My cat gave birth 5 kittens last saturday. 1 kitten died after birth out of 4 1 one was really premature with only 58 grams. The others were 78 80 and 90. The weak one nursed well reached 100 grams but we lost him today just when we thought he was doing okay. Now my concern is other thriving kitten stopped nursing this morning and when i weighed him this morning he had dropped from 144 to 136 grams. Ever since we noticed it we nursed him with a syringe he dropped to 133 but stayed there. He keeps wandering off from the mum and siblings. He keeps his mouth open and keeps crying. He wont nurse no matter how many times we take him to the nipple. Mom didnt refuse him as she keeps on licking and grooming him. I asked 2 vets they both said they cant give any medication or anything so we should keep feedimg him with a syringe but dont keep our hopes up. What should i do? Why does he keep his mouth open?
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6 days old kitten stopped nursing
- Thread starter Bonbonche
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Okay, it's vet time. Kittens have got to eat or they will go down quickly. It could be that something is wrong with that litter and judging by the fact there has been two deaths already, I would say there is something wrong. Somehow, even with your best efforts he is not getting enough food so please have him looked at by a vet to see what the problem is. He could very well have a deformity in his mouth that is keeping him from really being able to latch on properly.
I agree about the vet visit. His mouth being open like that could also mean a respiratory issue, and he can't breathe well enough when trying to nurse.
Edit: if it is respiratory related, and the vet won't give any meds, perhaps check to see if it would be OK to take him into a steamy bathroom to see if that would help clear his airways.
Edit: if it is respiratory related, and the vet won't give any meds, perhaps check to see if it would be OK to take him into a steamy bathroom to see if that would help clear his airways.
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- #4
The vet has seen a close video. There is deformity. He just advised to keep on hand feeding
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Okay, that's not good, he can choke to death that way. Please take him to the vet and they will show you how to feed him- it takes just a few minutes and if the vet is busy, one of the techs can show you.
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- #7
I have raised motherless kitten before so syringe feeding is not issue. I asked for tube feeding they recommended otherwise. The vet is not help. Im jusy trying to find someone who had the same issue or some positive thoughts i guess
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Okay, I am going to be honest this is not what I call a positive situation. Since you have done this before than why do you think formula went down the lungs? One of the techs can't help? See I don't understand that because I took a baby mouse in one time to my vet and even though he was in the middle of surgery one of the techs along with the receptionist showed me how to feed him formula.
And if he has any issues with a deformity that would prevent him from latching on, I would have thought that would have been apparent before the sixth day. I have faced that issue years ago with a kitten belonging to a mother cat of mine, but it was obvious right from the start that he had problems.
The problem with waiting for more members to chime in is that so many are on different time zones and that baby needs medical attention now.
The positive thought is that you have stopped his decline in weight. That, unto itself, is a good thing. Try the steamy bathroom, even if you can't get the vet to agree. The heat of the room is a good thing too! There are some members who have some serious background in this area. I will look to see if I can find them.
Edit: can you find any formula help on this site: Kitten-Rescue.com
Edit: can you find any formula help on this site: Kitten-Rescue.com
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- #10
This is him now. He kinda stopped crying and thank god his siblings keeps cuddling up with him.
I thought of it because of the comments i saw online. And if thats the case it must have happened before i started syringe feeding. The vets in my area (turkey/istanbul) are very pessimistic about newborns. And the vet ive seen today is the vet that follows my cat of 3 years so i do trust them. They said they cant give any medication or anything and just told me to keep feeding every 2 hours. And i know how to feed formula
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- #11
Thank you for your positive thoughts! What do you mean by steamy bathroom? If i creat steam in the bathroom and keep there is it helpful?
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Okay, at least his weight is stabilized. I am just not sure why it went down his lungs.
If his breathing problems are related to aspirating, it needs to be absorbed by his body in order for him to recover. If it is respiratory related (as in congestion of some sort), running very hot water in a bathroom with the door shut to create steam, and then taking him in there with you and sitting could help clear some of the congestion. It would be for a few minutes at a time only. Would the steamy bathroom help with aspiration - I don't know for sure.
In order to help his lungs - were it to be that he aspirated - you would need to feed him as little as possible at a time, but as often as you can. The kitten-rescue site I noted above might have some tips on how to add more nutrients to his feedings as well.
In order to help his lungs - were it to be that he aspirated - you would need to feed him as little as possible at a time, but as often as you can. The kitten-rescue site I noted above might have some tips on how to add more nutrients to his feedings as well.
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- #15
Thank you very much! Ill give it a try! I did my feeding a few minutes ago he showed some signs of sucking which kinda gave me hope. I will keep feeding him frequently in little amounts. Im really hoping he will return to his mother and start nursing again. Right now he is doing the opposite running away from mom
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Sounds like the little guy is improving- will be keeping my fingers crossed.
Keep us posted, please!! 
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- #18
I fed him again he still keeps away from the mother. And he is down to 130 grams it was 133 grams before. I am feeding about 2-3 ml every 1.30 hours. I dont wanna feed more because i feel like im force feeding him and his belly his very plump. I tried to make him pee but he doesnt pee. His mother does lick his bottom throughly so im hoping she is getting the job done. And i wanted to thank this community for replies and kond wishes. Thank you so much.
Are you trying to burp him, just in case he is getting air in his belly? 2-3 ml every 1.30 hours seems more than adequate. As long as his mom is still tending to him, that is a very, very good sign. Belly rubs are good for provoking peeing, but not sure that is necessary yet if his mom is licking not just his bottom, but his belly as well. Has he produced any stool?
What exactly is the formula you do use? Is it in powder? If so, dilute it with pedialyte instead of common water. It will always be some extra calories for free.
If you cant buy pedialyte (flavorless for human babies is best), you can make your own. Can you get glucose sugar / dextrose?
Can you get raw goats milk? Its no remedy by itself, but may have some plusses in touchy situations. If you can get raw goats milk, you dilute the powder with this goats milk instead.
As momma is washing him and licking down there, she surely takes care of pee and poo... Most owners of momma cat and kittens never see any pee nor poo, momma takes it.
The usual is, its just caretakers of orphans whom do see it...
If you cant buy pedialyte (flavorless for human babies is best), you can make your own. Can you get glucose sugar / dextrose?
Can you get raw goats milk? Its no remedy by itself, but may have some plusses in touchy situations. If you can get raw goats milk, you dilute the powder with this goats milk instead.
As momma is washing him and licking down there, she surely takes care of pee and poo... Most owners of momma cat and kittens never see any pee nor poo, momma takes it.
The usual is, its just caretakers of orphans whom do see it...
