Small, Weak Kitten Eating But Not Growing

[AnubisFading]

So my cat had three kittens on July 2nd (8 days old now) and two of them are perfectly healthy, but one of them is very small and weaker than the others. She is now practically half the size of the other kittens when after she was born, she was only slightly smaller.


This kitten nurses fine when the other kittens don’t push her off of her favourite boob. I sometimes take her mom alone and put her on a boob until she’s done eating. She just doesn’t seem to be growing at all. She feels frail and tiny, but is warm and can crawl all over her mom and siblings.


It should also be noted that her lower jaw seems to come up a bit short and her head, to me, looks a little oddly shaped. Despite those, she has little issue latching.


She also has little yellow crusties on her eyes. The other kittens get wet stuff on their eyes when they start opening, but it’s clear. She doesn’t even have the little spot in the corner where you can see that they’re starting to open (which is usually when the liquid starts coming out).


Does anyone have any idea what might be wrong? She’s hardly grown at all but eats like crazy. Is it possible that she’s actually not getting enough milk? Should I start bottle-feeding to make sure?


If figure that if she’s eating and moving around that she’s at least got a decent chance, but I doubt that chance will get her far if she doesn’t start putting on the ounces.

^^ Here she is in the middle of her two sisters

^^ Here is one of her sisters to show her eyes at 8 days old

^^ Here she (the small kitten) is from an almost side view

^^Here she is from the front so you can see her crusted eyes

^^This is what her mouth looks like when closed. That little gap up there is always present. Not on her sisters.

^^ I think these photos show how her bottom jaw seems just a little bit short or small or something. It just looks off to me

^^This is what she looks like in my hand. My hands are women’s-average sized at best.


Any advice would be helpful. I’m probably going to start bottle feeding soon but if anyone has any ideas as to why this might be happening I would be very grateful.

 

[StefanZ]

REading, stand by.

 

[StefanZ]

I agree essentially with your analysis. she is probably a weak suckler, and doesnt gets enough, although you let her eat in peace from the best nipple.

So, yes, supplement feed her. But not by bottle, but by a needleless syringe.
1. Kittens whom can nurse momma, are usually reluctant to bottle. Momma is always most pleasant! 2. If she is a weak suckler, bottle wont help her much. But its enough she can swallow, and a syringe will be good help.
Its a little tricky, so try to train and read on before you do it.

If you can get raw goats milk, its the best. Has some advantages for a weak kitten over other types of goats milk or kmr.

If you cant, either a kmr based on goats milk, or KMR in powder, made by PetAg, are my suggestions.

They eyes, you can always clean them off with warm, mildly saline water. But you will probably need vet help, whom will prescribe an antibiotic paste.

 

[StefanZ]

ps. Give her as much as she takes, ie take essentially the responsibility for feeding, so you are SURE she gets enough. If she is at all able to suckle momma, she will suckle and get some from momma anyway.

The rule of thumb is 8+ml / 30 grammes per day. So if she is 120 grammes now, it will give 32-35 ml goats milk or kmr a day. - or more if she wants.

 

[Sarthur2]

Yes, do supplement her 3-4 times daily with kitten formula or goat milk. Here is a helpful video:

Syringe Feeding — Kitten Lady

Please gently wipe her eyes often with a warm, damp cloth to clean them, and buy terramycin antibiotic eye ointment from a vet or online. This kitten has a common eye infection that will resolve quickly with the ointment, but can damage the eyes if not treated quickly.

https://www.chewy.com/s?query=Terramycin&nav-submit-button=

AnubisFading

 

[AnubisFading]

To keep everyone updated:

My parents got the ointment for her eyes and we discovered upon cleaning them up real good, she has eyeballs! They aren’t fully open but they are almost. I can tell they’re irritated, but I have been applying the stuff and they already seem to be doing better.
However, my parents forgot the replacement milk.

This morning when I got up, she was very weak and hardly moving. My dad was afraid she was going to die, so I quickly told him to mix water and sugar so I could mix it on her lips. She licked it off, which I consider a good sign because she was able to. She got a bit stronger and so I have been feeding her cows milk (I know that’s not the best, but it is an emergency) and she has been doing good. I will be taking her with me while my dad goes shopping for the proper milk so I can continue to feed her, keep her warm, and have her go to the bathroom.

She no longer seems to want to suckle (either because she is weak or because she is full), but she has been content since I stared feeding her.

Sarthur2 StefanZ

 

[StefanZ]

With the very weak is often easier to give them food by needleless syringe or a dropper. Its a little tricky, so try to train before. tumy down, head up, may lay up diagonally. In the corner of the mouth, squeeze slowly drop by drop. After she and you catched the trick, it becomes easier, and with a little luck she will suckle off the syringe.

Yes, water + sugar works as an emergency fluidum. Human baby milk works, but should be less diluted.

Cow milk - as you say, its emergency, nothing else there. Yes, I know of examples when the kitten survived on this diet. Raw cow milk is least bad, bud full fat cow milk may pass....

You did very well in the hours of utter emergency! AnubisFading

 

[Sarthur2]

Please get kitten milk, but if you cannot find it you can use puppy formula or human baby formula. You can also use a can of Carnation evaporated milk mixed with a raw egg.

She sounds like she’s starving, so begin feeding her every 1-2 hours initially.

It’s great that you are treating her eyes!

 

[AnubisFading]

At the moment my dad went to Dollar General and got some powdered human baby formula. This, of course, is just for until we make the trip to Walmart next (which will probably be in the next couple of days). Then we’ll finally get actual kitten formula. Yes, I am doubling the concentration of the human formula (which ends up being a 1:1 ratio which is nice).

She is doing much better now after getting so much milk, even though it was regular cow’s milk (along with some sugar). She’s been peeing a lot and moving around. I have her with me constantly, wrapped in a wash cloth, on my chest.

I’m about to begin feeding her with the baby formula as soon as this is sent!

Sarthur2 StefanZ