New to kitten care- please advise!

breeb

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Hi All,
We were adopted by a beautiful cat we named Penny when she was pregnant, and last week she delivered 8 lovely kittens. We lost one the second day (complete mystery) and the litter included one very tiny runt we have named Squirt. He was only 60 grams at birth, and we have been supplementing him with milk replacer from our vet since his birth. He gained slowly at first but yesterday jumped 10g in just 12 hours! Squirt is now 124g at 7 days old and seems to be doing very well, but starting last night his consumption of formula dropped. We are assuming that is because he is now getting more from Penny (who is a fantasic momma), but he is still nearly half the size of his sibs. We are still offering the formula, but this morning he refused it altogether. He also has a sister that has been slow on her growth, but she seems to be nursing fine and also refuses the formula. Please advise if we should still be supplementing, or if this is their way of letting us know they just don't need it anymore? This is our first experience with helping to raise kittens, and this site has been a gold mine! Any inout would be appreciated!
 

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The simple answer is if the kittens are gaining 6-10 grams minimum each per day they are getting enough from mom.

If they are not gaining that much when you weigh each day, they need supplementing whether they like it or not.

Kittens always prefer mom over supplementing, so they may fight you on it.

You've done well to save the tiny one! [emoji]128522[/emoji]
 

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Hi All,
We were adopted by a beautiful cat we named Penny when she was pregnant, and last week she delivered 8 lovely kittens. We lost one the second day (complete mystery) and the litter included one very tiny runt we have named Squirt. He was only 60 grams at birth, and we have been supplementing him with milk replacer from our vet since his birth. He gained slowly at first but yesterday jumped 10g in just 12 hours! Squirt is now 124g at 7 days old and seems to be doing very well, but starting last night his consumption of formula dropped. We are assuming that is because he is now getting more from Penny (who is a fantasic momma), but he is still nearly half the size of his sibs. We are still offering the formula, but this morning he refused it altogether. He also has a sister that has been slow on her growth, but she seems to be nursing fine and also refuses the formula. Please advise if we should still be supplementing, or if this is their way of letting us know they just don't need it anymore? This is our first experience with helping to raise kittens, and this site has been a gold mine! Any inout would be appreciated!
I agree with the above - let the weighting be your advisor.

You can of course always try with some other brand of kmr - goats milk is OK too.  If you can find raw goats milk its even excellent.

What method of supplementing do you use?  There are several different techniques.
 
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breeb

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Thank you! I was so worried about the little one, but he seems to be doing great now. I went home at lunch time and he had put on 6g since midnight last night, only from nursing on Penny. I'll keep an eye on his weight (an now also his sister!). I have tried to let my instincts be my guide but since we never had kittens before, it's so great to get advice and confirmation!
 
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breeb

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WIth regard to the KMR- I never thought of trying something else as I was worried about upsetting his little tummy. But that is a very good suggestion! I do know a family with goats if nothing else works. We tried all methods with him- syringe, dropper and bottle. He definitely prefers the bottle and was doing great with it until yesterday night. All of a sudden he was fussy and pushed it away and cried so loud I thought it better to put him back with Penny rather than stress him. Same with his sister- although last night was the first time we tried to supplement her. When I went home at lunch time, he did take a few mL of formula but then just pushed away. We do see him nursing on Penny WAY more often, and today I even saw him bully off a larger sibling! I like the advice about watching his weight, and we can always go to the vet if we are worried- but it's such a production to load them all up! Thank you both for the input!
 

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He gained, so that is great. Continue weighing all of them daily. With 7 you never know if one is falling behind unless you weigh.
 
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breeb

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Couple more questions, if you don't mind...

How often should we be weighing them? I have been weighing most of them once every 24 hrs, but we weigh Squirt about every 6-12 hours. 

Also, if we find that he is falling behind again, and he won't take the bottle, does anyone have advice for how to get him to eat?  I do worry about stressing him (and his mom) too much.  Should I go back to the syringe? For his current size (132g) is there a minimum quantity that he should be getting? He was up to 16mL per feeding, now down to 5-6 mL (if we're lucky). 

BTW he and his litter mates already have their eyes open at 7 days- is this normal?
 

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Someone will come by to help with your questions. With regard to eye opening, that is normal. Their eyes right now are somewhat unfocused.
 
