About 5 weeks ago I took in a stray cat, it was supposed to be a male, but as soon as it was out the cat carrier I knew it was female, I few minutes later I suspected she was pregnant. The vet confirmed my initial fears, he suspected 5-6 kittens.
She never got that large however, even towards the end of her pregnancy, that should have a warning sign. Around 5 days before the birth she began spotting, a few days later she lost her mucus plug. The birth was traumatic, the first kitten was born dead and under developed, the second was born alive, active, and quite small (tortoiseshell). The third kitten was breech and got stuck, I helped her deliver him but he was also still born, I believe he died in the birth cannel, he was the largest of all the kittens, it was horrible. The final kitten (tabby) was born alive, active and fully formed, but very skinny and unable to feed consistently (he has a good go).
The tortoiseshell weighs 69g 12 hours after birth, she's doing great, though small she's strong and feeding well . The tabby is only 49g, I believe he has lost weight since birth because he can't feed properly. The vet suggested leaving them alone so I did for four hours. When I checked back the tortoiseshell looked good, the tabby had gone downhill so I made the decision to start feeding him. His mum has milk and she's looking after them, she does leave them alone but not constantly. After feeding him he looks better and more active.
I'm not feeding the tortoiseshell, I'm pretty certain she doesn't need it, the tabby is being feed every 2 hours, the plan is that once he's strong enough (hopefully in a few days) he will feed independently, he just needs a helping hand at the moment. I have got a electric blanket under there box, just under around 1/3 of the box as the mum wanders off a little to much to keep them as warm as I would like.
I'm aware he may die, but I feel I need to try, he's certainly not suffering, if you have any advice I would really appreciate it.
Tally
She never got that large however, even towards the end of her pregnancy, that should have a warning sign. Around 5 days before the birth she began spotting, a few days later she lost her mucus plug. The birth was traumatic, the first kitten was born dead and under developed, the second was born alive, active, and quite small (tortoiseshell). The third kitten was breech and got stuck, I helped her deliver him but he was also still born, I believe he died in the birth cannel, he was the largest of all the kittens, it was horrible. The final kitten (tabby) was born alive, active and fully formed, but very skinny and unable to feed consistently (he has a good go).
The tortoiseshell weighs 69g 12 hours after birth, she's doing great, though small she's strong and feeding well . The tabby is only 49g, I believe he has lost weight since birth because he can't feed properly. The vet suggested leaving them alone so I did for four hours. When I checked back the tortoiseshell looked good, the tabby had gone downhill so I made the decision to start feeding him. His mum has milk and she's looking after them, she does leave them alone but not constantly. After feeding him he looks better and more active.
I'm not feeding the tortoiseshell, I'm pretty certain she doesn't need it, the tabby is being feed every 2 hours, the plan is that once he's strong enough (hopefully in a few days) he will feed independently, he just needs a helping hand at the moment. I have got a electric blanket under there box, just under around 1/3 of the box as the mum wanders off a little to much to keep them as warm as I would like.
I'm aware he may die, but I feel I need to try, he's certainly not suffering, if you have any advice I would really appreciate it.
Tally