Underweight 4-Week Old Kitten

[lilacfrappucino]

Hi everyone, I need help. On April 3rd (the date I scheduled for her to be spayed, 2 months in advance!!) my cat gave birth to 4 kittens. We suspected she gave birth prematurely, because they were all fairly small (smallest was 68 grams, biggest was 83 grams), she wasn’t able to nurse them as her nipples weren’t erect, and she wasn’t producing milk. 1 kitten died the next day. Another 2 died within the few days despite our efforts to bottle feed them. The last one, who I call Minnie the Calico, was the biggest, and the only one who was able to latch. My sister’s cat, who was also scheduled the be spayed on April 3rd, had given birth to 5 healthy kittens just two days prior! Since Minnie was the only one who could latch, I immediately gave her to my sister’s cat to nurse and take care of. I think that’s what saved her, because she immediately started gaining weight steadily. There were still some days where her weight would be stagnant, so I would supplement feed her. But still, her weight steadily went up. She’s currently 4 weeks old today, and weighs 285 grams. She’s still very tiny compared to my sister’s cat’s kittens, who are twice her weight and only 2 days older. I’m going to start the milk weaning process on them soon, and I was wondering if I should do the same for Minnie? Or should I get her to a set weight before I start to wean her from milk? She’s already biting the bottle nipple and I’m so afraid that she’ll bite a chunk off and eat it. Also, what should I do to help her gain weight faster? I bottle-feed her as much as she wants every 3 hours.

TLDR; Minnie is 4 weeks old and only 285 grams and I was wondering if I should start weaning her off formula or if I should wait for her to get to a certain weight. Also, what can I do to help her gain weight faster?

I’d also like to mention that I took her to the vet a week and a half ago and they said she was healthy, and I gave her dewormer.

 

[HeyKat]

I recently fostered some severely underweight orphaned kittens (between 120 and 160g at 3 weeks old. I suspect they were born prematurely), so this is just my personal experience, but maybe you'll find it helpful.

Like your kitten, they didn't gain weight as fast as they should have. Also, although they were so underweight, their teeth developed at the normal time. So the teeth were ready for wet food, and I thought it would help them pick up weight. But they really struggled when I started weaning them, and my vet said it was likely because their insides were still developing. Rich food especially, like Royal Canin Kitten Mousse, gave them serious diarrhoea, which can be fatal in such fragile little babies.

So my suggestion is to feed your kitten according to her weight, not her age. Meaning, a 285g kitten is usually 2-3 weeks old and should be getting milk every 3-4 hours. Her teeth may be ready for solid food, but her stomach may not.

If you're worried about her biting through the nipple, try getting her to drink her formula out of a saucer. She'll probably walk in it at first, but luckily you have 2 mom cats to take care of bath time!

But you could also try supplementing her milk with a little wet food and see how her stomach tolerates it. I'd introduce it very slowly to be safe though.

Btw, my kittens (the 3 surviving, 2 sadly didn't make it), are now 12 weeks, but only 800g, so they're still very small compared to the average kitten their age. But they're energetic and eating well. So I wouldn't worry too much if your baby is smaller than her cousins, as long as she's healthy, lively and gaining weight steadily.

Edit: TLDR, if I were you I'd keep feeding her formula every 3-4 hours until she's at least 450g. Don't stress too much comparing her to other kittens as long as she's doing well.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi I intended to post this earlier this morning, sorry about that!

Your sisters cat doesn't have milk any longer? The tiny one might still get benefits from nursing if that's an option.

In any case, have you considered kitten glop to help with weight gain? This has a number of recipes;
Kitten Glop Recipes - Supplementing Cats and Kittens with nutritious formula you make at home: presented by Bengal Cat breeder Foothill Felines.

There might be something additional here regarding weight vs age;
Weaning — Kitten Lady

The Essentials Of Kitten Nutrition – TheCatSite Articles

 

[Sarthur2]

Continue letting her nurse and supplement with formula.