- Joined
- Jan 23, 2016
- Messages
- 12
- Purraise
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I've been reading around online, and I think I've come to determine that the kitten is healing okay, but I just want to know if anyone else has ever encountered this and has good stories to help me with my fears.
The backstory:
I'm a Munchkin breeder. I'm registered, and I do it humanely. I know the forum rules say not to judge or comment on "backyard breeders" or make assumptions, but I just wanted to clear any readers' concerns with this. I'm actually a strong advocater myself of spaying/neutering pets, and all my kittens leave either spayed/neutered or with a contract requiring the new parents to do so before 8 months of age.
I have a queen and this is her second litter. She had three total kittens, but the second born was stillborn ( ;-; ). I'm very careful with her and this is not the first time I've been around cats that have kittens, either, although it is my first offical breeding cat. Although, it was still very upsetting as the stillborn kitten was a Standard Munchkin (for anyone who doesn't know, with a Munchkin, about 50% of the kittens will be short-legged, so it's pretty rare, and very sad regardless of leg length, but the Munchkin being stillborn was even moreso, as these are what I'm trying to breed).
The first kitten is a beautiful lilac/white colour-point and came out with no effort, although I believe the umbilical cord got wrapped around the foot/tail when it was coming out. I was asleep and woke up to the loud yowl of my female, Whisper, pushing the first kitten out. By the time I got my bearings and got to her, she was already eating the placenta and the cord had been chewed off, so I didn't realize what had happened until after the kittens were cleaned and resting/feeding. The tail seems to be fine, other than a small mark where the cord was. No swelling, the tip of the tail is warm and seems to be healthy. The back foot, on the other hand, is swollen to twice the size of the other one. I've been keeping an eye on it since she was born on the 18th, but the swelling hasn't gone down that I've noticed. After reading about general wound care I decided to just make sure it was clean and I've been washing it with warm water. Today when I was washing it, it started spouting a white fluid which I at first thought might be a sign of infection. I've since researched wound healing online and it seems that this white discharge is NOT a sign of infection. If it was green/yellow and smelled then there'd be concern, but as of yet, an infection is not a worry for me. Still going to be keeping an eye on it, just be sure it doesn't get infected, but the kitten is too young for a vet to offer any antibiotics or procedures on it, so it's pretty well up to me and luck. The kitten is eating and moving around just fine, and her brother, a little grey Standard (short-legged) guy is doing great, too. I've been weighing them and they're both putting on weight in healthy amounts and they both seem otherwise totally healthy.
All I'm really looking for is if anyone else has any stories with any swollen joints that were tended to immediately and whether the kittens ever had the swelling go down and heal into a perfectly normal foot. I suppose if you have the counterpoint to the good news I'm hoping for, I'd still like to hear it and if you have any suggestions for what to do to make sure it doesn't happen to this little girl.
After the stillborn second kitten, and the tiny litter, I'm so worried that something will happen to this little one that will compromise its health
Reassurances and advice and personal stories are very welcome!
Also, if anyone has any naming suggestions for the little ones, I still haven't given them their temporary names yet The white one is actually lilac colour-point and a female Non-Standard Munchkin (meaning she'll basically be like any other mixed-breed cat) and the grey one is a male Standard Munchkin (meaning he'll be short-legged, like his mom). I can add a picture of the mom later, I just don't have them uploaded off my phone yet.
The backstory:
I'm a Munchkin breeder. I'm registered, and I do it humanely. I know the forum rules say not to judge or comment on "backyard breeders" or make assumptions, but I just wanted to clear any readers' concerns with this. I'm actually a strong advocater myself of spaying/neutering pets, and all my kittens leave either spayed/neutered or with a contract requiring the new parents to do so before 8 months of age.
I have a queen and this is her second litter. She had three total kittens, but the second born was stillborn ( ;-; ). I'm very careful with her and this is not the first time I've been around cats that have kittens, either, although it is my first offical breeding cat. Although, it was still very upsetting as the stillborn kitten was a Standard Munchkin (for anyone who doesn't know, with a Munchkin, about 50% of the kittens will be short-legged, so it's pretty rare, and very sad regardless of leg length, but the Munchkin being stillborn was even moreso, as these are what I'm trying to breed).
The first kitten is a beautiful lilac/white colour-point and came out with no effort, although I believe the umbilical cord got wrapped around the foot/tail when it was coming out. I was asleep and woke up to the loud yowl of my female, Whisper, pushing the first kitten out. By the time I got my bearings and got to her, she was already eating the placenta and the cord had been chewed off, so I didn't realize what had happened until after the kittens were cleaned and resting/feeding. The tail seems to be fine, other than a small mark where the cord was. No swelling, the tip of the tail is warm and seems to be healthy. The back foot, on the other hand, is swollen to twice the size of the other one. I've been keeping an eye on it since she was born on the 18th, but the swelling hasn't gone down that I've noticed. After reading about general wound care I decided to just make sure it was clean and I've been washing it with warm water. Today when I was washing it, it started spouting a white fluid which I at first thought might be a sign of infection. I've since researched wound healing online and it seems that this white discharge is NOT a sign of infection. If it was green/yellow and smelled then there'd be concern, but as of yet, an infection is not a worry for me. Still going to be keeping an eye on it, just be sure it doesn't get infected, but the kitten is too young for a vet to offer any antibiotics or procedures on it, so it's pretty well up to me and luck. The kitten is eating and moving around just fine, and her brother, a little grey Standard (short-legged) guy is doing great, too. I've been weighing them and they're both putting on weight in healthy amounts and they both seem otherwise totally healthy.
All I'm really looking for is if anyone else has any stories with any swollen joints that were tended to immediately and whether the kittens ever had the swelling go down and heal into a perfectly normal foot. I suppose if you have the counterpoint to the good news I'm hoping for, I'd still like to hear it and if you have any suggestions for what to do to make sure it doesn't happen to this little girl.
After the stillborn second kitten, and the tiny litter, I'm so worried that something will happen to this little one that will compromise its health
Reassurances and advice and personal stories are very welcome!
Also, if anyone has any naming suggestions for the little ones, I still haven't given them their temporary names yet The white one is actually lilac colour-point and a female Non-Standard Munchkin (meaning she'll basically be like any other mixed-breed cat) and the grey one is a male Standard Munchkin (meaning he'll be short-legged, like his mom). I can add a picture of the mom later, I just don't have them uploaded off my phone yet.