How often can you bath a neo kitten?

[i see fire.]

My coworker's cat had kittens three weeks ago. There was an issue with the delivery: she had six kittens, four born alive, one stillborn and another stillborn about a day or two later without her knowing. The kittens are inbred, the parents being siblings.

My coworker has been having a hard time getting rid of a flea problem in the house. A few days ago, the runt of the litter passed, and we assumed that it was simply due to just that. However, this morning she informed me that all the kittens except for the one I am taking home in a few weeks have passed as well. I am assuming that this is either FKS, inbreeding, or the fleas.

I say FKS and inbreeding as possible reasons because all the kittens aside from the one have been on the smaller side, while mine is the largest of the bunch and has been exploring his space (we also assumed that he was just the "bully" of the four, as he would move over his siblings to get where he wanted to go). At this point, we are trying to do everything possible to save this kitten.

***TIPS ON GETTING RID OF THE FLEAS IS VERY HELPFUL***

I gave her capstar for her cats last week, but she had no other methods of getting rid of the fleas with the exception of baths. So I provided her with some links and videos on how to give neonatal kittens proper baths. The problem is: we dont know how often that this can be repeated in order to avoid both dehydration from the fleas and hypothermia from being bathed.

How often can you bath a neonatal kitten? He is currently 3 weeks and 2 days old. He seems to be doing fine in the eating department and has been curious and aware of his surroundings. I'm having her do the dehydration "test" too, just in case. I also told her that she should gently flea comb him a few times a day until I have an answer pertaining to the bathing.

 

[i see fire.]

She has just informed me that he has discovered water for the first time. I have tried finding out if it is safe for him to have water yet or not, but a lot of the answers simple say "about four weeks". Is it okay for him to be starting on water already?

 

[StefanZ]

Usually we dont bathe the neos often or at all. But if you must, so you must. The most important is, the kittens doesnt get chilled out. So, nice warm and cozy. No chilling draughts. Dry off, afterwards it shall too be warm. With a warming source: momma or heat pad.
If there is an IR-heating lamp, its a nice device to keep it warm while you handle the kitten...

Here its apparent the whole milieu is flea infested too, if the fleas return the whole time.

DE diatomous earth is good, sprinkle around the nest and the room. But make sure its food / human grade. Cheap brands are harmful for cats, as its most dust for them.
There are of course also other tricks to get rid of fleas in the surroundings.

 

[i see fire.]

Thank you for your answer! Will send the message along and look into the earth!

Any ideas on whether it is safe for him to be drinking water, or exploring it, this early?

 

[StefanZ]

If he wants to try and drink some water, let him. Its a little early, but this is individiual. The only I wonder, is it he is early mature, or is he thirsty, ie gets too little fluid from momma?

 

[i see fire.]

If I recall correctly, his momma's owner said that he was the first one to open his eyes. He was 10 days old and at that time, he also had one ear opening up too. I'm attaching that picture now. She checked on them all daily, but it looks as if he might have started opening them sooner than day 10. I'll definitely ask her though! We figured that if it meant more hydration for him, it should be okay, but wanted to double check just in case.

I'm going to be buying her a scale and some formula tomorrow just incase. Right now, she is going to try and moniter how often he nurses from her, to see if she isn't tending to him properly. I see that the earth is also cheap, so I will look into that some more as well. Thank you for your help so far! We are relly hopeful that Summer will pull through! <3

 

[Sarthur2]

Your friend needs to get her cats spayed and neutered. Can you help her with this? This is most important, as you seem to be aware, to prevent back to back litters and inbreeding, particularly when there are few resources to care for the kitties.

Look for a low-cost clinic nearby. Start with neutering the male(s).

As Stefan said, combing not bathing is preferred. Frequent bathing strips the kitten of natural oils that keep the skin and coat healthy.

Adult cats can be given a tube of Advantage II on the back of their necks once a month. All linens should be washed in hot water frequently to kill eggs and larvae, and vacuuming regularly helps also. There are flea house and furniture sprays that work well that are sold in pet stores, but they are very strong and should not be allowed around a tiny kitten.

I hope your little guy continues to thrive, and you are very kind to help out your friend!

 

[i see fire.]

I could ask her about it but she lives in a situation where she is not suppose to have cats, so transportation would be easy going to but I worry that coming from might cause injury, since she will have to conceal them rather than using a carrier. Though, if I can get at least her male fixed, I would be happy to do so.

She messaged me this morning so he is still alive. She said that he meows a lot and isn't sure if that is good or bad. However, I wonder if this is because he is trying to find his siblings. She said that he was the first to open his eyes as well. She's also really stressed right now due to the other three kittens passing so quickly but just in case, the question of whether or not that is a sign for anything stands. He wants to walk everywhere and explore as well, which sounds like a good sign to me. This is a pic of him from last night before his water adventure.

 

[i see fire.]

