16 Day Old Orphan Kitten Having Trouble Feeding - Please Help!

[Bengalmumma]

Hello all,

I'm going to be as detailed and as fast as I can because time is of the essence for my situation.I've gone to many vets and specialists but I wanted to get the opinion of cat experts/mums as well.

Two weeks ago 9th/Septmeber my beautiful bengal mama had her babies, she's only 3 years old and had 2 previous litters for me. Unfortunately there were complications, something tore inside during birth, she was rushed to the vets but nothing could be done to save her.
She left me 4 gorgeous kittens but I knew it was an uphill battle because they have had no colostrum from mum, she passed away before they could feed. Long story short, in the space of two weeks we lost the runt and another kitten, they were literally so small we couldn't do anything to save them and once they stated dying we had them euthanaised for the least possible pain.

My remaining two kittens a boy and a girl were at a specialist clinic and given experimental treatment where a doner cat gives blood, the blood is spun to keep plasma and injected into the kittens to give them antibodies. It's an option you can give kittens who haven't had colostrum. The little boy looked limp and fragile, we thought we were going to loose him too but he did a complete 180 and gained health by the day!

Now 4 days ago, he started not feeding properly, prior to this he was taking 5-6ml every feed every 2-3 hours. It started coming out of his nose, despite holding him in the correct position and using a controlled syringe where he sucked it out, I didn't squirt or assist him apart from holding it for him. This only got worse and he was getting less mls and seemed to kind of gasp for air when it came out of nose - I can't tell you how traumatic it is to watch

Obviously something wasn't right, we took him to another vet who didn't seem to understand new born kittens needs and he continued to loose weight in their care over 45 hours. He's gone down from 190g to 178g which isn't ideal. I stared calling around to many vets until I was able to find a vet who do a lot of work for breeders and tube feed on a regular basis. He's been tube fed for 24 hours and gained 1g - I am aware this is not a good amount. He also hasn't done a poo in 20 hours but I think because his last feeds have been so small it's not enough to get things moving. He did regurgitate some food from the tube feeding but tthe last three have been better and he's getting in 4ml every 2 hours.

Apart front that, in all honestly he is a bright kitten that is moving around a lot and constantly searching for a nipple. He hasn't pooed in 24 hours so my vet recommended we give him a warm water enema because If there's an obstructon it won't make things worse.

They have also seperated the boy and girl, which breaks my heart. Obviously he doesn't have a mum, there's no soothing heart beat. The did it because they aren't 100% sure what's wrong with him they want to keep him from her to be safe but in my heart I truly beleieve he needs his sister.
He constantly searches for her in his bed and when they are together they just sleep next to each together. I want nothing more then to put them together I think it's beneficial for both.

Right now for the last two feeds he's had 4ml tube fed into his stomach, on antibiotics and apart from not gaining weight he is very bright and moves around a lot.

My main questions are, would you put them back together? I really do believe it's his best chance.


Is there anything else we can do for him that we haven't done? I'm thinking ultrasound? Does any one else have other ideas or been in a similar situation?

Any suggestions of anything extra I can be do to keep him alive? It's my babies baby am I'm so invested in keeping him alive, he's a fighter and he's come so far I don't want to give up on him now.

Thank you in advance and apologies for any spelling mistakes I was typing fast!

Xoxox

 

[StefanZ]

What exactly are you feeding throu this tube?

Can you get glucose sugar / dextrose?

Raw goats milk?

What country are you living in?

 

[Bengalmumma]

He's having animal lac which is kitten formula.

In Gold Coast, Australia

Vet says his glucose is fine...

 

[StefanZ]

I mentioned glucose to give some glucose as extra. Always some extra calories.

In Usa is glucose difficult to find, in Swesen very easy.

Lac is a good kmr, still if you can get raw goats milk it may give an edge.
Powdered goats milk is ok to use but not in itself better than lac.

The kittens have been together some good while?
If so any virus he carries could already infest her.
So my guess is this doesnt matter much any longer. If they are better from theirs company - let them. Although the vet vants to play it as safely he can.

An alternative is you make a stuffed cat from fleece (feels almost as fur.
Perhaps with place for s warming sock with rice. Inside.

 

[Bengalmumma]

I put the kittens back together, they have been together since birth and are three weeks old in two days. Our little boy has been tube fed and is doing well. He lost weight for days and kept weight on but now he's finally gaining and in the clear again! He is being tube fed to avoid aspiration again.

Our little girl chocked on milk last night, she was just too excited and drank so fast it came out her nose. She's at he vets, of actually happened at the vets. We've got them in a vet whose done a lot of tube feeding. I am not so confident to do it myself.

The little girl is still on antibiotics and there's a procedure we can give to her to break up the milk in the lungs, I can't remember the name of it right now... it's not so invasive either

She's being tube fed to avoid further aspiration. Actually this is how the little boy aspirated, they just get confident on the bottle and get so excited that they just drink too fast one time. Hopefully the antibiotics and other procedure help her get back to her normal self. She's 220g now.