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Sarthur2

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Yes, eyes being open at 7 days is in the normal range.

Weighing every day at the same time is best. Weighing your little guy more often is a good idea right now as well.

At 132 grams Squirt needs 38 mLs every 24-hour period. However, the weight gains you've posted indicate he is nursing well and getting nutrition from mom, so he won't need that much from you unless he backslides. If he does, use the syringe to feed him. In the meantime, continue topping him off like you've been doing.
 
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breeb

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Thank you all very much- I will sleep (my four hours!) easier tonight!  We still try to offer the formula every four hours, he takes a bit about every other feeding.  Glad to know they are good to go with the eyes opening!  So cute- they look like little aliens :) 
 
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breeb

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Latest development- Squirt seems to be gaining weight, he gained 9g in 24hrs. However, now some of the litter and Penny (mom) are sneezing. Worried sick that they might have contracted something, although Penny has barely been out of the kitten room, much less outside.  The kitties are 8 days old now, and they seem to be nursing OK (even Squirt), but the sneezing is making me nervous.  The room is nice and warm, and I have changed the bedding regularly.  Do you think I have anything to worry about?

PS- I will post pics, but I am waiting for them to be up and active, I mostly have sleeping photos!
 

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It sounds like an upper respiratory infection (URI) starting. You should get clavamox drops for all of them from the vet asap to prevent it getting worse, and to stave off any secondary infections in the kittens from developing, such as pneumonia.

A vaporizer in their room is helpful as it puts humidity in the air, making it easier to breathe (and nurse) if their noses get stuffed, which is usually what happens next.

Awesome that Squirt is gaining! [emoji]128522[/emoji]
 
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breeb

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That's what I was afraid of- of course little Squirt seems to be the worst! I have a call in to my vet (he's my large animal vet but will usually just see the pets too) to see if he can get me something for them.  Is this something that is usually pretty easily treated if caught early? Thank you again for your input, and yes we are so glad our little guy is growing! 
 

Sarthur2

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Yes, easily treated if caught early. Your vet will hopefully prescribe soon and you can pick it up and get them started.

Do you have a vaporizer for steam?
 
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breeb

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Hi,

I do have a vaporizer, but they are not really congested yet, just still a few random sneezes. Talked to the vet this morning, and he is sending me out some antibiotics, but he said he thinks they might have a herpes virus and the antibiotic won't help with that. He is sending the antibiotics just in case they develop secondary infections. I also reached out to a cat rescue group in my area in case I was looking at a large vet bill, and they were very helpful. They are going to help us with spaying and neutering of the whole litter (and Penny) before they are adopted out! The aide that came out to see the kittens also said he did not think they had an infection, but to keep a close eye on it and follow vet instructions. Very relieved! Little Squirt is still gaining weight, despite the sneezies, and the rest of the litter is fat and happy. They are starting to bat at each other like they are playing, will have to post some pics this weekend for sure so all who have helped/advised can see what they have helped bring up! Thank you all so much!!!
 

Sarthur2

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Correct! The URI is from a herpes virus that mom brought with her. It has spread to the kittens. The antibiotic will prevent any secondary infection from occurring.

It's great you will be getting vet help from a local rescue. [emoji]128522[/emoji]
 
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breeb

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Hi All,

Just a quick update, I see everyone is so busy with kitten season, and I hope all goes well for everyone!

Squirt has reached a milestone- he topped 200g today! He is now 207g and seems to be doing pretty well. All the kitties have weathered their virus scare, and we seem to be turning the corner to health. They all have their eyes open and seem to recognize us when we come in- and they are starting to play!  So cute!  Penny is a great mom and the only thing I am still a bit concerned about is that Squirt is getting scratched up pretty regularly by his bigger sibs.  He has scratches on the top of his head, and one today by his eye.  He is a pretty good scrapper and gets in there while they are all eating, and they scratch mercilessly at each other- he gets the worst of it.  I do make sure he has some quality alone time with Penny, but of course I can't be there 24/7.  I know that as long as he is gaining regularly I should probably not worry, but of course he holds a special place in our hearts and it does worry me that he might get an infection. I suppose the Clavamox should take care of that as well- guess just looking for some reassurance that this is OK.

Photo is of Squirt- I'll try to insert images of the other kittens as soon a
x
 
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