Mother Just Delivered 8 Kittens. Now Very Lethargic And Leaking

[happykitten4]

This cat delivered 6 kittens 3 days ago and 2 two days ago. She has been worn out and sluggish since. Eating and drinking very little. She is still leaking a little. Brown, placenta colored. Don't know if she expelled all placentas. She is 2 years old. This is her 3rd litter. Previous ones were fine.

Luckily I have a 2nd mother who also just delivered and is taking over kitten care. But she is trying to handle 12 kittens.

Does anyone know what I can do? We are over 100 miles from any vet service. Not able to leave the ranch to take the cat in.

 

[Kflowers]

I'm afraid I don't have answers but I can call for help.
StefanZ catsknowme Sarthur2

 

[FeebysOwner]

We are with you and will try to find anyone who can help. There is also another member who might be able to help and that is Jcatbird .

How about seeing if you can help with some information from: Kitten-Rescue.com to see if you can help with the feeding.

 

[catsknowme]

if you can find a nanny goat, fresh raw goat milk makes the best substitute kitten replacer. I find that syringes & eyedroppers work great for neonates & the best nipples are the mini Miracle Nipples for the first couple of weeks. The goat milk is excellent for both moms, especially with a raw egg yolk (rinse off the white - the albumin is bad for the kidneys) blended in.
Perhaps the mother still has a kitten stuck in there - do you feel anything when you palpitate her abdomen? another possibility could be hypocalcemia which is a vet emergency. At any rate, I would rub karo corn syrup or honey on her gums and give her unflavored pedialyte to keep her hydrated & the electrolytes balanced (www.kitten-rescue.com has the recipe for homemade).
A heated rice-or-cornmeal filled sock next to her would probably give her comfort. I will try to reach out to other members as well. I understand rural living where resources are far away....hang in there & I am lifting your cats & kittens up in prayer.

 

[catsknowme]

Here's an interesting article that you might find useful:
Post Natal Complications in Cats - Cat-World

I have alerted some very experienced cat people via social media private message. I have to attend an awards ceremony but will check in later tonight for updates.

 

[Jcatbird]

My signal poor here. Terrible storm. May not be able to get through much. I know you are far from vet but can you call, text or email any vet? You can send an emergency message that way. Most have a vet on call that can be reached. This is what I strongly suggest. Contact as many as it takes to get a reply. Some are available on internet. Other option is email the kittenrescue by clicking on the link in your third post. Post #3 by feebysowner
It is the third message before mine. I did email for help but you need to do this if you cannot get a vet on the phone or online. If she is still leaking fluid she may need antibiotics or some other assistance. If I get a reply I will attempt to come back but I am concerned that the storm will cause interference.

Mamanyt1953 Do you know of anyone else who could suggest help?

We are all going to try to gather information but please call a vet. They will understand you are too far to bring her in. You can also do a google search for other cat rescues, feral cat groups, humane societies or shelters there who might have access to a vet or medical assistance. If you can’t find anyone send back a private message with your location to one of the people mentioned here and ask them to look. If I can get through, I will do it. If I don’t answer it is because I cannot get through. Post back and keep us informed as to what is happening.

 

[abyeb]

Once you can leave the ranch, I would say to take her to the vet and buy some KMR for the kittens while you’re out. In the meantime, try to find some way to bottle feed the kittens. As Catsknowme suggested, if you have a goat at the ranch, or goat’s milk in the fridge, that would be the best to supplement the kittens until you can get some KMR. This website: Recipes For Homemade Kitten Formula • Kitten Rescue lists some ways you can make kitten formula out of cow’s milk. Although cow’s milk is not ideal for kittens, it should work for an emergency, according to that website.

 

[Jcatbird]

You are getting excellent information to use until you get vet help. The people who offered suggestions have been in similar situations or helped others who were. Thank you for going to so much effort to help those kitties.

 

[Sarthur2]

The cat sounds like something (kitten, placenta) is stuck inside. She is probably running a fever. She probably needs antibiotics and she may need surgery to clean her out. This would involve a spay. You are going to need to take her to a vet, difficult as that is for you.

