3 day old kittens. one not gained.

delilahndrew

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Jul 2, 2014
Messages
59
Purraise
23
Hi. I have two 3 day old kittens. Unplanned. Two were still born.
Both surviving kits were born around 100g
The male is now 150g
The female hasn't gained at all.
She is a bit sleepier than him but she does feed, and I barely leave their side, nest is by my bed as mums not the mist confident but getting there.
I really don't want to lose another
 

StefanZ

Advisor
Staff Member
Advisor
Joined
Sep 18, 2005
Messages
25,995
Purraise
10,640
Location
Sweden
Hi. I have two 3 day old kittens. Unplanned. Two were still born.
Both surviving kits were born around 100g
The male is now 150g
The female hasn't gained at all.
She is a bit sleepier than him but she does feed, and I barely leave their side, nest is by my bed as mums not the mist confident but getting there.
I really don't want to lose another
They are both taking food from the mom?   The boy is gaining excellently, above the norm even.    :)

But the girl is rather alarming yes.   I suspect strongly she by some reason isnt suckling properly.  Either she is too weak, or cant suckle properly.   - In a big litter I would think the siblings are hindering her to eat, but hardly when they are just two?

So I thik you must supplement her.   Use a needleless syringe, as she prob wont take bottle.  Tummy down, head up, in the corner of the mouths, a few drops a time, so you are  sure she swallows properly.  Burp her afterwards.

What kmr - kitten replacement milk do you have access too?

Goat milk is another option - esp raw goat milk is good.

Good you are weighting every day - this is the trick to notice such problems...
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #3

delilahndrew

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Jul 2, 2014
Messages
59
Purraise
23
I'm worried to interfere with kmr. We don't have much around here but I know my local petshop has some. I'll go get some in a bit.
Mum was xrayed yesterday as her scan suggested 5 kittens but only four arrived, and I felt lumps. Nope she was severely constipated!! She's had lactalose and passed a huge poo yesterday but nothing since.
Female kit is content but sleepier than male. She doesn't really cry much when mum leaves but he crawls around looking for her.
 
Last edited:
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #5

delilahndrew

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Jul 2, 2014
Messages
59
Purraise
23
She will feed when I put her on. But doesn't make massive effort on her own. But I did find her feeding by herself yesterday. I'm hopeful but very worried too
 

StefanZ

Advisor
Staff Member
Advisor
Joined
Sep 18, 2005
Messages
25,995
Purraise
10,640
Location
Sweden
I'm worried to interfere with kmr. We don't have much around here but I know my local petshop has some. I'll go get some in a bit.
Mum was xrayed yesterday as her scan suggested 5 kittens but only four arrived, and I felt lumps. Nope she was severely constipated!! She's had lactalose and passed a huge poo yesterday but nothing since.
Female kit is content but sleepier than male. She doesn't really cry much when mum leaves but he crawls around looking for her.
There are many different brands, some good, but some so so,   Many forumites tells Hartz and Sargeant arent good.

If you have a choice of kmr brands, the two safest is probably KMR in powder, made by PetAg.  Their premade liquid isnt as reliable.

And also, Royal Canines  kmr is pretty good.

But as said, there are also other good brands.

If you dont find a good kmr brand, but you find goat milk - use it.  Better a bottled, cartooned and even powdered goat milk, than a bad kmr brand.  One forumite mentioned specifically she had good results with Meyenbachs (?) powdered goat milk.

RAW goat milk is really good, but may be difficult to get, and is often pricey if bought in these fancy shops for Natural Food...

And yes, as more I read, as more I suspect she by some reason, gets too little.  And thus, you MUST step in if you want to save her.    I know mom is the very best, and even, feedig manually has some dangers, so  and if nursing mom works, let it be so.

But its apparently not enough here...

IF she doesnt gain  minimum 6 gram a day, so she doesnt.   If she wasnt born very small, she should even gain 10+ gram a day...

So either she gets too little, or its some fault on her making she cant use the food...

Lets hope she gets too little, as this you can do something about...

Get home also glucose sugar = dextrose, or at least, white caro syrup.  Its oftne useful to perk in energy in weak kittens.    Also minerale salt  or a good minerale water - useful to make homemade pedialyte.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #7

delilahndrew

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Jul 2, 2014
Messages
59
Purraise
23
I went to pet shop. Had none in.
Wilkos. Nope.
Useless vet as last resort, sold me an out of date powder. Not sure I should use it but it was all he had. Said ignore the date its got a 5 yr shelf life so a few months won't matter. . . . bought digital scales so keep better track. She's 93g. He's 147g
 

handsome kitty

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 10, 2014
Messages
6,193
Purraise
1,062
Location
Newark CA
It's better than nothing.  Give it a shot.

