2 Week Old Runt Kitten.

[Hannah121]

Hello this is my first time on this site.
I am looking for advice on a 2 week old kitten who is the runt of the little. Started noticing that he isn’t gaining weight as much as the others, and is literally half the size of all his litter mates.
I took him to the vet around 3 days ago and she said the heart sounded fine and he looked quite full of life (weighing at 103g) when all the rest are weighing at a good 256g. So she gave him an antibiotic shot as a precaution and suggested we feed him through a bottle. So that’s what We have been doing for the last 3 days and he is weighing at 114g at the moment. I’m really struggling to get him to latch on and feed frequently enough as every time I try I feel like I am force feeding him.
I am also quite concerned at the fact that he is breathing through his mouth rather than his nose. And is making this gasping sound every time he breaths. (Saying that at the moment he is peacefully sleeping while purring) his eyes are not open yet whilst the other are.
Im so concerned about fading kitten syndrome and really don’t want him to fade away. The vet suggested if we see no improvement or weight gain within 3 days we put him down.
Is there anything I can do better? I really don’t want him to die.

 

[Furballsmom]

Awww, what a sweetheart! Can you rub his gums with honey?
Can you obtain, or make, some unflavored Pedialyte or kitten glop in addition to what you're already bottle feeding him with?
Maybe there is something here that might be useful;

Kitten-Rescue.com

Feeding Kittens — Kitten Lady

 

[sabrinah]

I can't give much advice but I can give a little encouragement.

My cat was the runt of the litter and was way smaller than the other kittens for a llooonnnggg time. She was behind the other kittens in walking, opening her eyes, etc. by a week. She's 12.5 lbs now and she's a strong, sturdy cat.

Some number of months ago my mom found a tiny dying kitten. It was a group effort (I told her what to do and sent her emergency supplies, she did all the care) but the kitten pulled through. The kitten was skin and bones and had to be force fed with a dropper for a couple weeks before it could take a bottle. She fed it every 2 hours. At one point it FKS was a real issue. The kitten crawled away to die. It went stiff and had nearly completely stopped breathing. Honey on the gums (apparently it was rreeeaalllyy hard to open the kitten's mouth), warm towels, and an emergency vet appointment got him going again. Then he had a urinary blockage and that nearly did him in. He didn't reach 1 pound until he was 2.5 months old. Now he's 7 months old or so and he's nearly 8 pounds!

The point is, don't give up hope. Get some KMR if you can and bottle feed as often as you're able. Keep him warm, keep honey on hand, and make sure he's going to the bathroom.

 

[Furballsmom]

WOW!

 

[Brittani1157]

I'm sorry, I don't have any advice to give, but he is so precious!! Good luck!

 

[golondrina]

Wishing you the best Hannah. Best of luck.

 

[maggie101]

My cat Maggie,now my biggest cat,was runt of the litter. From what I've seen, more than once, the mama cat will hide the runt of the litter in the bushes because she is still nursing it. Even when the kitten was 5 weeks and eating out of a can the mom would still keep them hidden. Maybe because the runt is slow developing? Just a guess. Maggie's like a mimi leopard now. Long and muscular. Good luck!

 

[talkingpeanut]

There are some excellent resources here: Saving Kittens — Kitten Lady

The trick is to feed around the clock, every two hours or so for now. If the kitten won't take a bottle, you will need to feed drop by drop through a needleless syringe or a dropper. This is likely not fading kitten, but rather a kitten who hasn't been allowed to nurse and thrive. You can help, but will have to work hard!

 

[StefanZ]

The vet is prob not used to help weak kittens.

So fight on!

What kmr do you use now?
Can you get raw goats milk?

 

[susanm9006]

I sure as heck wouldn’t put a kitten down just because they are small. In addition to hand feeding you can also try helping him to nurse by getting him to a nipple. Sometimes these little ones just aren’t good at fighting their way through the others. So you wait for a few to be snoozing and then try to get the little one on a nipple.

 

[Elphaba09]

I sure as heck wouldn’t put a kitten down just because they are small.

Nor would I! Fennimore was the runt of his litter. His sister, Willow, is 7.5 lbs, and his brother, Pip, is 10 lbs. Fennimore is almost 18 lbs. He has asthma and is a bit chubby, but he is a large (tall and long) cat now.

Keep trying to feed him. The Kitten Lady link given by talkingpeanut should prove very helpful. I know fading kitten syndrome is a scary thought, but you are not sure that he has it or that it will be a problem.

