Kittens weight issue

My cat had 3 kittens on Friday. One was born dead, so there are 2 now. We didn't weigh them the first 2 days, but we did last night. Last night the white one was 3.6 and the black one was 3.4. Tonight the white one was 3.0 and the black one 3.8. I see the white one eat... What is happening? I think the momma only has 3 working nipples.. Is that it?

With 3 nipples the white one should be getting plenty. Is your scale accurate?

The best thing to do is to begin weighing once a day at the same time each day and you'll see a pattern. The kittens should gain 6-10 grams a day. No gain or a loss usually indicates a problem of some sort.

I wouldn't panic yet if the kittens are nursing and not crying all the time. They are getting colostrum the first couple of days, and then the milk comes in. See where they are tonight.

Is mama kitty eating well? Kitten chow and wet food as much as she wants right now is recommended.

Let us know how both are doing.

Tonight the black one is 4.2 and the white one 2.8! Momma is eating good. The kitten isn't crying a lot... Just sleeping and eating.

sillylilly

Ok, something isn't right if this baby is losing weight. You need to buy a can of the powdered KMR (kitten milk replacer) by PetAg, pick up a 1 or 2 mL needleless syringe from a pharmacy, and begin to supplement this kitten.

You need to give it 2 mL's of milk every 2 hours, or even 1 mL every hour, to help it begin to gain weight. You feed tummy down, head up, one drop in the side of the mouth at a time, let the kitten swallow, breathe, and go again. KMR is at pet stores.

Try to observe an entire nursing session to see how long it nurses and which nipple it's using. See if it's getting milk from that nipple. You can even try putting the kitten to the nipple that the other baby uses aftet he's done.

You need to act quickly, as kittens can go downhill quickly when they are not gaining weight. They should double their birth weights in the first week.

I was hoping there would be a gain by tonight. Since he's lost even more, there is a problem. Please keep me updated. It's very important that you act quickly to do something.