I Need Some Help

[izaya]

my cat had a single kitten on the 2nd, it's been a week now and the kitten is very frail to be precise. i've been keeping up with his weight and he's lost weight, gained weight, lost weight and earlier today i found him incredibly lethargic, his head lolling around and it wasn't good. called my boyfriend who i told to immediately get kitten formula and spent the next hour feeding the kitten. he is livelier right now, but i'm not sure what is going on with mom cat. mom cat has a very high attachment to me and is constantly leaving the box they're in to come sit with me and i ignore her and ignore her but she keeps coming back. this is her first kitten, she's about four years old and i'm not sure what to really do.

right now kitten has a sock with rice in it, warmed up to simulate a sibling. he also has a little stuffed animal with him, but if my cat isn't nursing i'm not completely sure if i can do it for her constantly. i gave her raw meat today, also gave her some kitten formula and also supplying wet food to help boost her along the way if she's not producing much.

overall the kitten has seemed fine recently, but he is very small and not at all how big it looks like a kitten his age should be.

 

[love67742]

I'd just give him a little boost of kitten formula like you've been doing. Is the kitten in a room with his mother? If so i'd close the door so the mother won't feel the need to come to you. I hope it gets better

 

[talkingpeanut]

How much does the kitten weigh? How much did it weigh at birth? If the baby is not gaining 6-10 grams per day, you will need to assume that the baby isn’t getting milk from mom, and you will need to supplement around the clock. Feedings will need to be every two hours.

Do you know proper technique for feeding a kitten? We have some articles on the subject.

Don’t ignore mom, but do spend time with her near the nest so she can be with baby too.

Are you able to keep mom inside and away from intact males now?

 

[izaya]

I'd just give him a little boost of kitten formula like you've been doing. Is the kitten in a room with his mother? If so i'd close the door so the mother won't feel the need to come to you. I hope it gets better

he is! we only have one door in our house unfortunately and that is the bathroom door, so i'm not sure if i should put them in there and close the door or not. i'm worried she'll get stressed and start crying out for me, and i can't exactly sit in there with her for hours.

 

[izaya]

How much does the kitten weigh? How much did it weigh at birth? If the baby is not gaining 6-10 grams per day, you will need to assume that the baby isn’t getting milk from mom, and you will need to supplement around the clock. Feedings will need to be every two hours.

Do you know proper technique for feeding a kitten? We have some articles on the subject.

Don’t ignore mom, but do spend time with her near the nest so she can be with baby too.

Are you able to keep mom inside and away from intact males now?

he weighs 5 grams right now, but generally seems underweight to me. i see pictures and videos of kittens his age and they are plump and round and he is lacking the extra weight. as for feeding, i know some things but not all, articles would be appreciated.

mom is no where near male cats of right now!

 

[StefanZ]

You must continue to feed the kitten. About 30 ml a day.
What formula do you have at this moment?
Can you get raw goats milk?

 

[izaya]

You must continue to feed the kitten. About 30 ml a day.
What formula do you have at this moment?
Can you get raw goats milk?

i have the run of the mill grocery brand right now. i can look for it, but i'm not sure where to get raw goats milk, to be honest.

 

[Sarthur2]

Please weigh the kitten again. I believe 5 grams is incorrect.

Syringe Feeding

 

[izaya]

im sorry, i'm really tired right now and stressed out. *150 grams was what he did weigh.

 

[StefanZ]

Aha, 150 grammes. Its not that bad for a 1 week old. No hurray, but not bad. Its more than I feared.
At 150 grammes its 5(30)x8 ml, ie at least 40 ml a day. Give more if he wants.

Dont worry, momma is always nicest, so if momma gives him anything, he will take it as preferred choice. If so, he will perhaps not want all the 40 ml. But if he eats his full 40 ml a day you give him, then you KNOW he gets practically nothing from momma.

There are many good or at least OK brands of kmr. T

The ones we usually try to avoid are made by Hartz. I suspect they or their suppliers have uneven quality control. Often works OK, but now and then direct disasters. And Hartz being cheap, is sold at many places... Similiar with Sargeant in GB.

Raw goats milk isnt that easy to find, but I know many american chains has it. Often in the Fancy foods stores (where its costly). Observe, legally its not sold as human food, its labelled as for animal use only. Which we do use so here.
As said, costly, but gives sometimes an edge, because it too comes from an alive momma.

There is also frozen raw goats milk, and this may be found at Walmart.

The other types of goats milk, canned or powdered, are OK to use, but not better than a good kmr.

The best kmr is probably these made by PetAg, KMR in powder.

 

[izaya]

sorry for the delay in weighing, i weighed him again and he is 150 grams still. while i was feeding him mom came up and laid beside me and i put him with her and he seemed to be rooting with her and suckling there. mom seemed to be very happy to be with me too and fell asleep. the problem is this was on my bed and i don't know if i should let her lay with me sometimes and have him there, then take them both back to the bathroom or if i should try and separate her from me.

i am starting to think the problem is that mom isnt staying with him enough and is more attached to me. i put them both in the bathroom and closed the door and i am a little worried she will be anxious and not properly lay with him.

 

[izaya]

also we have KMR!

 

[izaya]

*kmr petAG excuse me, i am all over the place tonight!

 

[Sarthur2]

If the kitten is not gaining weight he needs supplementing.

Syringe Feeding

 

[izaya]

an update: it's exactly how i thought it would go. for starters i want to say kitten and mom are in my living right now on the carpet, he seems to be suckling but i couldn't tell you if he's getting any milk or not.

last night i left mom and kitten in the bathroom. mom was crying over and over and over and did not want to be closed in there. we ignored the meows and tried our best to let mom settle and eventually she did get quiet sometimes, but whenever we got up and walked around or talked, she would be right back at it again. when i woke up, i weight the little guy and he dropped 5 grams, which was very upsetting. instantly i fed him and i'm waiting to feed him again here in an hour.

i'm not sure what to do about mom. mom is stressing me out and i am sure i am stressing her out, which isn't good for either of us. i am trying to let her move him around where she wants, but it's dangerous because parts of my house are colder than the others, such as my room. i also have no doors in the house and as we all know: unless there is a door, your cat will get wherever they want to go.

 

[Sarthur2]

Can you make a nest for her in a quiet, dark place such as a bedroom closet, and put a heat source in the nest?

 

[izaya]

Hello. Thank you all for your help. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts and diligence, it wasn't enough. At 10:01, the kitten passed away on my chest. I am very upset about it because I wanted him to desperately make it into life. I have spent most of my day crying, and I am sure I will be crying for days to come. Again, thank you all for your help. For awhile he was stabilized and doing well, but sometimes things don't work out.

I can only hope he felt loved.

If you want, you can close and delete this thread.
Thank you.

 

[Sarthur2]

I’m so sorry! Rest in Peace little one.