Extremely small newborn kittens. 44 grams and 39 grams.

[Nylonbottle]

I have some newborn kittens that are extremely tiny and wanted to make sure I was doing everything I can for them.

Kitten 1 (Sasha) was born yesterday (July 1) around 7:30 pm and kitten 2 (Sweetie) was born yesterday around 11 pm. I don’t have birth weights because I didn’t have a scale.

Mom escaped around April 26/27 and was found and brought home April 29. (And she’ll be getting spayed so this never happens again. We were slacker pet owners ).

I just weighed them and K1 is 44 grams and K2 is 39. From what I’m reading that is excessively small. They are very skinny and have no body fat.

Both have been quite vigorous from birth. Crawling on mom, vocalizing when being picked up to be weighed, or if she moves and they get dislodged.

Neither nursed right away and I thought mom’s milk may not have been in. K1 really wanted nothing to do with nursing but took a bottle from me after they were a bit over two hours old (and eliminated with stimulation afterwards). K2 has settled in for some long sessions today with mom and I think I’m finically seeing some milk from her. (Maybe?)

I’m going to try and supplement more, but I dont know if there is anything else I can be doing. I’m not seeing anything like cleft palates or other physical abnormalities.

photo is of K1 a couple hours after being born.

 

[Nylonbottle]

I forgot to mention, mom is very small as well, but full grown. She’s between 5-6 lbs, pre-pregnant.

 

[Sarthur2]

Oh my, you have premature by birth rate kittens. Anything under 90 grams is considered premature. Mom may have colostrum first, then milk, and it can take a couple days if she is being nursed upon.

Since these kittens are so small, I recommend that you feed via syringe or bottle every 2 hours around the clock until they are at least 100 grams and/or nursing well and gaining from mom.

Try to get 1-2mLs in them each 2 hours, and more if they want it. In between, put them with mom to try to nurse and get her to lick, stimulate, and care for them.

At this size, they can turn on a dime. Be very careful feeding, and make sure it is on time.

Here’s a helpful video:

Syringe Feeding — Kitten Lady

Keep us posted! N Nylonbottle

 

[StefanZ]

I have some newborn kittens that are extremely tiny and wanted to make sure I was doing everything I can for them.

Kitten 1 (Sasha) was born yesterday (July 1) around 7:30 pm and kitten 2 (Sweetie) was born yesterday around 11 pm. I don’t have birth weights because I didn’t have a scale.

Mom escaped around April 26/27 and was found and brought home April 29. (And she’ll be getting spayed so this never happens again. We were slacker pet owners ).

I just weighed them and K1 is 44 grams and K2 is 39. From what I’m reading that is excessively small. They are very skinny and have no body fat.

Both have been quite vigorous from birth. Crawling on mom, vocalizing when being picked up to be weighed, or if she moves and they get dislodged.

Neither nursed right away and I thought mom’s milk may not have been in. K1 really wanted nothing to do with nursing but took a bottle from me after they were a bit over two hours old (and eliminated with stimulation afterwards). K2 has settled in for some long sessions today with mom and I think I’m finically seeing some milk from her. (Maybe?)

I’m going to try and supplement more, but I dont know if there is anything else I can be doing. I’m not seeing anything like cleft palates or other physical abnormalities.

photo is of K1 a couple hours after being born.

Good you are on them at once. As being that small, they have no margins.
(even if I do suspect and hope you are making some measuring fault, I do believe you when you say they are smallish).

Warmth is important. You have momma, but a IR-heat lamp is often useful. For example, as you handfeed, there wont be any risk for cooling down.
That is; this depend in much how warm it is in your place and country. Summer or winterseason?

If its very hot you will want to give them relief from the heat...

Prematures have often bad lungs. So make sure there is some extra moist in the air...

Goats milk, especially raw goats milk, is good for handfeeding.
You can mix it with the kmr you use.
If you usually mix kmr 1: with 2 parts water,
the ratio with goats milk will be 1kmr : 3 parts goats milk...

 

[Sarthur2]

How are the kittens doing today?

 

[Nylonbottle]

Thank you both for your help!

kittens seem to be doing well? They’re both still with us and still crawling and fussing when upset, especially when being weighed.

I can’t tell if her milk is in. I can’t express anything, but all 8 nipples definitely feel “bagged up.” K1 did gain a gram on her own between my supplementing and I’ve seen her latched on, so maybe something is coming out? K2 isnt gaining without me supplementing him and he’ll latch on her but pops off 5-10 seconds later. I did get him to eat a bunch from a bottle just now. He was two grams heavier after his feeding. I’m just hoping he keeps that on.



Fortunately it’s summer here and humid. Kittens are in our small walk in closet which has no AC vent, so no drafts and it’s warmer than the rest of the house. I’m getting a heating pad and will use that under the towel I feed them on.

