10 teeny weeny kittens

teamcarp33

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Hi everyone. I haven't revisited this page since 2011 when I was pretty new to fostering and had some questions and I enjoyed reading and learning from some great threads on here. I took home a new foster cat from the shelter on MLK day because she was pregnant and tiny and so so sweet. This past Thursday she went into labor (well kind of). I could see a "kitten sack" protruding but nothing else developed. Vet kept saying if she's acting fine, not actively pushing or anything, it's probably just going to be a slow labor and delivery. So we kept checking in until Friday afternoon, when they thought it would be best to give her some oxytocin to move things along. From Friday evening around 6 pm through Saturday morning around 11 am she had TEN KITTENS. They are very very very small, but are warm and eating. I have been taking out the bigger 5 several times a day to make sure the littles get a good turn, and supplementing whoever will eat from a syringe several times a day/night (most of the littles and one of the bigs). They were having trouble staying warm so I actually have them under a chick brooder, which they seem to love (lucky I am a chicken person). Mostly, I am starting this thread to document this giant project, to get advice if needed, and maybe to help someone else who ends up with a giant litter of tiny kittens one day. Happy Monday

 

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teamcarp33 teamcarp33

Welcome back! [emoji]128571[/emoji]

Oh my goodness - 10 tiny kittens! That's a big job for both mama kitty and you!

Keeping them warm and supplementing are the most important things you can do to ensure they all survive.

Also make sure mama has as much dry kitten chow and wet cat food as she wants. Some extra calcium would help. You can add finely crushed egg shells to her food, give plain, full-fat yogurt, or a dish of kitten formula or goat's milk daily.

Here is a thread from another member who helped to raise 9 kittens last summer:

http://www.thecatsite.com/t/323928/advice-for-a-large-litter-9-kittens

In this thread I recommended not only supplementing the kittens but rotating them in 2 groups as well. It sounds like you are doing everything right and just need some support. It sounds like you are doing a great job so far!

Have you weighed the kittens? Are you weighing them daily? This will help you to know who is gaining 6-10 grams a day and who is not and may be in trouble.

Please keep us posted, and thank you for taking in the this kitty!
 

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Holy Moses! Great admiration for what you are doing. I would be overwhelmed. Fostered once, but she had only 3 kittens & momma didn't need any help raising them.

Keep us posted with photos.
 
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teamcarp33

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I did read the thread about the 9 kittens and it was helpful. Sadly I can't camp out with them in a closet, but that girl sounds awesome and did a super job. Wonder is she's for hire?
I weighed them yesterday and just now weighed them again. 3 aren't doing great. I better tighten down my regimen ASAP!

5) 1.6 to 1.7
3) 1.8 to 1.7 :((
1) 2.0-2.1
6) 2.1-2.1 :(
8) 2.2-2.2 :(
4) 2.4-2.6
2) 2.6-2.9
7) 2.8-3.0
10) 2.8-3.0
9) 2.9-3.3

Supplementing is hard because some of them don't want to eat that way and they fight and they are so freaking tiny. I feel like I have bear paws.
 

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Does your scale have a metric setting? If so, it's easier to weigh them in grams. You want to see a gain of at least 6-10 grams a day. I guess if you had to convert that. . .it would be about .25 oz a day at least.
 
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teamcarp33

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It does have a gram setting. I'm not sure if the quarter ounce baseline is exactly accurate if the kitten is starting off so small, do you think? I don't know if there's any %gain that's recommended? For them to gain 0.25 oz would be like a 12% gain where for a 3 oz kitten it would be less (math isn't my strong suit). I think I'm ok with the 0.1 oz gain or more for the teeny ones. Sorry, I can't stop thinking in ounces but I get that the gram will be more accurate so I'm going to try to switch ;)
 

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teamcarp33 teamcarp33

You read a much older thread. The thread I referred you to was from last summer, and she did not camp out in a closet. Please read the thread I gave you in my first post to you. laceyloowho laceyloowho had several tiny kittens like you do. She's the owner of that thread.

You MUST weigh in grams. Every gram counts. Wrap the kittens like a burrito in a towel so they can't wiggle and go drop by drop. They must eat.

Put kittens 1, 3, 5, 6, and 8 to mom by themselves for an hour, then switch. While they are away from mom, focus on getting 1/2 to 1 mL into each small kitten. Do the same with any bigger kittens who do not gain 6-10 grams per day. Weigh every 12 hours for now. Keep them warm at all times. Formula should be warm too.

You'll need to do this around the clock for now, until they are out of the danger zone.

Please post gram weights as soon as you can!
 
