Okay so I have a cat and she had a litter of kittens, she had four but the runt died maybe 4 days after birth. The three kittens left are now 4 weeks old and were all doing fine, I noticed yesterday that one wouldn't latch to mom, I tried to get him to eat a couple times hut he didn't want it so I figures maybe he just ate, well throughout the day same thing, he wouldn't eat and id try and make him latch, no such luck. He's quite weak and can't seem to keep his head up, we took mama and all 3 kits to the vet, the vet said basically to force feed them cause they're all anemic from fleas. She also said the one had what she thinks is a heart murmer...which i feel like she shouldve done something about? She gave us eye drops (they're eyes are crusty) and some extra protein food.& We bough formula as well. The vet basically said she didn't know if the one would make it and that we basically have to play the waiting game while trying to save his life. Honestly, I'm scared none of them will make it and it's gonna break my heart. I really feel like they should've gotten looked at better and some antibiotics. I have so much hope that they will all live but I think we are gonna lose the one...is there anything anyone can recommend..anything at all would be well appreciated. I'm just so crushes right now and wish I could've done more...I love them so much..
-
Too many ads? Join our community of cat lovers now to reduce ads by 90%! Click here to join for free!
Lifeless 4 week kitten
- Thread starter applejacksalex
- Start Date
A
applejacksalex
Aww, I'm so sorry the kittens are having problems. Did the vet treat them for fleas? If not, you need to put a tube of Advantage II on mom's neck, and a couple of drops on each kitten's neck. The fleas absolutely must go!
Are you feeding the kitten who is fading? The best chance you have is to feed the kitten several mLs of kitten formula every couple of hours. You can smear honey on its gums for a quick pick me up before feeding.
Do you know how to syringe feed a kitten? You hold it tummy down, head up, and go drop by drop in the side of the mouth. Allow time for the kitten to swallow and breathe.
Please let me know how this goes!
Aww, I'm so sorry the kittens are having problems. Did the vet treat them for fleas? If not, you need to put a tube of Advantage II on mom's neck, and a couple of drops on each kitten's neck. The fleas absolutely must go!
Are you feeding the kitten who is fading? The best chance you have is to feed the kitten several mLs of kitten formula every couple of hours. You can smear honey on its gums for a quick pick me up before feeding.
Do you know how to syringe feed a kitten? You hold it tummy down, head up, and go drop by drop in the side of the mouth. Allow time for the kitten to swallow and breathe.
Please let me know how this goes!
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
Thanks for your reply!
No the vet did not treat anyone for fleas..yes we are trying to feed the fading kitten, he tries to refuse but he eventually ate a little bit but I'm not sure how much he actually took in.
Since I've posted this, another kitten started acting exactly like the fading one, and is now fading too..I'm so lost and they're both basically unresponsive, they're alive but hardly :'/
We have a syringe and a bottle it was harder to use the syringe..they actually took to the bottle a little bit..
I just don't know what else to do :'((((
No the vet did not treat anyone for fleas..yes we are trying to feed the fading kitten, he tries to refuse but he eventually ate a little bit but I'm not sure how much he actually took in.
Since I've posted this, another kitten started acting exactly like the fading one, and is now fading too..I'm so lost and they're both basically unresponsive, they're alive but hardly :'/
We have a syringe and a bottle it was harder to use the syringe..they actually took to the bottle a little bit..
I just don't know what else to do :'((((
That's all you can do for now, other than treat for fleas. Just keep dripping the milk in. Try to get 1-2 mLs in each kitten frequently.
Have you tried the honey on their gums yet?
Does mom have milk?
Have you tried the honey on their gums yet?
Does mom have milk?
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #5
@sarthur2
The one baby with the original problem passed away..and the other isn't far behind..he's like too far gone to take in any milk or anything..he's completely unresponsive. He's breathing extremely shallow and I think it's about his time...thanks for your advise and help, I think god just took this one over. I pray that wherever they go in the afterlife, that they're happy and free. I also pray that the one kitten left, survives.. I loved them all so much, I LOVE them all so much and just wish I could've done more..
We're gonna bury them right by the runt whom passed away and is burrows at my dads farm. We actually have a couple pets buried there..so hopefully they're all in the afterlife playing and having fun ..
Rest in peace baby kitty's, you will all be deeply missed [emoji]10084[/emoji][emoji]10084[/emoji][emoji]10084[/emoji]
The one baby with the original problem passed away..and the other isn't far behind..he's like too far gone to take in any milk or anything..he's completely unresponsive. He's breathing extremely shallow and I think it's about his time...thanks for your advise and help, I think god just took this one over. I pray that wherever they go in the afterlife, that they're happy and free. I also pray that the one kitten left, survives.. I loved them all so much, I LOVE them all so much and just wish I could've done more..
We're gonna bury them right by the runt whom passed away and is burrows at my dads farm. We actually have a couple pets buried there..so hopefully they're all in the afterlife playing and having fun ..
Rest in peace baby kitty's, you will all be deeply missed [emoji]10084[/emoji][emoji]10084[/emoji][emoji]10084[/emoji]
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #6
Update:
Two of the three kittens passed away. I am greatly saddened by this loss..they were my babies, but fate or mother nature or a power beyond my control took over, and I feel/hope there was nothing else I could've done...
Rest in peace babies, I love you [emoji]10084[/emoji]
Two of the three kittens passed away. I am greatly saddened by this loss..they were my babies, but fate or mother nature or a power beyond my control took over, and I feel/hope there was nothing else I could've done...
