My cat gave birth early this morning. The last kitten was born at 4 a.m. and was having a hard time finding a nipple. I tried guiding it to an available nipple but it wouldn't latch on. It is sucking, however, but sucking everything but a nipple. And it's crawling all over the other ones trying to find a nipple. I finally went to bed and when I got up the other kittens were nursing and this one was not. At what point do I give up trying to get it to nurse and bottle feed it? I am really hoping it will start nursing - and I'm not really sure that it hasn't...
-
Too many ads? Join our community of cat lovers now to reduce ads by 90%! Click here to join for free!
Kitten not finding nipple
- Thread starter mkerrigan
- Start Date
You need to supplement this baby now. If born at 4AM, it is now nearly 12 hours later and if baby hasn't nursed, then she will die.
Babies will find a nipple and then normally always go back to that particular nipple to feed. You didn't say how many kittens were in this litter, but if it is a large litter, then baby may not be strong enough to fight for his spot at the "buffet". If she is fighting for a position, then she is expending a great deal of her much-needed energy doing that instead of nursing and it is time to intervene.
Babies will find a nipple and then normally always go back to that particular nipple to feed. You didn't say how many kittens were in this litter, but if it is a large litter, then baby may not be strong enough to fight for his spot at the "buffet". If she is fighting for a position, then she is expending a great deal of her much-needed energy doing that instead of nursing and it is time to intervene.