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teamcarp33

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Gotcha- I quickly read most of the thread, I'll have to read in more detail when I have time, but lots of good info, thank you. Just finished it seems and now it's about time to feed again. I've basically been rotating, the problem being that I can't really take the littles out for any length of time because they can't stay warm enough. I can take the bigs (relative) out for a while to give the littles their own chance for a while.

In grams at 3 days/2 days old (born over an 18 he period, don't know in what order since they were born at vet):

5) 47
3) 49
1) 63
6) 60
8) 62
4) 75
2) 81
7) 85
10) 87
9) 95
 

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Oh, they're so small :(. Hopefully it's just because there are so many.

Do you have a small lamp with an incandescent bulb? You can direct the heat toward a blanket and that should make a warm nest for them. Or a heating mat or a heated blanket/throw. Or just make a hot pack with a sock filled with white rice---microwave it for a few minutes and that will stay warm for a long time. Of course, whatever heating method you use, be sure it's not TOO hot.
 
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teamcarp33

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What I'm using for the main nest is a radiant heater for brooding baby chicks- it heats from above and keeps it around 90 degrees. It's over half the nest for mamas sanity and for safety. I'm going to try to borrow a second one from a friend for the rotation box. I've tried heat pads, rice socks, and a microwaveable heat pad thing as none of those were warm enough :0 The kittens (or at least half of them) do seem premature but not horribly so. I think the large number and small mama cat are a good part of why they are so tiny.

This is nerve wracking.
 

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Wow 10! I thought 9 was tough but you are going to have your hands full! #5 and #3 are what I would consider critical. Those are very tiny! You have to supplement them if you want them to survive. You can definitely keep them warm while you feed them. Wrap them like a burrito and use a heating pad or sock full of rice to keep them warm. I do not want to scare you but those tiny babies go downhill super fast. You have to syringe feed them every couple of hours. They will fight the syringe but eventually they will get used to it. Hopefully you understand to go slow, one drop at a time so they do not aspirate. Rotating and supplementing is what will save these guys. It is a pretty exhausting job. You do one group and it is time to switch. It is pretty much non-stop for a few weeks. If you have someone to help you, that would be ideal. These babies take dedication and it is not easy but we are here if you need help and advice :) I am really rooting for these guys!
 

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I agree that 3 and 5 are critical, and need the most attention. They need drops of formula literally every hour. Kittens 1, 6, and 8 are really small too. You've definitely got 2 distinct groups here.

Procuring another heat lamp would be good, but use what you've got in the meantime. Heat and food are the focus now. I assume mama kitty is stimulating them to wee and poo. You can help with that too after you feed.

Getting some help would be ideal. Is that possible? You do need to sleep at some point.
 

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47 and 49   are critical, as said.  Its on the very verge of biologically being possible to save.   Its Red Alert on them, no margings here.  So fight on.     IF you must make a triage to save the rest, its probably them you will let go.

But, we did had a succesful saving of one 47 grammes, whom also was weak and sickly.  After a longh hard fought fight,  he gained, he grew, he began to play.   Sorrowfully,  this one died later on, not because it was tiny, but because he become strong and adventurous boy.  The room wasnt kitten-secured  (he was immobile so long), and there was an awful accident...   :(

One tip more.   Try to held a rather high humidity in the room.  Its possible they are slighty premature (I mean, , and if so, their lungs arent 100% developed.

I mean, they are probably small because they are many and momma a petite female.  But not impossible they ARE slightly premature.

PS.  I see now you were thinking exactly similiarly.

@teamcarp33  
 
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Gotcha- I quickly read most of the thread, I'll have to read in more detail when I have time, but lots of good info, thank you. Just finished it seems and now it's about time to feed again. I've basically been rotating, the problem being that I can't really take the littles out for any length of time because they can't stay warm enough. I can take the bigs (relative) out for a while to give the littles their own chance for a while.

In grams at 3 days/2 days old (born over an 18 he period, don't know in what order since they were born at vet):

5) 47
3) 49
1) 63
6) 60
8) 62
4) 75
2) 81
7) 85
10) 87
9) 95
If you have access to several  heating lamps, you can have the feeding station at one of the lamps, thus keeping the small ones warm also during the supplement feeding.

One tip more.   What kmr are you using?

full fat Goats milk is usable as kmr, and  raw goats milk has even some edge.  Its coming from an alive momma it too.
 
