a beautiful new kitten who lost her 4 siblings

Hi all

my partner's cat had a litter of kittens 2 weeks ago - she gave birth to 5 precious little ones, sadly all but one passed away the one that survived was the largest of them all and she is growing and developing quite nicely, but I am worried that she will not survive. She is still drinking her mother's milk, and is gaining weight appropriately.

since i am new to the world of soon becoming a cat owner I have to learn a lot of things, so excuse my ignorance if i ask silly questions

is there a baby kitten formula that i can purchase for the kitten? Also can we use any type of flea deterent for the kitten as the mother cat has not been treated because she is lactating and the chemical may harm the kitten?

are there any signs i should be looking for because the 4 little ones that didnt survive didnt really drink much milk from the mother and i am thinking that there might be something wrong with the other's milk?

your thoughts and suggestions would be much appreciated

I am sure you will get more answers soon. Yes you can buy kitten milk and kitten baby bottles in pet stores and the pet department of large department stores.

BUT you will need to have a vet look at the momma and the baby to see what is wrong. You can't use any flea stuff on the kitten. It is too young. It is a good question about the flea stuff on the momma affecting the kitten. A vet could tell you.

It is very important to have a vet look at them both, because if so many died there is probably something wrong.

I lost 3 of 5 from my last litter. Worms and fleas are very hard on kittens, but I don't think you can treat until they are a little older. If the remaining baby is eating well from Momma, and gaining weight, you probably don't need to supplement with bottle feedings.

One of my kittens that died went to the vet for a necropsy, like an autopsy, and they found nothing wrong with her. But you should still take your remaining kitten and momma to the vet, just in case something can be done for them. And they can let you know about worms and fleas.

It is so hard to lose babies! Condolences on their loss. I hope your remaining baby stays healthy! And be sure to get the momma spayed when baby is 8 weeks old, to prevent further pregnancies. Poor girl, she must be heartbroken to lose so many babies!

1. flea situation - ok,, we have been combing the mommy and kitten - and we have been killing the fleas as we go - so at least i'm doing that correct

2. the mommy - this is her 2nd litter - her first was a year ago and she had 5 kittens at that time - all survived and were healthy - i have spoken to my partner about taking 'Billy' to get her fixed - she is 5 years old - a pure-breed persian - and i will also be taking 'Kaysha' to get fixed:

question time??????? when is it the right time to get a kitten fixed?

3. yes i have suggested that we take 'Billy' and 'Kaysha' to the vet this week, i have noticed that 'Billy' has been having trouble with constipation at the moment, she is eating her meals, and the kitten is drinking her milk, but i still think that there may have been something wrong with her milk,,, off to the vet we go!!

4. i spose the vet will tell me - but here is another question:

worming - when do we begin all of that treatment?

5. about breeds etc,,, i know that 'Billy' is a persian - we have no idea what she mated with, but are there any tell tale signs of different breeds of cats that i will be able to at least eliminate what she mated with? i will post a photo at a later date of the kitten, she has the same ears as her mother, same colouring, which is marbled brown, grey, black and white, her tale is wider at the top and quite fluffy already, and her face quite round.

the other 4 little cherishes:

all black with quite round face
black with white socks and a stripe along its nose, triangular face
ginger striped, triangular
marbled brown, grey, black and white (like Kaysha)

yes it is very sad to lose 4 of the kittens, i am just hoping that little 'Kaysha' will get through this - cross your fingers ans kitty paws for me


ive heard that when a persian cat mates with another breed that the persian characteristics dont normally carry through, any thoughts or comments on this?



thanks for the replies

It sounds to me like Kaysha is doing just fine. It is not unusual for kittens to die within the first week of life. Normally it is just one or two but sometimes it is the whole litter. What happens to any one kitten is not necessarily a reflection of what will happen to any other. If a kitten appears to be growing and thriving, then it is pretty safe to assume that the kitten actually is doing just fine and Mama is doing her job.

You should take them both to the vet as soon as possible. Flea treatment is definitely necessary since fleas can make a kitten extremely anemic. This will have to be prescribed and supervised by a vet.

It is true that the most notable Persian characteristics do not normally show up in kittens if the other parent is not Persian. The very long, fine hair and brachiocephalic (smooshed) face are recessive traits. This is actually good for cat-kind since smooshed faces make cats extremely prone to eye and respiratory problems and fine, silky hair tends toward severe matting unless the coat is groomed regularly. If Nature is allowed to work without human intervention, she will tend to make low-maintenance animals.

I am glad that you are planning to get Billy and Kaysha fixed soon. That is the right thing to do for everyone's sake!

Good luck with them. It really sounds to me like Kaysha is doing just fine and should grow up healthy.