I do think my scale is accurate, I weighed my phone and checked it against the manufacturer specs and it was correct, give or take a couple grams. They fit completely inside the palm of my hand. In videos I’ve watched, it seems like most newborns are at least double their size. But they seem fierce! So I’m going to try and keep thinking positive.

other than that, mom seems to doing a good job. She stays with them, is potting them, gets upset when they get upset.

 

[Nylonbottle]

I will get some goats milk! I don’t think I’m going to find raw goats milk anywhere though.

 

[Willowy]

They're probably a little premature. The one in the picture doesn't have fur on her paws and her face doesn't look as developed as usual.

But I have heard of kittens this size surviving! So just keep doing what you're doing, sounds like it's working so far.

 

[Sarthur2]

Agree! Continue supplementing. They need to gain a few grams each day. Thanks for the update!

 

[Nylonbottle]

They're probably a little premature. The one in the picture doesn't have fur on her paws and her face doesn't look as developed as usual.

But I have heard of kittens this size surviving! So just keep doing what you're doing, sounds like it's working so far.

ive been reading up on premies and wondering if that’s the case. Or something like poor placental placement. Either way, it can’t be fixed at this point.

I got another good feed into K2. I can get him up two grams a feeding and he seems to loose one in between.

K1 (who is named Sasha fierce) is living up to her name and fighting the bottle, but she’s also gaining or mainting between feeds. And I do catch her nursing on mom, so maybe she’s getting something.

 

[StefanZ]

ive been reading up on premies and wondering if that’s the case. Or something like poor placental placement. Either way, it can’t be fixed at this point.

I got another good feed into K2. I can get him up two grams a feeding and he seems to loose one in between.

K1 (who is named Sasha fierce) is living up to her name and fighting the bottle, but she’s also gaining or mainting between feeds. And I do catch her nursing on mom, so maybe she’s getting something.

You CAN use a dropper. Its of course a little tricky, but some do use it if they dont have a syringe.. Why, if desperate, its even possible to use a straw. And let them have the milk dropwise.

A new method is to try with a little sponge. Such as is used for make up. Works well for some.

 

[Nylonbottle]

Here’s Sasha before her feeding. The second try she was happy to eat. Their faces do look very underdeveloped compared to other pictures I’m seeing.

 

[bear]

Is your small momma being supplemented with kitten food or extra nutrition?

 

[Nylonbottle]

Is your small momma being supplemented with kitten food or extra nutrition?

Yes! As soon as I realized she was pregnant, we switched. She’s also been extra KMR since the birth.
K1 was nursing at feeding time and after nursing, she gained a gram, so I think mom must have some milk. K2 May either not be strong enough to sustain nursing or May like the speed of the bottle. I know human babies can end up preferring a bottle because it’s faster than nursing. I’m definitely encouraging them to nurse first.

 

[Nylonbottle]

Small, but great update!
Over the past day, both kittens started to nurse on mom more and more and have both gained weight without me supplementing them.
I’m weighing them every 2-3 hours and supplementing only if they won’t latch on to a nipple, as I really think it’s best if they get mom’s milk. I’ll keep weighing them, probably until they go to new homes when they’re much much older.

 

[Sarthur2]

How much are they gaining? They really need to be gaining a few grams each per day. Supplementing helps them do this.

 

[Nylonbottle]

How much are they gaining? They really need to be gaining a few grams each per day. Supplementing helps them do this.

K1 gained 5 grams and K2 gain 4.

 

[StefanZ]

K1 gained 5 grams and K2 gain 4.

In one day? This is ok as theyare this small. But its really minimum.
Hopefully the turnover point, and from now they will add even more, as they now got the strengh to nurse from momma.

 

[Nylonbottle]

In one day? This is ok as theyare this small. But its really minimum.
Hopefully the turnover point, and from now they will add even more, as they now got the strengh to nurse from momma.

Yes, that’s over about a 24 hour period.

I’m checking on then roughly every 2 hours. If they aren’t nursing, I weigh and record and then try to get them on a nipple. If they won’t nurse, I’ll see how much they’ll take from me and then weigh again. If I don’t get them up at least a gram, I’ll try to get them on mom and/or take the next kitten and try again 5-10 minutes later.

If they keep nursing while I’m in there, I won’t take them off. Doing that has resulted in them gaining a gram or so by the next weighing.

Since about 11 pm last night they have either maintained weight between feedings or are gaining between feedings. In the beginning they would gain and then loose half the gains between feedings, but they also weren’t nursing much.
I’m definitely not hesitating to supplement, but I’m prioritizing nursing from mom provided their numbers keep going up.

 

[Willowy]

Sounds good! It probably took a few days for her milk to come in, which happens a lot to first-time mothers. Unfortunately, without supplementing, the kittens usually don't make it . But you did a good job!

Anyway, yeah, keep weighing them and looking for steady gains, an average of 6-10 grams a day is best. At first, if they don't gain enough you might want to supplement right away. They're pretty fragile at this age and size. But after they're out of the woods, if they don't gain anything one day, wait for the next, maybe they just hit a plateau. But if they lose any weight at all it's best to supplement immediately.