Kitten not suckling as before

[Nabeeha]

Hi

I have been taking care of a litter of three kittens since the last 10 days. Their momma unfortunately died from an accident and these kittens were removed via a C-section. They were seven days early. I've been taking care of them since and lost a kitten two days back to a bacterial infection. Vets in my area are not equipped well with neonatal care and it broke my heart to lose one after 9 days.

That's a little back story.. so because I have lost one, I have been really stressed out about the other two.

One of the kittens is eating well but has been bloated. I added gripe water to his diet upon vet's advice and also increased the time after each feeding. From 2 hours to 3. He seems a bit better in terms of that.

The other kitten, however, I am really concerned about. He used to suckle on both the feeder and syringe up until yesterday and now he is no longer doing that. The difference while feeding both the kittens is so obvious, one takes it so easily and this one takes some in and begins pushing the syringe away. This was not the case yesterday. He would suckle and easily take milk. I am not forcing him to feed but as per his body weight he should be getting 5g per 100g so I'm doing the minimum right now and he is gaining weight. But with kittens it's hard to say when things go downhill so I'm generally really worried. He's active, defecating, but not suckling is not normal behaviour from him, at least not the last ten days I've raised him. I really can't figure out what could be wrong. I'm making the formula fresh every feeding and making sure it's warm enough but he still doesn't suckle. He takes a bit, pushes it away, and cries a bit.
Does anyone have any idea why this may be? The only different thing I've done is open a new pack of formula but it is the same company as before (Royal Canin). If there was a problem with that then the other kitten may have also shown a disinterest?
One more thing. The other kitten does suckle on this guy sometimes. I'm contemplating separating the two.

They both have a heat source in their box.

Thanks!

 

[Sarthur2]

The kitten should not be suckled by the other kitten. It can cause harm. Soak the corner of a soft, cotton cloth in formula and offer that to the kitten who needs to suckle the other kitten. If the problem persists you’ll need to separate them. Also give them stuffed toys to snuggle against.

Regarding the kitten who is not suckling much, do you hear any labored breathing noises or crackling? If so, the kitten may have aspirated formula into its lungs and be developing pneumonia.

If not, the kitten may simply not be very hungry for a day or so. It can happen. Never force feed, and the amount a kitten eats can be less some days and more others, depending on appetite. Three hour intervals are good, moving to four hours as they grow.

As far as bloating, you can buy infant simethicone and add a few drops to the formula. If constipated, a drop or two of olive oil in the formula usually helps.

 

[Nabeeha]

The kitten should not be suckled by the other kitten. It can cause harm. Soak the corner of a soft, cotton cloth in formula and offer that to the kitten who needs to suckle the other kitten. If the problem persists you’ll need to separate them. Also give them stuffed toys to snuggle against.

Regarding the kitten who is not suckling much, do you hear any labored breathing noises or crackling? If so, the kitten may have aspirated formula into its lungs and be developing pneumonia.

If not, the kitten may simply not be very hungry for a day or so. It can happen. Never force feed, and the amount a kitten eats can be less some days and more others, depending on appetite. Three hour intervals are good, moving to four hours as they grow.

As far as bloating, you can buy infant simethicone and add a few drops to the formula. If constipated, a drop or two of olive oil in the formula usually helps.

I don't hear any labored breathing or crackling. He did sneeze out milk once which seemed like he had aspirated and I patted his ribs after that. He has been okay since but I'll keep this in mind as it seems probable at this point. Observing him for this now. Thanks for making mention of this

 

[Sarthur2]

Let us know how he does.

 

[Nabeeha]

Let us know how he does.

Ok it looks like a discomfort issue. He pooped, with some difficulty. After that he started suckling. Not the same way but still a lot better than before. I guess he was a bit constipated then?