The other cat cannot keep up with the needs of 12 kittens. She won’t have enough milk and will be worn out to boot. You’ll need to supplement the kittens several times a day with KMR or goat milk, and clean their bottoms with a soft, warm cloth.

Feed this mom as much wet food as she wants to build her reserves, and give her a saucer or two of KMR or goat milk daily. She needs the calcium while nursing.

Do you plan to spay after these litters?

Here is Kitten Lady demonstrating how to feed tiny kittens:

Syringe Feeding — Kitten Lady

 

[Mamanyt1953]

If fresh goat milk is not available, you may use canned. It is, for some reason, generally shelved with baking products in most stores, or it is in this area.

Somehow, this girl needs a vet. If she has retained some of the placenta, she is in grave danger of a serious infection. If she is not eating or drinking, you can syringe feed her as well, to help support her until you can get her to a vet. If a syringe is not available (although I've been to very few farms that don't have them), a medicine dropper will work, as well. Mix canned pate style cat food with water to make a loose slurry, tuck the tip of the dropper between her cheek and gum, and slowing inject a tiny bit at a time, allowing her to swallow between "bites."

Lighting a candle for this little family, and the surrogate mom, right now!

 

[JamesCalifornia]

~ Keep an eye on Mama to make sure she stops bleeding. As far as I know that is the only real danger .
Wishing you good luck ...

 

[StefanZ]

This cat delivered 6 kittens 3 days ago and 2 two days ago. She has been worn out and sluggish since. Eating and drinking very little. She is still leaking a little. Brown, placenta colored. Don't know if she expelled all placentas. She is 2 years old. This is her 3rd litter. Previous ones were fine.

Luckily I have a 2nd mother who also just delivered and is taking over kitten care. But she is trying to handle 12 kittens.

Does anyone know what I can do? We are over 100 miles from any vet service. Not able to leave the ranch to take the cat in.

How is it going? We need reports! Its OK if you alarmed and asked at several forums [you perhaps even got sufficient help from others already?], but we still need reports!

You got a lot of useful answers.
So you have 2 different, serious problems. This momma, whom is Red Alert, (more later on) and the second momma with 12 kittens. The immediate problem with them is solved, but this second momma will need your support, as so often with big litters.
Make sure the momma gets as good food as possible. If you have goat milk, she can get this too!. Supplement feed the kittens, mostly important the smallest. Goats milk is best if you have. Weigh them daily, so you see if they gain 10+ grammes a day... Rotating will be necessary, half on, half off sleeping midday in an little extra litter with a heating pad. And help with cleaning the wastes, momma can get sick from eating wastes from all 12.
Lotsa work, but really not so difficult once you get hang on it.

OK, the poor momma nr 1. Its vet errand, as the other said. Try to get at least vet advices on phone or online... I suppose you living on an isolated farm do know where to get vet advices... Or some of your neighbours knows...

Supplement feed her as well as you can. You can use the same goats milk or KMR as you would for the kittens. Also, if she had got a lack of calcium, which is fully possible, she needs extra calcium. With a little luck calcium with calcium rich food may suffice. Even if the standard treatment is calcium injection by the vet.
Full fat youghurt is good here. Cheese if she eats. Crushed eggs shells into a fine powder, and sprinkle this into her food.... [the same calcium rich for the second momma!] If you dont have problems with salomonella in eggs, raw egg yolk is nourishing and good.

Pedialyte - best flavorless pedialyte for children, as her drinking source.
Or home made. For example, water from heavily overboilded rice + salt...


There may be more ideas, but please, report and come with continuous new questions...

Good luck!

 

[Sarthur2]

Please give us an update today if you can!

 

[ArchyCat]

H happykitten4 How fares mama cat 1? Is she still alive? And have you found any Kitten Milk Replacement? I know Pet Smart carries it, so most pet stores probably do.

Plus you can order from Amazon. Both mom kitties and the kittens should have it. Purchase the powdered form, so you can mix as much as you need.

Updates, please!

 

[catsknowme]

....still no updates....I am continuing to send prayers and vibes for the mama kitties and the kittens
I know with the country suffering from lots of bad weather events, things might be chaotic for the original poster

 

[Jcatbird]

I don’t know if you have time to read these posts or what is happening but we are all concerned about you and all the kitties. Hoping that things are okay, improving.