Mama cat and 7 kittens

[bound_angel]

Hi everyone! I'm hoping to get some help making sure my kittens are growing appropriately.

Backstory: In mid-April, we rescued a cat from a building that was being demolished. We took her to the vet before we brought her home. She got a clean bill of health (minus a superficial injury on her ear) and we found out that she was at least 20 days pregnant (We have made plans with the vet to spay/neuter mom and the kittens before finding them forever homes). Fast forward a month and we took her to the vet for an x-ray to determine the number of kittens. 7 kittens. She delivered 5 without any problem, but the last two would not deliver. Back to the vet, we went with mama and all 5 kittens. They had to give oxytocin and manually help deliver the last two kittens. They were born not breathing and the last one had its cord around its neck. The good news is that all kittens survived and are doing really well.

My concern is for kitten #1. He has continually been gaining weight at a slower pace and seems to be quieter and keep to himself more than the others. He does fuss if we pick him up and nurses from mom with the rest of the bunch. I was hoping if I posted the weights of all the kittens that you all could help me figure out if we are on the right track or if I need to intervene and bottle feed (have all the supplies).

They are 13 days old.

#--Birth weight--Current weight
#1--114g--257g
#2--114g--285g
#3--117g--269g
#4--117g--288g
#5--116g--293g
#6--100g--278g
#7--101g--283g

I'm attaching a few of our favorite pictures of all the babies. I appreciate any feedback you can give!

 

[catsknowme]

Welcome to TCS! You have a particularly beautiful batch of kitties and Mama is a regal beauty. Sarthur2 and StefanZ are very good at assessing weights. They have all doubled+ their birth weights so they seem to be doing fine. That said, as they get bigger, the workload on mama kitty increases and with 7, it might be helpful to supplement the larger ones. I like to use a goat milk based formula, especially if you have a source for raw goatmilk (maybe from a 4-H or FFA member).

 

[StefanZ]

The total raise is OK also for nr1, in average its more than 10g a day. The siblings gets even more does happens.

The question is the exact pattern. Does he raise roughly evenly every day? Or had he a stand still / much lower raise the latest days??? THIS is what you must look up for... If he has a sudden slowening down, or even some decline - you will need to supplement, and alarm flag up.

 

[bound_angel]

The total raise is OK also for nr1, in average its more than 10g a day. The siblings gets even more does happens.

The question is the exact pattern. Does he raise roughly evenly every day? Or had he a stand still / much lower raise the latest days??? THIS is what you must look up for... If he has a sudden slowening down, or even some decline - you will need to supplement, and alarm flag up.

He's been gaining about 10g a day with some days being more and others less. I guess my concern is that when compared to his siblings he has gained about 30g less than the rest. So, even though he's made good progress I wonder if he is just not getting enough time with mom. We have KMR and bottles but I've been unsure about using it since he is making good progress. But the difference between him and the others just concerns me. He just doesn't seem to be pushy enough to get to mom when she does feed them. She also likes to be out of their playpen most of the time and returns to feed them when they wake and begin fussing. So there isn't much time that he is with her when the others are not nursing.

 

[Sarthur2]

Every single kitten is above average in weight for 13 days old, including your smallest. He weighs in at over 9 ounces already, with your biggest being over ten ounces. The average weight for a 2-week-old is 8 ounces or 226 grams. As you can see, ALL 7 kittens are well above that. At 3 weeks they should be about 12 ounces, and at 4 weeks 16 ounces (1 pound). At 2 months old they should be 2 pounds; at 3 months 3 pounds; etc. for the first 6 months or so.

There is no need to supplement as long as all are gaining throughout the week and not losing. Give mama kitty extra treats because she is doing a superb job!

 

[StefanZ]

He's been gaining about 10g a day with some days being more and others less. I guess my concern is that when compared to his siblings he has gained about 30g less than the rest. So, even though he's made good progress I wonder if he is just not getting enough time with mom. We have KMR and bottles but I've been unsure about using it since he is making good progress. But the difference between him and the others just concerns me. He just doesn't seem to be pushy enough to get to mom when she does feed them. She also likes to be out of their playpen most of the time and returns to feed them when they wake and begin fussing. So there isn't much time that he is with her when the others are not nursing.

You CAN of course give him some quality time alone with momma. Or taking away a couple of the most nuisance siblings a while...
Its not necessary, but cant hurt. And if your instincts tells you he should have more - this is the trick to try with, before you supplement.

Supplementing is excellent when you dont have any choice. But if you can make do with momma - use her...


Ps. You CAN also try with smearing a little white caro syrup on his gum, under his lips. Gives some extra energhy- but not necessary here.