Upon closer inspection of the mother, my co-worker has noticed that the mother is lactating from only two nipples, with one seeming to be swollen. I'm wondering if this was the reason behind the other kittens passing. In any event, obviously she will be closely monitering both of them and checking his weight often, but in case, should she intervene with formula at all?

 

[Sarthur2]

She needs to observe whether the kitten is actively nursing frequently. Kittens will cry when hungry. He looks healthy in the photo.

However, a picture of her mammaries would be helpful. The “swollen” one may just be full of milk, or she may have an infection called mastitis. If she was not producing enough milk initially it could have caused the deaths of the kittens.

I would advise you to buy a can of powdered kitten formula for her just in case. The mother should drink a dish or two a day herself for the extra calcium she needs while nursing. Provide a 1-2mL syringe as well.

It is imperative that the male cat be neutered asap. He can impregnate the mother cat again right away. Putting a towel over the cat carrier may help to conceal the situation. Or put the carrier in a cardboard box for the few minutes it takes to get in and out.

 

[i see fire.]

Just to clarify cause I can misunderstand sometimes, you mean for the mother to drink a dish of formula, correct?

I asled for pictures. Before I asked, she said that when he nursed on the swollen one, the swelling went down a bit afterwards. In the mean time, I will wait for her to send the picture.

I also thought abiyt t

 

[i see fire.]

I also thought about the box, but not with the carrier inside of it, so that is a great idea! Thank you for that suggestion!

 

[i see fire.]

She said that it feels like a lump from where her hand is to the nipple.

 

[Sarthur2]

Yes, for the mom to drink a dish of formula daily for the calcium.

The mammary looks normal to me right now. She can apply coconut or olive oil to the nipple and surrounding mammary area to keep it from chapping.

 

[i see fire.]

Gotcha and thank you so much!

Before he ate, she weighed him and said that he weighs at about 12 oz's, so around 340 and 360 grams which seems a little normal. She has to go to sleep though due to work stressing her out today so she is going to wait and weigh him again tomorrow. She also has her husband checking on them every 30 mins while she is working, just in case.

She mentioned him possibly coming to my house a little sooner than we planned, which is at 8 weeks, if he seems to fall in health at all since I know a little more in kitten care than she does, and most of what she has learned has been a combined effort of what I know and what you all have told me so far.

But I was wondering, would taking him at 6 weeks be dangerous for him at all instead of 8 weeks? Taking him at 6 weeks will give me the chance to get his first booster earlier than planned (I've never been to her home and I don't wish to invade). But also, it gets him out of a house that has fleas, as I do not have them on any of my animals here. I know the reasons why pups are more commonly rehomed at 8 weeks than 6 now, but applying it to kittens is a little new to me, so I'm not all too familiar with it at the moment, though I plan to be. Given the situation, what are your thoughts on this?

 

[i see fire.]

She was also wondering more on mastitis. Would an infected gland go down in swelling after a kitten nurses from it? Would it stay as is? She said the area is warm, but that seems normal to me.

 

[Sarthur2]

It’s hard to say without seeing the cat’s mammary in person. It looks okay in the picture.

The longer the kitten can stay with its mom the better. The kitten needs to be at least 2 pounds and eating solids well on its own before you take it. Kittens are not normally vaccinated before 8 weeks.

Kittens also learn discipline from their moms and how to be a cat. Just take it one day at a time right now, and be prepared to take both mom and kitten to a vet at any time should the health of either be in question.

Another thought: could you take mom and kitten both for the next few weeks? That way you have both and you can get them de-flead, wormed, and mom and kitten fixed before returning mom when the kitten is around 12 weeks old. That would be ideal.

 

[Foundkitty]

Thank you for your answer! Will send the message along and look into the earth!

Any ideas on whether it is safe for him to be drinking water, or exploring it, this early?

be sure it is food grade DE

 

[i see fire.]

Thank you, everyone, for your advice and comments!

I have purchased her a dose of Frontline Plus for her cats since I don't believe asking to take home her queen would be a good idea, as it may stress out mom in the process (I have other cats in my home, as well as dogs and she is not familiar with them). She is nervous about giving the Frontline to her queen while she is nursing, so she is going to bath her and treat her other two cats. Once Summer begins his weening process, she will most likely apply the dose to the queen as well. I've also ensured her that if vetting is needed to hit me up and I will pay for the expenses.

The good news after this stressful week is that Summer has made it to his fourth week! He is adventurous, lazy, and adorable as always! He seems to enjoy sleeping in piles of blankets, which makes me wonder if he is mocking the feeling of safety and comfort he had when with his siblings before. Whenever he cries out, my coworker tries to initiate a feeding with the queen, to ensure that he is getting enough to eat and that she is doing her job (this is her second litter, not her third as I thought it to be). I am going to ask her to weigh him tomorrow, to see where he is now.

Many have commented that he is looking healthy whenever I show a picture of him. I'm thrilled that he is standing a chance and continuing to fight on to survive! Here is a more recent photo of him: