Lethargic or deep sleeper kitten?

andeshan

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I have 2 week old kittens and I am a little worried. One kitten although fat and healthy seems lethargic. It sleeps more than all the other kittens and when I mean sleep I mean I can pick the kitten up and it is like it is lifeless. All the other kittens wake right up and seem to know what is always going on around them. Is this normal? Or do I have a kitten that is just a deep sleeper?
 

a_loveless_gem

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Personally, I wouldn't pick up a sleeping kitten unless I had to. They too need their rest.

Is this kitten feeding and pooping normally? And how does the kitten behave when awake? Does he/she play as energetic as the others? Does he/she seem slower at learning life skills than the others?

With ones so young, any health concerns should be forwarded onto a vet.
 

hissy

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If you are concerned enough to post here, you should be concerned enough to call your vet.
 

maverick_kitten

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Originally Posted by hissy

If you are concerned enough to post here, you should be concerned enough to call your vet.
sometimes you feel stupid or like a neurotic mummy calling the vet but hissys right.

they give you free advice usually and they dont mind a bit as they are mostly animal lovers (you'd have to be!)
 
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andeshan

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OK let me clarify. I have contacted my vet about this but wondered if anyone else had the same problem with a kitten. The vet has not called back so must not be very important. The kitten is not cold, just not as active as all the others. I only move this kitten when momma tries to lay on it. I do work with all the kittens and this one just sleeps alot other than nursing. I am just concerned if this is normal for a kitten it was the last one born and was a very hard birth. All the kittens are the same size although weight wise this one might be sightly smaller.
 

maverick_kitten

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does the momma activly try to lay on it or does she seem to be laying on this one more than the others?

if so it might mean the kittens sick.

does she feed the kitten as much as the others?

kittens do sleep a lot. sleep eat and grow!
 

a_loveless_gem

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Originally Posted by Andeshan

OK let me clarify. I have contacted my vet about this but wondered if anyone else had the same problem with a kitten. The vet has not called back so must not be very important. The kitten is not cold, just not as active as all the others. I only move this kitten when momma tries to lay on it. I do work with all the kittens and this one just sleeps alot other than nursing. I am just concerned if this is normal for a kitten it was the last one born and was a very hard birth. All the kittens are the same size although weight wise this one might be sightly smaller.
Does the mother cat go out of her wa to lay on the kitten as if to smother it? If so, then it would be a sign that this kitten is sick. Often for the survival of the other kittens, a mother cat will eliminate the sick kitten.

Does this kitten get as much feeding time as the others? Does the mother allow this kitten to feed from her? Does the mother make attempts to stop the kitten from feeding from her?

If the mother does make feeding for this kitten difficult, then I would strongly suggest that a vet visit may be in order.

It could be as simple as the kitten being the runt of the litter, being the smaller one or an underlying medical issue.
 

vegansoprano

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How is the kitten's weight gain? Healthy kittens gain about .3 oz every day. If his weight gain is much less than this, and especially if he loses weight, that is an emergency situation. How much a kitten weighs is less important than whether or not he is steadily gaining.
 
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andeshan

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Samona does not go out of her way to lay on the kitten which i see as a good omen. All the kittens eat good and nurse well. Its just this kitten sleeps more than the siblings. The others are starting the faze of looking around alot more, playing with each other, strengthing their legs. I went ahead and made an appointment with the vet tomorrow to have them checked out and sex the kittens.

The weight of the kittens seem consistant although the kitten I am worried about is slightly smaller than the rest (not by very much). It was the last kitten born and was a very hard birth for Samona. Took her over a minute to birth the kitten. I could not tell if it was born breech or normal either since she had to stand to birth this one.

The kitten has a loud mouth that it uses when it finally does get orientated. I have also noticed that it tends to lay on its back and hold its paw to its mouth like a child sucking a thumb.

I don't know if the vet can do sight and hearing checks on kittens this young but I am going to have him check this one for sure. It maybe a orange and white kitten but it is out of a litter of white kittens.
 
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andeshan

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I have some good news. Samona and her babies are doing great! 3 weigh in at .7 pounds and 2 at .6 pounds. All 5 kittens are MALE!!! That surprised me the most lol. The lethargic kitten is slow the vet said he should be fine and will catch up a little later.
 
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