To figure out how much to feed multiply the kittens weight in ounces (the link to a conversion table is below) by 8 ml/cc and divide by the number of feedings in 24 hours.  As the kittens grow you need to adjust the amount you are giving.  Weigh them at the same time every day.

http://www.metric-conversions.org/weight/grams-to-ounces-table.htm

the girl is 3.28 oz so  assuming you are feeding every 2 hours around the clock give her 3ml at each feeding.  I rounded up a tiny bit

The boy is 5.19 oz should get 3.5 ml also every two hours around the clock.

if you switch to goats milk the formula is the same.

To feed hold the kittens belly down, head up like they are when feeding at mom.  put a drop or two in the side of the mouth, wait for the kitten to swallow, breath and repeat.  Be very careful not to get any in the lungs, this can be a death sentence.  It take practice so don't get too frustrated at first.

Burp the kitten after each feeding.  there are a few different ways to do this, on your shoulder, in the palm of your hand or on your arm, gently pat the kitten on the back.

Next you have to help the kittens pee and poop.  Start by gently rubbing the tummy to get things moving and then tap above the anus with your finger.

You should also wipe down the kittens with a warm damp cloth to imitate the mom cleaning them

I know it's a lot of work but well worth it.

Ask any questions you have.
 
Last edited:
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #9

delilahndrew

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Jul 2, 2014
Messages
59
Purraise
23
Thanks :) the boy is doing well so not goingvto feed him. I'm assuming she's just not taking enough, not sucking well?
But.
Delilah, mum, was a tiny kitten. I don't know what she weighed when I got her but she was tiny.


pic is of her and her brother.


She became ill after I took her home. Looking back it was probably a reaction to food. But at 4mths she only weighed 375g she was tested gir everything but nothing came of it. She's only here through determination and ignoring vets. I wonder if the girl is going to be tiny too. Mums milk is OK for boy.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

handsome kitty

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 10, 2014
Messages
6,193
Purraise
1,062
Location
Newark CA
It's probably ok for the girl.  Maybe you can just supplement her w/the KMR.  Give her a couple mls after feeding from mom
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #11

delilahndrew

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Jul 2, 2014
Messages
59
Purraise
23
I tried to feed her with the dropper vet gave me.she refused. Put her on mum. She started feeding, I put that to the corner of her mouth and slowly dropped the kmr in drop by drop. There's no measure on it but think its about 2ml .
Problem. Mum went nuts for it lol so when she smelt it wouldn't stay still haha. Gave her the bowl of milk. She then licked kitten like crazy cus she tasted good...
 
Last edited:
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #12

delilahndrew

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Jul 2, 2014
Messages
59
Purraise
23
I've been given cimicat milk btw
 

handsome kitty

TCS Member
Top Cat
Joined
Aug 10, 2014
Messages
6,193
Purraise
1,062
Location
Newark CA
It's good for mom too.  Lots of nutrients she will pass on to the kitten through her milk.  Not too much, it can cause diarrhea.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #14

delilahndrew

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Jul 2, 2014
Messages
59
Purraise
23
It may help get her going! Lactalose isn't working today and I'm worried to over feed her when she keeps getting bunged up!
 

Sarthur2

Cat lady extraordinaire
Staff Member
Advisor
Joined
Mar 8, 2015
Messages
35,984
Purraise
17,674
Location
Sunny Florida
You'll need to supplement the little one to make sure she gains 6-10 grams a day.

The mom was just cleaned out yesterday so she will get regular as long as she's eating wet food well and drinking some kitten formula.

Do you know how to hold the kitten to supplement properly? Tummy down, head up, drop at a time in the side of the mouth, let her swallow, breathe, and go again. It's a slow process.
 
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #20

delilahndrew

TCS Member
Thread starter
Young Cat
Joined
Jul 2, 2014
Messages
59
Purraise
23
She's lost weight over night.now 90g. I can't get her to take the formula. I've only got a dropper and in scared she's going to breathe it in when she refuses it
Male gained, he's 159
 
Last edited:
Top