1 day old kittens sleeping away from queen and other questions

[Peblu]

It’s her response to the rigors of nursing. It’s hard work having kittens pulling on you and kneading with sharp little claws.

You can trim the very tips of the kittens’ front claws. Believe it or not, tiny kittens already have sharp claws!

Also, are you giving mom extra calcium? As in a dish or two a day of kitten formula to drink? She needs it while nursing. Low calcium can be dangerous and can cause panting and other issues.

I read about lack of calcium and I wasn’t exactly sure how if that was the issue but advice taken onboard! I will buy kitten milk and give my queen some today! Really appreciate your help!

 

[Sarthur2]

Get a can of powdered PetAg, Royal Canin, or GNC. Mix it daily as needed. Do not use pre-mixed.

 

[Peblu]

I read about lack of calcium and I wasn’t exactly sure how if that was the issue but advice taken onboard! I will buy kitten milk and give my queen some today! Really appreciate your help!

I have this. Would you recommend it for my queen to drink?

 

[Sarthur2]

Yes, that should be fine!

 

[Peblu]

Yes, that should be fine!

Thank you for confirming!

 

[Peblu]

I have these scales which are suitable for babies and pets. When I weigh my kittens is it important to put them on a soft blanket due to body temperature? I weighed them yesterday without a blanket and they don’t wriggle away because these are large scales. Is it ok to not use a blanket? Thanks

 

[Sarthur2]

Yes, it’s okay.

 

[Peblu]

Hello again
3 of my 4 kittens are clearly displaying larger testicles. I honestly thought this showed at 3/4 weeks. Please see pictures. Is this really common to show in the first week of life? They were born 21st august.
The (female?) isn’t displaying anything atm

 

[di and bob]

You could call a vet and see, send those pictures too. It could be like human babies receiving some of their mom's hormones and enlarging the testicles in boys and the breasts in girls. It should go down in a few days.

 

[Peblu]

Hello cat people

my queen has been nursing well, kittens look like they’re drinking, putting on weight!

however i have just been stroking my queen and noticed her nipples. Two near her hind leg look swollen and the others aren’t. Please see picture attached. After viewing YouTube I cannot work out if it is mastitis or not! The tips of all her nipples are dark red. Thanks for reading.

 

[Furballsmom]

kittens look like they’re drinking, putting on weight!

Are you weighing them so that you know for certain?

This is information from a site article;
Your cat can have a temporary accumulation of milk in the breast tissue, also known as "baked breasts". This painful condition is medically known as galactostasis.
What you can do: You’ll need to apply warm compresses to ease Kitty’s pain. Symptoms, besides the visual, are general discomfort and tenderness to the touch.
If your cat experiences visible discomfort when nursing, and the warm compresses don't help, seek veterinary advice right away as your cat could be developing mastitis (mammary infection).

If bacteria make their way through the nipples into the breast, your cat can develop an infection of the mammary glands, medically known as mastitis. This puts the mother cat and the kittens at immediate risk and calls for emergency veterinary intervention.
What you can do: Monitor the mother cat's medical condition, including her nipples and breasts. If they seem red, swollen or if there's a discoloration of the milk, consult with your veterinarian immediately. Your cat may need antibiotics and the kittens may need to be switched over to hand feeding.

 

[Peblu]

Are you weighing them so that you know for certain?

This is information from a site article;
Your cat can have a temporary accumulation of milk in the breast tissue, also known as "baked breasts". This painful condition is medically known as galactostasis.
What you can do: You’ll need to apply warm compresses to ease Kitty’s pain. Symptoms, besides the visual, are general discomfort and tenderness to the touch.
If your cat experiences visible discomfort when nursing, and the warm compresses don't help, seek veterinary advice right away as your cat could be developing mastitis (mammary infection).

If bacteria make their way through the nipples into the breast, your cat can develop an infection of the mammary glands, medically known as mastitis. This puts the mother cat and the kittens at immediate risk and calls for emergency veterinary intervention.
What you can do: Monitor the mother cat's medical condition, including her nipples and breasts. If they seem red, swollen or if there's a discoloration of the milk, consult with your veterinarian immediately. Your cat may need antibiotics and the kittens may need to be switched over to hand feeding.

Thanks for your response
Yes I have weighed them twice and they have put on weight. She doesn’t show any visible discomfort when nursing. Just now I have had the torch on her whistle they were feeding and noticed a scab around her nipples. Applied coconut oil but she licked it off. Applied a warm damp sock to ease any pain. It’s 21.39pm uk time and the long weekend. I can only do so much. Vets open on Tuesday. Is this scab a bad sign?

 

[Peaches&Mango]

This happened to one of my cats nipples when she was nursing. I worried initially so used a warm compress for a few minutes, gave it a massage, then popped a kitten on to suckle as I thought it may just be a build up of milk, it went away instantly. She was happy for the kittens to latch on, mind you she never showed signs of discomfort with feedings but it never came back after that.

 

[Furballsmom]

I don't know about that scab, but hopefully someone more knowledgeable will see your post soon.

 

[Peblu]

i have closely monitored my kittens during feeding time and there is No milk coming out from any of her nipples. I have tried to squeeze them looking for any signs of milk, checked their mouth and cannot see any signs of milk. They are struggling to find a nipple with milk and becoming exhausted from looking. Calling the vets in the morning.

 

[Furballsmom]

You will need to feed them in the meantime.
In case you aren't familiar, these pages provide information;

Bottle Feeding — Kitten Lady

Syringe Feeding — Kitten Lady

and in case she's too uncomfortable to clean them;
Stimulating Kittens — Kitten Lady

 

[Peblu]

Thank you for sharing and thank you for the advice.
I have seen moisture around one nipple because the fur looks wet but no other nipple.

 

[Furballsmom]

becoming exhausted from looking.

To try and keep them from becoming too weak, you can smear a little honey on their gums. With the short little burst of energy they should be able to handle you feeding them .

 

[Sarthur2]

She may need antibiotics. Please do not squeeze her nipples. If kittens are gaining weight they are getting milk.

The scab is because the kittens sucked her raw. Continue applying oil to soothe.

 

[Peblu]

To try and keep them from becoming too weak, you can smear a little honey on their gums. With the short little burst of energy they should be able to handle you feeding them .

thank you for your kind response. It’s 2.33am on a Friday night and I have just fed 4 kittens. I used a syringe (pet friendly one from Amazon) i