Weight Of Kittens

[RavenMistwolf]

Hey everyone. I have been tracking the weight of my feral cat’s kittens every few days and one of them is pretty small. Is this an okay difference or should I be worried?

 

[StefanZ]

The raise is ok. Day 12-15 were bad, but become normal again later on.

IF you supply, what are your possibilities?

 

[abyeb]

The gain from days 15-20 looks good! A general rule of thumb is that kittens should gain around 10g per day, so the 2 oz in that 5 day stretch is about 57 grams, which is great! Of course, if you want to supplement with KMR or goat’s milk, that will help too.

 

[RavenMistwolf]

The raise is ok. Day 12-15 were bad, but become normal again later on.

IF you supply, what are your possibilities?

I’m not sure what you mean by “supply.”

 

[StefanZ]

If you want to supplement feed her. Sorry, supply is similiar but not the same.. Sorry again.

Still; is it OK for momma you handle them? Are you used to using a needleless syringe? Do you have access to goats milk or some good kmr? Which one?
KMR by PetAg in powder is best. But there are also brands based on goats milk. These are good too.
So, it depends in part, on what you have and can.

Its no immediate emergency, but you may perhaps want to.

 

[RavenMistwolf]

The gain from days 15-20 looks good! A general rule of thumb is that kittens should gain around 10g per day, so the 2 oz in that 5 day stretch is about 57 grams, which is great! Of course, if you want to supplement with KMR or goat’s milk, that will help too.

Good to know! My scale only goes down to half ounces, so it’s possible there was more of a difference than it could detect.

Their mom is taking very good care of them on my patio where I’ve set up plenty of shelter options and have a constant supply of food and water.

So basically if its growth slows down, that’s when I should be worried, right? But as of right now it’s ok since it is growing at a normal rate?

 

[RavenMistwolf]

If you want to supplement feed her. Sorry, supply is similiar but not the same.. Sorry again.

Still; is it OK for momma you handle them? Are you used to using a needleless syringe? Do you have access to goats milk or some good kmr? Which one?
KMR by PetAg in powder is best. But there are also brands based on goats milk. These are good too.
So, it depends in part, on what you have and can.

Its no immediate emergency, but you may perhaps want to.

Ah. It’s ok!
Mama is mostly okay with me handling them. She just gets anxious if they start meowing. But they’re letting me hold them longer and longer before they start meowing.

I am used to using a needless syringe.

As for the goats milk or kmr, I don’t have any and I don’t know what my local stores offer. But I live in a good sized city, so I’m sure there are plenty of options available.

 

[StefanZ]

Ok, sounds good. Because there ARE some risk involved for an inexperienced new be, and in border cases it may be the difference for the decision, to supplement or let momma take care. Or if a momma is verry shy or verry protective, and extra help becomes stressful for all involved.

As hinted, there are often some individual differences, and this doesnt need to be any problem. What we look for, is if they gain properly.
There were a couple of bad days, where she lost at least 1 oz of missed good growing.
But now its back to normal, she adds OK.
The raise is not grandiose, some healthy kittens add even 20+ grammes each day.
But 10 grammes a day (1/3-1/2 OZ) is OK, a good rule of thumb. No need to worry.

So, supplementing isnt necessary. But if you do wish to give extra, you have our blessings for it. Wont hurt, may help some.

 

[RavenMistwolf]

Ok, sounds good. Because there ARE some risk involved for an inexperienced new be, and in border cases it may be the difference for the decision, to supplement or let momma take care. Or if a momma is verry shy or verry protective, and extra help becomes stressful for all involved.

As hinted, there are often some individual differences, and this doesnt need to be any problem. What we look for, is if they gain properly.
There were a couple of bad days, where she lost at least 1 oz of missed good growing.
But now its back to normal, she adds OK.
The raise is not grandiose, some healthy kittens add even 20+ grammes each day.
But 10 grammes a day (1/3-1/2 OZ) is OK, a good rule of thumb. No need to worry.

So, supplementing isnt necessary. But if you do wish to give extra, you have our blessings for it. Wont hurt, may help some.

Thanks for all that info!! Very much appreciated.

Quick question. When you refer to risk with inexperienced newbies, are you referring to me as a newbie kitten-caretaker or to the mom as a newbie mom? If it’s the latter, this is actually her fourth litter and at least two of those first three had some kittens that made it to 7 weeks before disappearing (no idea if it was a predator or a person took them or what). I just haven’t been able to catch her to get her spayed. But I will be doing so at the same time I get her kittens fixed.

 

[RavenMistwolf]

With new be caretaker I mean here these without any previous experience of handfeeding with a syringe....

As you tell you do have such an experience, Im not worrying more about this.

Ah ok. Makes sense. Just wanted to make sure we were on the same page there. Yeah, I’ve had cats my entire life and have consequently done plenty of different types of care for many different needs.