Super Low Birth Weight

[thesannie]

Long time lurker, first time poster! Recently, our foster Zatanna graced our closet with five little jelly beans. One kitten was larger than the rest, but the other four were super duper tiny. Three passed away in the first 48 hours, but this little girl's been such a fighter. The vet said generally to just let nature run its course, and if the mother starts to push her away, let her since her birth weight was so low that her surviving at all is a shock.

When she was born, she was just over an ounce. Now at almost two weeks, she's just now reached 3.9 ounces. Her brother, mammoth by comparison, is a chunky 9.3 and growing steadily. I've fostered runts before (my other runt from the fall is a happy, healthy baby now and has decided I'm mommy XD), but I've never had such a petite baby as this little girl.

She's not gaining half an ounce daily, but usually between .1 ounces and .4 ounces. As long add she's gaining, I'm happy and tell her she's a good girl. She's strong, too, and keeps trying to crawl around and has the loudest meep when she's not happy. The mother has become hyper-attentive, and has decided that she and the kittens must sleep in bed with me, between my knees XD She just puts them right back there if I try to argue with her, and my bed is the warmest place, so makes sense.

So I suppose all I'm wondering is if anyone else has had success in a kitten thriving with such a low weight? I've got a bottle and formulas ready just in case I don't think she's eaten enough, and I keep my heating pad on under my blankets during the day for them. And she's strong, crawls well, and is very vocal, just isn't gaining rapidly like her brother.

Has anyone else had such a tiny kitten survive low birth weight?

 

[StefanZ]

Yours seems to be a record. Although it depends of course, what you do mean exactly by just over one ounce. It would give short over 30 grammes... Two of the record holders had 48 and 49 grammes. Sickly and weakly orphans. The both rescuers did marvels, in part assisted with advices and vibes by me. But in both cases it ended tragically. The rescuer, exhausted by a 24/7 fight during several weeks, occured in fatal accidents... And thus, these kittens didnt die because they were small and weak, but they died because they were now big strong boys...
Such doesnt happen at a good hospital, because the personanal is is changing off each other. But a rescuer is usually alone, and becomes exhausted in extreme...

I presume its your good work and the active momma whom did the trick here. I do see she is nicely furred too.

0.1 oz is barely acceptable, but 0.4 is good, so, she isnt out of the woods as yet, but we may be reasonably optimistic.

If you can get hold of an IR-warming lamp, such as rheumatic people has. Or these having lizard terraries, it could get a plus in some situations. For example the kitten wont be chilled out while you are weighting it or supplementing.

Which formula do you have as your reserve? Can you get raw goats milk? Most formulas are OK, but raw goats milk may give some edge in some situations... T thesannie

 

[thesannie]

Thank you so much for your input! I'll see if I can find a warming lamp this weekend. I was pleasantly surpassed when I came home today and her eyes are about halfway open, and she's gone up to 4.2 ounces. She was 1.3 ounces to start, so she's come a long way. :3

The formula I have is just a standard kitten milk replacer I got from the vet, but so far the momma seems to be very attentive to nurse. I'll check the local farmer market to see about the goats milk, though!

 

[StefanZ]

If momma gives and she adds, its better to let momma continue. Supplementing although often necessary, does has some extra risks. Mainly the risk of inhaling the milk into wrong throat, into the lungs. But if you do have goats milk at hand, you can always use what isnt used for her. Give to momma for example. Take it yourself if you want. Or if the law forbids using raw milk for humans, you can bake an excellent cake or pancakes of it.... Or at least, thell the authorities you did so.

Also, you can continue later on with goats milk as supplement for her, when she begins to eat on her own. Normally is its not necessary, but with weakish children and kittens any good extras may make a positive difference.