Hello. We had 2 newborn (2 days old) infant kittens come into rescue last night (they were without their momma since early that morning). The male weighed in at 117 grams and the female at 79 grams (she is tiny). We have another cat that was brought to us pregnant a few months ago. Her kittens are 6 1/2 weeks old, and weening right now. Momma cat lays around and lets the new babies nurse whenever I'm in their room, however I do keep them in a large tupperware container so that the 6 1/2 week old kittens can't get to them. Momma cat can easily jump in to nurse them if she wants to. My problem is, I don't know if she hops in and nurses them when I'm not in there with her. The kittens seem to have nice round bellies and are strong and vocal. She seems attentive to them when they fuss at all. My question, should I be supplement feeding them with kitten formula, or just monitor if they are gaining weight from momma feeding them when I'm not around. I don't want to overwhelm their tummies, but I don't want them to go hungry either. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!!
-
Too many ads? Join our community of cat lovers now to reduce ads by 90%! Click here to join for free!
2 newborn infant kittens
- Thread starter tdurkee
- Start Date
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #2
Mom’s milk and care is best if she continues caring for them. Weighing them is the only reliable way to know for sure though. Weigh them, give them a full day with mom, then weigh them again. If they have gained 6-10 grams and are not crying they are probably fine with her. You’ll need to monitor the situation carefully.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #4
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #5
UPDATE: I just wanted to give an update on these two. Sadly, the little runt didn't make it, but her brother is such a little fighter. Momma cat decided she didn't want to nurse kittens that weren't her own, so we went to dropper feeding. We did a pedialyte/formula combo until he was finally able to be on full formula. He is gaining about 8-10 grams a day now, and he seems healthy and strong. His stool is a normal color, and perfect form. I will have to post some pics/video soon. He is 10 days old. He's just a little guy, but strong and soo adorable!
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #6
He is still fighting, and finally eating and gaining properly. This poor baby has had a rough start, but he is getting stronger every day. He was down to a mere 89 grams at his weakest, but he is up to 125 grams now, and gaining steadily. He drinks about 6-7ml every 3 hours, around the clock. His diarrhea has cleared and he now has normal poops. My question is this, will he eventually catch up to where he should be, and could he possibly be blind? He is just over 2 weeks old, and still very shaky on his feet. He does scoot himself around, but is very unstable and falls to his sides often. His eyes are open, but there is constant "goop" that comes out of them and they look very cloudy. We clean them out and wipe away anything around his eyes with every feeding, but it doesn't seem to be getting any better. He has an appt with our vet on Thursday when I am off work, but I was curious your thoughts on this.
Last edited by a moderator:
He should catch up. He is apparently to compare with a emaciated, weak reconvalescent.
Look, 125 g is a good birth weight. A healthy kitten would be at least twice his weigt.
So count he will improve from now on. Continue to feed as much he takes. Some nice vitamine paste should be good. Add a little salts if he hadnt got them against diarrhea.
Yeah, with good care, and lotsa prayers perhaps even his eyes will be good.
Look, 125 g is a good birth weight. A healthy kitten would be at least twice his weigt.
So count he will improve from now on. Continue to feed as much he takes. Some nice vitamine paste should be good. Add a little salts if he hadnt got them against diarrhea.
Yeah, with good care, and lotsa prayers perhaps even his eyes will be good.
Oh my! He has a very bad eye infection. Please see a vet sooner than Thursday to get terramycin antibacterial ointment for his eyes. It cannot wait! He needs to begin treatment ASAP to hopefully save his eyesight.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #9
