. Place a towel over it so baby doesn't get too hot.

Temp to feed is right when the paws/legs feel the same as your neck, not cool/cold at all.
Do NOT feed cold! This will cause death.

KMR from Petag brand and a no needle small syringe. Baby won't use a bottle for at least a day but still must be fed ASAP.

Baby needs to be fed every 3 hours and will need approx. 8 mls of baby milk for every ounce of weight.
Weigh with a grams/ounce scale, for instance if weight is 7 ounces, 7 oz x 8 mls=56 mls per day is needed.

Potty after feeding with a warm cloth by gently patting the area to stimulate elimination.

(From Catwoman707)

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- Thank you so much for this information! Is appreciate it. Is this the reason the cats hearts beating fast or why it can't urinate?

- He does eat food constantly but I haven't seen stool or urine from him but there could be a chance I just don't see it. I will give it water just in case it is dehydrated and make sure he gets a good amount. Yes his heart beat is quicker than his siblings heart beat. I will take him to the vet as soon as I can. I want the kitten to have a healthy life.

Let us know how you go.

Mani said:

Let us know how you go.

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- So the kitten has urinated and I did do the heater rice in a sock. He still doesn't want to drink the water he cries when I give it to him. He did get some water at night. Is there any kind of vitamins for kittens that will help him?