Please pray for our baby girl

 

[Bengalmumma]

Forgot to add, glucose is all normal. The vet said we can do an X-ray to see the aspiration but I think that's more for diagnoses, she has aspirated we do know that much

 

[StefanZ]

They dont always aspirate the milk when they get some out the nose. Healthy kittens has some possibility to close off the "lung-tube" with a reflex when they choke on the milk. Similiar that they have against drowning.
So, its scary it is. And dangerous. But we have seen many examples where they choked on the kmr, but no pneumonia followed.
Im glad you play it safe, and Im glad you have a good vet, whom even is skilled with tubing. My sad experience is, quite a few vets cant tube.

Again. Too low glucose sugar in blood is a danger, often leading to "fading kitten syndrome". That is why your vet tells the blood glucose is fine.

But I didnt meant the blood glucose as such, but glucose as food, as an easy way to add some calories in the food. The straw to tip the scale over from barely existing into growing and beginning to prosper. It will be enough to add just a trifle to the kmr / goats milk, to be this straw.
After all, ALL food is supposed to be digested down into glucose sugar, before the body tissues can use the food in their basic form of glucose sugar. So why dont hop over all the intermediate stages?

You can talk with your vet about this if you wish.

 

[Bengalmumma]

Thank you so much I really appreciate your long and detailed response!

The little boy did aspirate but thankfully antibiotics was able to clear it up! He's being tube fed to be safe and gaining weight again. He lost a lot of weight because he was at another vet who was bottle feeding him after aspirating and he was just to weak to feed, they didn't know what they were doing. Thankfully he's been saved by the tube.

I agree not many vets can tube feed, it was because of my desperation I called many vets and demanded to know if they could tube feed before I took them there and another vet recommended them to me. They do it all the time and work with breeders.

They said the little girl did get excited and chocke on formula, she was feeding perfect before! It's like the stronger they get the more excited for food they get and the more they inhale it. She did have a bit of milk coming out of her nose for a while after, since the incident she has been tube fed only. Her breathing is up, apparently it's meant to be 30, hers is at a 60 but they said that's not too much cause for concern yet. She's been given a saline solution that can help break up any fluid in the lungs and she's also on oxygen as a precaution. Hopefully she picks up from tube feeding, it is do heads to raise kittens without a mum Hoping and praying our babies make it

 

[Bengalmumma]

They are both also gaining weight very well, the little boy was shavered at a previous vet who didn't properly deal with his aspiration. He was too weak to feed and they let him have 1-2ml which was no where near enough for a 190g kitten. Since being on the tube for 5 days he's managed to maintain and gain weight.

 

[Bengalmumma]

Today our little girl is doing well, our little boy is not. He is 3 weeks old today exactly, he seems to be regurgitating his fomula. He's being tube fed and vomiting but when he has the bottle he just plays with it and doesn't suck properly. She's having about 10ml each feed and he's lucky to keep down 2-4ml

I know he's super small and we don't have a lot of options as far as medicine because of his age. Is there anything else we can do for him?

 

[ileen]

Such a sad story. I hope everything improves for both babies.

 

[Bengalmumma]

Thank you

 

[Bengalmumma]

My kittens are 3 weeks and 3 days old, their mum died during complications during birth and unfortunately couldn't be saved.

Her little girl is doing amazing, she's plump and taking the bottle so well. Her little boy was doing very well, sucking strong until one day he chocked on the milk and it came out of his nose. We assumed he aspirated so we put him straight on antibiotics and oxygen but we believe there maybe more too it then that.

He's been at the vets for 7 days (I kept his sister there too as comfort). After he chocked on milk we did decide to tube feed him for his safety. He was doing very well being tube fed (gained 30 grams in 4 days) but lately he hates it and it irrates him. Whether he's tube or bottle fed now our little boy seems to bring up food, either vomiting or through his nose.

The vets have sent him home, they believe he has an issue with his esophagus but he's too small for us to put anything down to check and medication isn't really an option in such a young kitten.

We are managing the issue as best we can by having smaller feeds more often. He has 6ml every two hours slowly via feeding syringe, his sister has 12ml every 4 hours via bottle. He's also on antibiotics for the foreseeable future, the little girl stops in two days.

Does you have any suggestions to help him keep down food? Has anyone had an experience like this?

Thanks in advance

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
wow, you all are amazing!!
I think the smaller, slower feeds more frequently might just be the "ticket" to help him. Hang in there with this little dude

 

[Bengalmumma]

Thank you hoping he can gain enough weight to get to a good size where we can explore more options

 

[Kflowers]

This may not be your kitten's problem but it is something to consider and discuss with your vet. Dogs are born with megaesophagus need to eat sitting up. It's an enlargement of the esophagus. You can't tell from looking at the cat, but an x-ray might tell you something.

It's seems to be very rare in cats, which means it probably isn't at the top of your vet's thoughts on kitten problems. There are other things that cause kittens to have trouble swallowing. Your vet sounds like a dedicated person to keep your kitty that long.

I saw it in dogs on one of the vet shows on TV and wondered if cats were born with it. I read way too much about cat illnesses and I've only run across one or two articles about cats with it, which of course I can't find now. They treated it by holding the kitten up right, as though it were standing, or at least more up right than one normally holds a kitten when feeding it. In the case I read about the kitten out grew it. Dogs do not out grow the problem.

Again this may not be your kitten's problem. But if it is, it's something that can be dealt with.