3 week old kitten sleeps away from littermates. Losing weight.

Hello fellow feline lovers!

Lil bit has been sleeping apart from the other kittens for a few days now. She feels smaller, too. We have tried to

feed her using kitten milk but she and we can't get the hang of it. She cries more compared to the other kittens

and I am not sure what to do. I was there for their births and didn't notice any 'runts' of the litter. There are 3 other

kittens, Mom nurses regularly and they all are hitting milestones.

I am wondering if I should take her into the vet.

Spend lots of time with her, she will relax a bit but meows all the time. I am wondering if she needs her own

nest area, with a heating pad?

Poor baby, please help!

Will add photos soon.

Thanks kindly,

R

rozilla said:

 
Hello fellow feline lovers!

Lil bit has been sleeping apart from the other kittens for a few days now. She feels smaller, too. We have tried to

feed her using kitten milk but she and we can't get the hang of it. She cries more compared to the other kittens

and I am not sure what to do. I was there for their births and didn't notice any 'runts' of the litter. There are 3 other

kittens, Mom nurses regularly and they all are hitting milestones.

I am wondering if I should take her into the vet.

Spend lots of time with her, she will relax a bit but meows all the time. I am wondering if she needs her own

nest area, with a heating pad?

Poor baby, please help!

Will add photos soon.

Thanks kindly,

R

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Many vets arent good with small weak kittens.  But if your vet is really good, it may be an idea yes.

Otherwise, a good forum or a experienced rescuer is a better bet.

If momma still takes care of the kitten, try to use  her.  But a heating pad for her is still a good idea.  But if not - dont hesitate, give her her own little, warmed up nest etc.  Use fleece - it feels alike moms fur.  Give perhaps a stuffed animal as company.

Kittens whom are used to momma, are often bad at taking bottle - it may be easier with a needleless syringe or similiar.

Tummy down, head up, in the corner of the mouth, slowly dropwise so it can swallow properly.  Burp afterwards.

Make sure the kmr or goats milk are warmed up - which brand do you use?

Weigh her every day, so you know for sure how much she gains.

You must fight on here, otherwise you will almost surely lose her.

Please come back with reports and further question.s

You can also try putting her to mom to nurse when the other kittens are sleeping.  She may be getting pushed off her nipple by the other kittens.

What ever you decide to do, you need to do it pretty quick and small baby cats can take a turn for the worst very quickly if not eating and drinking.

Try to take the cat to mom when she is alone and see if you can get it to eat.

Time is critical as just dehydration can shut down organs.

Keep us posted. 

You have received very good advice so far!

When kittens cry they are usually hungry. How much does this kitten weigh? How old is she?

Thank you for your generous help. I will buy a needless syringe immediately. So far I have gotten Mama cat to feed just her on my bed. Speaking of which, we (my 13 year old kiddo who is a born cat lady!) are
warming her under our blankets and on our persons.

The kittens are 24 days old today. Mom has really long hair so getting to a teat is a bit of a challenge. Mom is not gaining weight and constantly begging for treats. She eats an entire bag of Temptations on her own. Besides giving her more wet food what can I give her to put the weight on?

A few different issues going on!

My grown son is coming over today to move stuff around as the kittens are escaping the closet where the Mom moved them right after they were born.

Catopia - Layers of old towels, small but sturdy climber, much more room and closer to my bed. Rice socks.

Small dish with a bit of water. Some kind of litter box situation. Lil bit will have her own nest of fleece with a rice sock or two.

Thank you thank you

R

rozilla said:

Thank you for your generous help. I will buy a needless syringe immediately. So far I have gotten Mama cat to feed just her on my bed. Speaking of which, we (my 13 year old kiddo who is a born cat lady!) are
warming her under our blankets and on our persons.

The kittens are 24 days old today. Mom has really long hair so getting to a teat is a bit of a challenge. Mom is not gaining weight and constantly begging for treats. She eats an entire bag of Temptations on her own. Besides giving her more wet food what can I give her to put the weight on?

A few different issues going on!

My grown son is coming over today to move stuff around as the kittens are escaping the closet where the Mom moved them right after they were born.

Catopia - Layers of old towels, small but sturdy climber, much more room and closer to my bed. Rice socks.

Small dish with a bit of water. Some kind of litter box situation. Lil bit will have her own nest of fleece with a rice sock or two.

Thank you thank you

R

 

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Needleless dosage syringes you can sometimes get for free in a pharmacia. If you ask for it politely.  Otherwise try to buy.  Real syringe, but without the needle, is of course useful too.  For small kittens 1-1,5 ml, for bigger kittens - bigger syringe.  

Re food for momma. Be sure its no low fat variations - it shall be normal full fat - as for active cats or for kittens.

If salomonella in eggs is no problems in your place, raw egg yolk is excellent - much nourishing fats there.  You can blend it with something else if you want.

Avoid raw egg white - better to have it boiled or fried... lotsa proteins.

Crushed egg shells into fine powder can be used as extra calcium source - sprinkle a little as if it were salt.

Full fat goats milk is OK (useful for the kitten too),    plain full fat unsweetened youghurt, some cheese - all these are also mild but good calcium sources.

My mom cat's name is Lil Bit. Her kittens are now weaned but when she was nursing she looked horrible. I had dry kitten food out at all times and she ate Fancy Feast grilled 4-5 times a day. Finding her a food she will eat and often is the trick paying high prices for food they wont touch is wasting money. 

Temptations are not the best but they do say you can feed them to cats for meals.  I have a cat who is trying to live on them.  Try offering wet kitten food more often if she likes it.

Mom and kittens also need to stay 100% inside now. Kittens are not protected or vaccinated from illnesses or parasites. Mom can also get pregnant again already, even without going into heat. Kittens should not go outside until they are fixed and fully vaccinated.

Handsome Kitty said:

 
Temptations are not the best but they do say you can feed them to cats for meals.  I have a cat who is trying to live on them.  Try offering wet kitten food more often if she likes it.

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I too have a kitty who that is all she lives on. You are not alone. She hates any type of wet food-she licks a few times and that's it.

The mom cat should be fed kitten kibble-that's the most calories. Also a dish of Kitten Milk replacement mixed in with wet food will also help get her more minerals and nutrients to nurse.

I second the above-don't allow out until spayed and shots-too manythings can go wrong-the kittens don't have an immune system built up yet.