Rest in peace babies, I love you [emoji]10084[/emoji]
Last edited:
when the mother cat isn't vaccinated, the outlook is often dim. Articles like to quote the prolific reproductive rate of cats but tend to gloss over the very, too high, mortality rate. I am hoping and praying that the mother cat is allowed to have at least one surviving baby...you might try giving her L-lysine and research herbal treatments (slippery elm, marshmallow root, licorice root), perhaps contact a holistic online vet if you don't have a vet familiar with alternative treatments. My vet has been wonderful about it.
A Tshirt worn by the parent of an adult autistic son read ..."Autism, not for the faint-hearted"...one could easily substitute "cat rescue". May you receive many blessings for the love and devotion that you have shown to the little cat family.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #10
Thank you all so much..it was really hard to deal with but the vet said they were all anemic, so the best we could do is try and feed them and if all else fails, make them comfortable while they pass. Both of them passed within about an hour of each other.. But they each passed by a sibling, so at least didn't feel alone..
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #11
catsknowme
Thank you so much for your condolences and advice.. The last one seems to be doing okay right now, but he's still underweight. And the vet said they were all anemic and their mouths didn't have much color, but the last baby left seems to be getting more color on his tongue and gums..he's eating out of the bottle but not a lot at one time so we've been feeding him a little more frequently. But I am worried because the mama kitty keeps trying to move him up high in the closet..I think she's taking this hard too and I just feel so bad..her nipples are swollen but don't look infected, I think she may have started weening them too early..
All and all, rest in peace to the lost babies, it was really tragic..
But we are going to try and keep feeding the baby left and hope for the best.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #12
Also, I really agree with the "cat rescue is not for the faint hearted"
A
applejacksalex
It's good the baby has pink color. Let him feed from mom too though.
What are you doing about the fleas?
It's good the baby has pink color. Let him feed from mom too though.
What are you doing about the fleas?
Yes, this is a wise advice. When the kitten is more or less crashing and on the verge of dying, the digesting tends to more or less shunt down.
This can be proved, the kittens whom die for real, often get fluids flowing from the mouth in the last moments or shorthy after the end, and what the vomit is unprocessed kmr / milk - which they got hours earlier. So we know in the last hours the digesting wasnt working any longer, even if the kitten did swallowed, meowed and even moved some.
and thus, trying to feeding them weak dying although a must, is no longer helping any. so the only remaining try to save the life although clearly on the self verge of dying is to give them pedialyte - bought or home-made. It doesnt need to be digested, its taken up in the mouth stomach and bowels directly into blood... And thus, it buys time as the glucose sugar contends are nourishing... Its of course just good to give some extra glucose into the blend.
Observe, a homemade pedialyte must contain as sugar source a glucose sugar source - best is of course glucose sugar proper (brand name may be Dextrose or Dextropur or similiar). Otherwise white caro syrup or honey are OK - they do contain much glucose sugar both of them...
Dont use table sugar as is in some recipes, unless really without anything else, because it is much slower, and must be digested.
In this here case, this trick wouldnt work - the kittens were dying anyway, going steadily downhill.
But sometimes its worth the try, so Im glad it was mentioned anyway. So these kittens death will still be a victory against death..
Last edited:
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #15
Sarthur2
I don't have a ride to the store for anyrnig flea related, I am changing the bedding regularly as of now..the vet told me to put rubbing alcohol on a ton tooth comb and comb the baby, but with mama kitty licking him, that doesn't sound safe...also should I give mama a bath? Idk I've just always heard you can't use ANY flea stuff on kittens
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #16
I'm not really sure what all is safe to use on the kitten against fleas..
Also, the mama kitty is a first time mom, and I feel like she's not being as good of a mom as she was before, she keeps trying to move the baby up in the closet and won't stop so we put her in a cat carrier with the back y so he can earfeom her too. I gonna let them out again, I just wanna clean up and make sure she's taking care of the little baby
Also, the mama kitty is a first time mom, and I feel like she's not being as good of a mom as she was before, she keeps trying to move the baby up in the closet and won't stop so we put her in a cat carrier with the back y so he can earfeom her too. I gonna let them out again, I just wanna clean up and make sure she's taking care of the little baby
Some words in your post above are illegible.
You can use a comb dipped in water and Dawn dish soap to comb the fleas out, then drown the fleas in water.
It may be that mom is trying to move her kitten to hide it since her others have "disappeared". Can you make a nest for her in the closet? She wants privacy and to feel safe.
You can use a comb dipped in water and Dawn dish soap to comb the fleas out, then drown the fleas in water.
It may be that mom is trying to move her kitten to hide it since her others have "disappeared". Can you make a nest for her in the closet? She wants privacy and to feel safe.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #18
Sarthur2
Sorry about that, was typing fast and my autocorrect sucks.
We've tried making her a nice nest in the closet, but she moves him anyways. She's always moved the kittens all over so we would just make a nest where she moved them to try and make them safe and comfortable. She was moving them onto a little table in our room for a little while..she just always moved them to what I feel were unsafe places, and now she's just doing it to the only one left and I'm so scared she's gonna kill him... But I will try the soap on a comb thing, I really don't know what else to do other than that and keeping their area clean..
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #19
For the fleas I mean, sorry I'm really tired me and my boyfriend have been up all night trying to save the babies and I'm emotionally and physically exhausted 
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #20
The baby and mama I had in a big cat carrier together so the baby could eat more and mama can clean him..now my boyfriends napping in our room (the room they're in) and the baby's sleeping in the carrier with the door closed and mama is laying outside the cage on the little table looking down on baby. Idk if this is the right option, but I just definitely don't want her moving him in the closet and dropping him, or him even just getting hurt in any way..
