baby kitten rib cage feels flat???

My manx had kittens (3 weeks ago,) the issue is we now notice that the oldest who is the smallest (which is a manx too) his rib cage feels flat he is not as active as the "bigger" younger one and I was just wondering if anyone else had a kitten who had a flat rib cage the "other" kitten is round and chubby. The youngest manx of the litter had to be put down at 1 week due to spinabifida, he would not of lasted long it was fairly severe. That was difficult but this is harder because we want to try and help this little one

OMG I just went to a web site that talked about flat chested kittens it is called FCK and it is indetermined what causes it(possibly inproper diet of the mother cat or something, I dunnoknow)we can put a sling around his ribcage to try and improve the syndrome, the sling is easy to make (out of a tiolet paper roll and tighten abit it can help with breathing, which we did notice the little guy breathing heavy of little exercise. The fact that he survived this long is one milestone but if there is no or little improvement by 16-18weeks chances are he could die. Apparently he could improve with in a week or two please pray for our little one I will give you updates I will probably get some KMR just to help supplement him with more nutrients they say that always helps too.

Thanks
Pepperjack

I think this kitten needs to be checked out by a vet.
It may be just fine...but if hardly crys at all and it`s rib cage looks flat...possibly there is a problem.
We have a grandaighter that was born at 5 mo gestation and only weighed 1 pound and 6 oz when she was born. She has asthma because of her early birth...and she hardly cried at all when she was a baby....so this little one may have some breathing prob too.
Please keep us posted about your baby.
Linda

Your kitten probably has FCK (Flat-chested Kitten Syndrome) It will also affect the way the kitten walks and moves as it grows. Here is an article about it

http://www.thecatsite.com/Cats/Cat_H...ed_Kitten.html

I had a rex kitten with a flat chest. She survived till about 3 months old but was very small and slow.

Just curious - you didn't breed tailless to tailless did you? That's a number one rule in manx - never breed tailless to tailless - you have a lethal gene that way.

No she bred with a tailed cat.

Reason I asked on the tailless stuff is spinabifia is very common defect and death with the tailless breeding to tailless - that's why it shouldn't be done.

Hi
I just spoke with a vet accually two places the first was a cat hospital near where I live and they were of no help more or less told me to look it up on the internet. They offered no advice...
The next vet I called she was quite nice and interested she really hasn't heard about it at all...suprizing to me,,,but she was willing to call around and do some research and get back to me on it,,,an ultrasound might be of interest the only thing is it cost about a hundred dollars.

But today the kitten seems well again nursing and I hand fed them a bit of solid crums from soft kitty snacks(tuna). They really enjoyed the little bit I gave them. Is it too soon to feed them more solids? They are 3 weeks and 3 days old. I would love to post theri pics on here but I tryed for at least an hr trying to figure it out last nite I need some really good tips!

Anyways I will keep posting you all on updates, Thanks
Pepperjack &
Willow &Yazzi and 2 mini babes.

Did you read the article? It was written by one of our members about a FCK that she took care of

Hi Hissy I did read the article I was just hoping that in speaking with a vet I could get more info too...accually I am making them more aware by the sounds of it. I will be trying physio on this little one,,,I thought about a brace but it seems to wierd I want him to be mobile as that seems to help.

I really want a cure or a quick solution but with "special needs" I dont think that is going to happen is it?

What would you do? Any advice given is appreciated?
We already decided that we won't be giving him to his new home we just want to keep him for the first 3-4 months depending on what happens and how he does physically! Plus it would not be fair...unless I could find someone who would foster him or someone who would want a special needs cat?

Papperjack

Is the kitten's sternum (breastbone) flat, or is it concave?

If the breastbone lies flat, the kitten has FCK and is very likely to outgrow it completely. I had two kittens with this condition this spring and both outgrew it by 8 weeks of age. They are healthy 7-month-olds now. Even with the flat chests, they hit all their developmental milestones right on target. One was the smallest of the litter, one was nearly the biggest!

The vet told me that their only long-term risk was related to possibly reduced lung capacity. This would only come into play when they had to be anesthetized or got a respiratory infection. Both were spayed at 8 weeks without any trouble at all. If they were to get an infection, they would be put on antibiotics right away to prevent pneumonia but realistically, I don't think this is really necessary at this point. They are really completely normal.

If the breastbone is concave, this is a different condition called pectus excavatum. The prognosis here is a little more guarded because the deformed breastbone puts extra pressure on the heart and lungs and may keep them from growing normally.

I hope you will not breed this cat again. A cat who produces two kittens with significant physical deformities should be considered to be of unsound genotype and will probably have kittens with birth defects again.

I thank you for the sound advice the vet that I spoke with earlier just told me exactly the same...I really hope this little one can outgrow this,,,I went and got some "just born" milk and a bottle...hmmm feeding baby kitty is rather challenging ...very hungry!!! he gave up quickly though didn't even drinnk 1/4 of a ounce oh well I will try later he is nursing from mommy cat right now...I will not be breeding the queen again,,,,she wasn't even supposed to get pregnant this time but.....I got a spay price from the vet college 144.00 total for the fix as soon as she is done nursing these babies in due time ...she is going in!

I feel better just knowing this little one has a good chance I beleive he only has FCK as it only appears flat not concaved, even so regardless he is a blessing in disquise.

pepperjack.