My litter was 4 days old today, and I weigh once every 12 hours. At 7pm, I noticed the one girl of the litter was lethargic and kept moving away from the mom. I warmed her up with a hot water bottle, called the two after-hours vets in town, and was told to keep her warm and try to bottle feed KMR. They also told me to be prepared for her to not make it, as kittens that young sometimes fade and can't be brought back. I worked on her for 4 hours, and she got progressively worse, having trouble breathing and mewing as if in pain.
I talked to my breeder friends and they told me that I was doing everything I should but to make her as comfortable as possible as she may not make it.
At just before 11pm, she was gasping for breath and I was doing nothing but holding her and keeping her warm. She mewed twice and took a breath and then just stopped.
I cried over her, and then wrapped her in a cloth and put her to the side. The kitten's mom had been laying beside her for her last minutes, and I spent some time fussing with her. The remaining two boys of my litter are vigorous and nursing steadily.
There was no sign of respiratory sickness, and I believe there was an internal problem with my little girl.
Tomorrow I will bury her beneath my flowering rhododendron bush. She didn't even have a name. She was just girlie.
I talked to my breeder friends and they told me that I was doing everything I should but to make her as comfortable as possible as she may not make it.
At just before 11pm, she was gasping for breath and I was doing nothing but holding her and keeping her warm. She mewed twice and took a breath and then just stopped.
I cried over her, and then wrapped her in a cloth and put her to the side. The kitten's mom had been laying beside her for her last minutes, and I spent some time fussing with her. The remaining two boys of my litter are vigorous and nursing steadily.
There was no sign of respiratory sickness, and I believe there was an internal problem with my little girl.
Tomorrow I will bury her beneath my flowering rhododendron bush. She didn't even have a name. She was just girlie.