Fcks In 3 Week Old Kitten. Is There Anything I Can Do For My Flat Chested Baby?

[Lots of spots]

Little Snickers was slowing down on his weight gain since about 10 days old and now is not gaining at all. I took him to the vet due to this and his chest feeling wide and flat. The vet said that he had flat chested kitten syndrome and very well might not make it due to this hindering his ability to eat. He still tries to eat somewhat but can't take in very much and it's not gained weight now for a few days. The good side to this is he is not lost weight either. does anyone dealt with this and do you have suggestions of something I can do to help him survive? I tried to feed him supplemental milk but he did not want it.

 

[abyeb]

He might grow out of it, but that’s not certain. FCKS can be corrected surgically, but if you choose this option, he will need to be at least two months old to undergo the procedure. In the meantime, you can massage and gently move his legs to encourage them to grow in the correct position, and continue trying to feed him KMR. I’ll attach an article that explains all of this in more detail:

Flat Chested Kitten (fck)

For bottle feeding, feed him belly-side-down, with his head slightly elevated, like the position he would be in while nursing mom. This article has more info:

Hand Rearing Kittens: What You Need To Know To Save A Newborn's Life

 

[Lots of spots]

Thanks abyeb but he is refusing the kmr I have been offering him. Per my vets advise, I tried to put a little honey in his mouth before nursing time with Mom to give him a little boost of suckeling energy but it doesn't seem to have much of an effect on him. Just bought some goat's milk from store so I will try that next.

 

[talkingpeanut]

Did the vest recommend any sort of vest in order to gently correct the shape? Many people on this board have made their own vest using a cardboard tube and some reinforcement on the side.

Sarthur2 catwoman707

 

[Lots of spots]

Did the vest recommend any sort of vest in order to gently correct the shape? Many people on this board have made their own vest using a cardboard tube and some reinforcement on the side.

Sarthur2 catwoman707

No she didn't mention that but the breeder I received stud service from said she had heard of that before. Does anyone have any pictures or advice on how exactly I could make one?

 

[talkingpeanut]

Do some searches on this site while you wait for other members to pop up. catwoman707 has provided some photos in the past.

If you act quickly, there should be no need for surgery, and the kitten should develop normally.

 

[Furballsmom]

Can you try some kitten glop? Kitten Glop Recipes - Supplementing Cats and Kittens with nutritious formula you make at home: presented by Bengal Cat breeder Foothill Felines.

 

[Sarthur2]

Here you go:

Flat Chested Kitten Syndrome??

Let us know if you have further questions.

 

[catwoman707]

Hi there,
Pick the kitten up by the scruff with your left hand assuming you are right handed, and turn over so still holding scruff but kitten is laying in your palm now, tummy side up.
With your right hand, with your thumb and first 2 fingers, feel the outer rib cage. Gently squeeze the ribs together and you will see the center raises as you squeeze. This is so you understand what needs to be done.
Kittens have very soft pliable bones now so creating a vest that will help re-train the rib cage to grow in the right way works beautifully.
The younger the better, plus as you can see already, it becomes life or death often times.
If he is already showing lack of food intake, his ribs are squeezing his heart and lungs, which is not good, and restriction like this will soon cause damage.

In the thread where I posted a crude pic of a homemade vest, it gives detailed description of how to make it and fit it correctly. It will work fast too, in a matter of just days his ribs will start to grow more outward like they are supposed to.
Also, as often as you can, repeat this exercise with him in the palm of your hand, gently squeezing inward then relax, inward then relax, this helps stimulate corrective growth as well.
Why vets don't get this is a mystery to me.
It's simple common sense, they know the bones are soft now and can be persuaded to grow differently. It doesn't take surgery most of the time to get this corrected.

 

[m3rma1d]

omg send him to me I'll fix him up. Poor lil' buggah..
(sorry couldn't resist, I am no help but he is ADORABLE and I hope you can fix him up with these great tips people are giving!)

 

[Furballsmom]

He IS adorable - all the very best of good luck to you!!

 

[Lots of spots]

Thank you everyone for your advice and support. I had 2 vests...one longer and one shorter as the breeder I got stud service from said the shorter one looked too short. Which one do you guys this looks like it fits better. He hates both but the longer one makes it harder for him to stand up. He cried for a bit when I put them in and them falls asleep ( on his side now thanks to the vest). How long should I keep him in it per day? I am nervous about keeping him in unsupervised because he can't really get around or nurse.

He is starting to lose some weight now so I am really worried. I tried goat's milk. He didn't like that either but did go as crazy as when I tried to give him kmr so I might try that again. I also give him a little of this supplement a few times a day. Just a dab in his mouth bc it has taurine in it. Picture below.

 

[talkingpeanut]

I agree that the shorter option is too short. Have you enforced the sides of the vest with anything to keep them straight?

 

[Lots of spots]

I agree that the shorter option is too short. Have you enforced the sides of the vest with anything to keep them straight?

No I didn't. It's pretty snug and holding shape so I didn't think to add anything to the sides. Does it looks like I need to put half a qtip in and losen it up or something?

 

[Furballsmom]

Can you try some Pedialyte? This website and recipe is from a TCS member;

Kitten-Rescue.com

 

[Furballsmom]

Take a look at this specific post in this thread again, I think the long version you have is too long, and it sounds like it isn't supposed to be super snug...

Flat Chested Kitten Syndrome??

 

[Lots of spots]

Take a look at this specific post in this thread again, I think the long version you have is too long, and it sounds like it isn't supposed to be super snug...

Flat Chested Kitten Syndrome??

I was feeling the same way about the length. I took it off of him for a while so he could get some exercise and hit the milk bad and oh did he ever! He hit the milk bar like a champ! I was so happy to see him nursing but about 15 mins given the lack of nursing time he has had recently. I didn't give him some more honey shortly before so maybe that is helping. Mama is still snuggling and grooming him so I will stay hopefully that he can snap out of this.

 

[Furballsmom]

He hit the milk bar like a champ!

 

[lutece]

As you're breeding Bengals, you may be wondering about whether the kitten's condition has a genetic basis. You may want to check out this old thread in the Bengal Cat forums about a research project on the genetics of flat chested kittens. I don't know if the project is still continuing or if they have results that could be helpful to you, but it may be possible to contact the researcher or someone else on the Bengal Cat forum.
Bengal Cat Forums • View topic - FCK (Flat Chested Kittens)