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teamcarp33

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Just a quick update for now...all seem well this morning and I did weigh again (about 12 hrs after lasts weight) and all have gained. Small gain of 2 grams for #1 and only 1 gram for #9. Not super worried about #9 as she is the biggest and gained quite a bit yesterday. #5 is up by 5 grams to 52 and #3 is up by 6 grams to 55. The biggest gainers were #7 and #10, who are both up 8 grams. The rest fell in between
 

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Just a quick update for now...all seem well this morning and I did weigh again (about 12 hrs after lasts weight) and all have gained. Small gain of 2 grams for #1 and only 1 gram for #9. Not super worried about #9 as she is the biggest and gained quite a bit yesterday. #5 is up by 5 grams to 52 and #3 is up by 6 grams to 55. The biggest gainers were #7 and #10, who are both up 8 grams. The rest fell in between
I see the very smallest are gaining nicely, as much as they do afford.  VERY promising!

The little one orphan of 47 I mentioned  was weak and sickly from the beginning, there was a tedious fight uphill for weeks.   Yours looks more promising -  I suppose they are essentially healthy, that is why they do have a good chance.

Help from biological momma and from a  caretaker whom is used and prepared, are also a big help.

One thing more.   Cleaning off 9 is quite much, swallowing also all the vastes.   You will perhaps help her by preempting some of the biggest, stimulating them yourself.  Consider this if its possible.
 
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teamcarp33

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47 and 49   are critical, as said.  Its on the very verge of biologically being possible to save.   Its Red Alert on them, no margings here.  So fight on.     IF you must make a triage to save the rest, its probably them you will let go.

But, we did had a succesful saving of one 47 grammes, whom also was weak and sickly.  After a longh hard fought fight,  he gained, he grew, he began to play.   Sorrowfully,  this one died later on, not because it was tiny, but because he become strong and adventurous boy.  The room wasnt kitten-secured  (he was immobile so long), and there was an awful accident...   :(

One tip more.   Try to held a rather high humidity in the room.  Its possible they are slighty premature (I mean, , and if so, their lungs arent 100% developed.

I mean, they are probably small because they are many and momma a petite female.  But not impossible they ARE slightly premature.

PS.  I see now you were thinking exactly similiarly.

@teamcarp33  
Good idea with the humidity. It is pretty dry here this time of year and my house has forced air heat which can also be drying. I am meeting my friend this afternoon to borrow a second brooder and will pick up a humidifier while I'm out (really should have one anyway). I was thinking they might be premature because some had pretty much no fur on their feet and bellies, were skinny with wrinkly skin, and their skin was kind of purple. They are looking slightly plumper especially in the belly and are getting a little fur on their legs and bellies now. I am so glad for their sake, but also for mine because you could see right through them (organs, veins and all) and it kind of freaked me out. I figure they were born a couple days early or so due to crowded conditions.
 
If you have access to several  heating lamps, you can have the feeding station at one of the lamps, thus keeping the small ones warm also during the supplement feeding.

One tip more.   What kmr are you using?

full fat Goats milk is usable as kmr, and  raw goats milk has even some edge.  Its coming from an alive momma it too.
I'm using PetAg KMR, and its the only one I can find locally other than Hartz, which i will never use. I have had good luck with it in the past.
 
I see the very smallest are gaining nicely, as much as they do afford.  VERY promising!

The little one orphan of 47 I mentioned  was weak and sickly from the beginning, there was a tedious fight uphill for weeks.   Yours looks more promising -  I suppose they are essentially healthy, that is why they do have a good chance.

Help from biological momma and from a  caretaker whom is used and prepared, are also a big help.

One thing more.   Cleaning off 9 is quite much, swallowing also all the vastes.   You will perhaps help her by preempting some of the biggest, stimulating them yourself.  Consider this if its possible.
Yes, I think we are very lucky that all 10 seem healthy and normal other than being so small. I thought I was going to lose the second smallest immediately on getting home from the vet, he was soooo weak and couldn't get warm until I got the chick brooder out and got him going with a little sugar water. The first day he and the very smallest just weren't strong enough to latch on to mama, so my friend held her while I literally MILKED her into a syringe. My friends mom is a lactation consultant at our health department and she was on the phone coaching. Pretty hilarious really. That poor mama cat. Anyway, that seemed to perk them up a good deal and since then they haven't had any weak moments and have been latching well.

I have been stimulationg the littles after feeding, and all 10 once or twice a day. Mostly they just pee. I am somewhat concerned about one of the biggest kittens though. When I was cleaning them yesterday he had some poo stuck on his bum, which I soaked off with warm water. Today though, I can see some poo that looks a little dry and is "right there" but he didnt push it out when I was cleaning him this morning. He is still eating well and doesnt seem distressed. I did give him about 2 drops of olive oil. Any other suggestions?

Also, I have chickens and an endless supply of egg yolks. I've heard that is good for mama. Yay or nay?

Thanks so much  everyone for the support and help!
 
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