 

[Hannah121]

I sure as heck wouldn’t put a kitten down just because they are small. In addition to hand feeding you can also try helping him to nurse by getting him to a nipple. Sometimes these little ones just aren’t good at fighting their way through the others. So you wait for a few to be snoozing and then try to get the little one on a nipple.

Hello Susan, NO we too was against it. So we fed as much as we could. He was constipated so we tried every time to get him to go. Thankfully last night the little guy was able to pass two big ones and now is suckling from mother (with supervision once the others have been fed I try to get them out of the box or when mum is laying down away from the box) so no we haven’t put him down and no we are not going to put him down. He is thriving and just needs milk. I feel fully confident that my little guy is going to survive and if he does he is mine forever.

 

[golondrina]

I am so glad to hear the little one is also nursing from his mum and that you intend keeping him for good. Congratulations, keep up the good work.

 

[talkingpeanut]

Can you weigh the kitten daily to make sure he is getting enough? It will help you to know if you need to supplement.

Are you able to keep mom 100% inside and away from intact males? We can help you to find a low cost spay clinic in a few months, too.

 

[Hannah121]

Can you weigh the kitten daily to make sure he is getting enough? It will help you to know if you need to supplement.

Are you able to keep mom 100% inside and away from intact males? We can help you to find a low cost spay clinic in a few months, too.

I weigh him every day. He did loose 2g in a day but I put that down to the poo’s He had. Other then that he is very well. His breathing after the poo has improved so much. I do try to get him on the nip for a good 30 min or so. So far he’s had 3 good feeds of mum today and 2mls from a bottle and has gained 4g. Mother is an indoor cat. Accident happened when I looked after my grandmas cat while she ‘assumed he was neutered’ which wasn’t the case and mother is due to get spayed as soon as she’s able. Thank you for the help . I will keep you updated on his progress and fingers crossed it’s a good outcome.

 

[Lots of spots]

I am not as exoerexperi as some of the others on here so those who think this is a bad idea please let us know.
That being said, I have a kitten who is 4 weeks old now but a little over a week ago he started losing weight. I took him to the vet and they confirmed he had fcks and said I should be prepared for him to not make it. I tried honey and extra feedings with both kmr and goat's milk when he refused the kmr. He refused them both. I was looking for something with tarium in it for his lungs and came across the below pictured gel for extra calories and vitamins. After a few days of having to put it in his mouth, he now licks it off of my finger bc he likes it so much. He has also been gaining weight again (more and more every day) and I see a great improvement in feeding and play. The gel is for cats of all ages but I am not sure if there is a kitten too young for this but you may want to give it a try. It had done wonders for my little Snickers.

 

[ArchyCat]

For the OP, you might want to give Mom cat a saucer or two of Kitten Mil Replace Meant as long as mom cat is nursing.

 

[Hannah121]

For the OP, you might want to give Mom cat a saucer or two of Kitten Mil Replace Meant as long as mom cat is nursing.

Yeah I do that. And she’s on high calorie kitten food. I also got the high calorie paste for the kitten so he would gain more weight.
All is well. Thank you!

 

[Hannah121]

I am not as exoerexperi as some of the others on here so those who think this is a bad idea please let us know.
That being said, I have a kitten who is 4 weeks old now but a little over a week ago he started losing weight. I took him to the vet and they confirmed he had fcks and said I should be prepared for him to not make it. I tried honey and extra feedings with both kmr and goat's milk when he refused the kmr. He refused them both. I was looking for something with tarium in it for his lungs and came across the below pictured gel for extra calories and vitamins. After a few days of having to put it in his mouth, he now licks it off of my finger bc he likes it so much. He has also been gaining weight again (more and more every day) and I see a great improvement in feeding and play. The gel is for cats of all ages but I am not sure if there is a kitten too young for this but you may want to give it a try. It had done wonders for my little Snickers.

Thank you so much for the suggestion I have bought something equivalent to the paste and hopefully it’ll boost his calories! Your kittens are beautiful!

 

[Hannah121]

The vet is prob not used to help weak kittens.

So fight on!

What kmr do you use now?
Can you get raw goats milk?

Hello Stefan!
I’m trying to find out about this goats milk!
He’s currently on the only available kitten milk I can find from a pet store and I really don’t think it’s the best.
With regards to goats milk do I get pasteurised or unpasteurised? How much should I feed him? He again isn’t drinking from mother and every time I try she gets up and leaves like she’s fed up. So back on the full time bottle and isn’t really gaining much weight because every time he does he poos and it goes back down again. His eyes have opened up though which I’m very happy about !