*HELP* Nursing Queen not eating/kitten issues

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Yeehaw2020

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I don’t believe she has enough milk for them. Very rarely will I notice that a kitten has gained 1g or 2g off mom between my feedings. They usually have all lost a couple grams or are the same weight they were when I last fed them 3 hours prior.

I previously asked if it’s possible that if I scale back my feedings that her milk production could then increase to match their needs... I would like for this to happen, I just haven’t seen it yet, and from personal (human) experience, I know that once milk production starts to decrease it’s very hard to increase again.

She is still on antibiotics for a couple more days. She just took her last anti nausea pill tonight and still has 2 more doses of appetite stimulant spaced 72 hours apart.

I don’t think she’s quite ready to take on the full load on her own. She took an entire week off eating and slowly started again Saturday. Today she’s finally eaten what I consider a normal amount for her (prior to having kittens), but she should still be eating more than that so she is still recovering. She is with her kittens all day long and they’re suckling all the time, but they hardly gain a gram in the hours of time between my feedings. Maybe it’s because I keep coming back?

If you have another suggestion I am open to hearing it.
 
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Yeehaw2020

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I don’t believe she has enough milk for them. Very rarely will I notice that a kitten has gained 1g or 2g off mom between my feedings. They usually have all lost a couple grams or are the same weight they were when I last fed them 3 hours prior.

I previously asked if it’s possible that if I scale back my feedings that her milk production could then increase to match their needs... I would like for this to happen, I just haven’t seen it yet, and from personal (human) experience, I know that once milk production starts to decrease it’s very hard to increase again.

She is still on antibiotics for a couple more days. She just took her last anti nausea pill tonight and still has 2 more doses of appetite stimulant spaced 72 hours apart.

I don’t think she’s quite ready to take on the full load on her own. She took an entire week off eating and slowly started again Saturday. Today she’s finally eaten what I consider a normal amount for her (prior to having kittens), but she should still be eating more than that so she is still recovering. She is with her kittens all day long and they’re suckling all the time, but they hardly gain a gram in the hours of time between my feedings. Maybe it’s because I keep coming back?

If you have another suggestion I am open to hearing it.
 

Sarthur2

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I think you should continue feeding, and do it in front of mom as you have been. As for weighing, you can weigh just once or twice per day.

I don’t think mom is upset that you are feeding her kittens. Cats instinctually react to their kittens’ cries when they are little. She is on high alert to make sure it’s just you and not a “predator,” and that her babies are not in harm’s way. You are noticing her reactions more because she feels so much better and is therefore acting more maternal. It sounds like you are doing a fantastic job! Carry on! :)
 

jefferd18

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I think you should continue feeding, and do it in front of mom as you have been. As for weighing, you can weigh just once or twice per day.

I don’t think mom is upset that you are feeding her kittens. Cats instinctually react to their kittens’ cries when they are little. She is on high alert to make sure it’s just you and not a “predator,” and that her babies are not in harm’s way. You are noticing her reactions more because she feels so much better and is therefore acting more maternal. It sounds like you are doing a fantastic job! Carry on! :)

I am going to disagree a little bit with you on this one. A mother cat's milk is full of rich vitamins and natural antibiotics that kittens need and there is nothing better than a bonding feeding time between mother and her kittens.
 

Sarthur2

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It’s my understanding here that the kittens are nursing their mom but are not getting enough milk from her to gain weight. Like any kitten not gaining weight it is recommended that they be supplemented with kitten formula. There is hope that mom’s milk will become more plentiful as she gets stronger. She was very ill for many days.
 

jefferd18

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It’s my understanding here that the kittens are nursing their mom but are not getting enough milk from her to gain weight. Like any kitten not gaining weight it is recommended that they be supplemented with kitten formula. There is hope that mom’s milk will become more plentiful as she gets stronger. She was very ill for many days.
I see. I have always gone by the kitten's action after its feeding- if it is still crying that usually is a sign that it is not getting fed enough. I have never thought to weigh a kitten after each feeding. I learn something new. Thank you for explaining.
 
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Yeehaw2020

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An update and a couple questions...

Momma is doing sooo much better. She has been eating and drinking KMR every time I feed the kittens, so multiple times a day. I can tell that her milk production has increased some, as the kittens will gain a few grams here and there inconsistently from her (up to 5g a couple times now). I’ve still been weighing them before and after feedings to satisfy my own curiosity to know they are constantly gaining.

All 3 kittens appear to be doing well. They are 2 weeks old today. The heaviest one is about 270g and the other two are about 240g. They haven’t gotten any easier to feed though. Latching on the nipple of the syringe or bottle is still very difficult and seems to be getting harder and harder. I’ve tried different nipples, new syringes, warmed up the KMR, burped the kittens, and tried every little thing I can think of to make their feeding experience better but they are not latching. The big boy even used to drink out of a bottle but has not done that yet once today and instead I’ve had to use a syringe again. Are these signs that I should try to back off with my feedings, or should I keep making sure they get the KMR in them? They have been gaining between about 10g and 17g a day the last couple days with my feedings every 3-4 hours, in which they drink anywhere from only 1ml to 5ml each time, with an average of 3ml or so.

Also, the two brown kittens have had their eyes open for a couple days, but the white baby still has his eyes closed. Is this normal for a 2 week old kitten? I am mostly sure he will have blue eyes, does this make them more sensitive and therefore stay closed longer by any chance??

Thanks for your insight!! I appreciate everyone’s thoughts!

B112DC95-9308-4E5A-B61A-DD26FB236662.jpeg

Pic is of the biggest boy after eating, purring, yawning and playful. The other two are not quite this playful. The other boy, the white one, loves to cuddle with us and purrs till he falls asleep but the girl just prefers moms company, and mom is very protective of her. Very interesting to me!
 

Sarthur2

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As long as all are gaining 6-10 grams per day you can back off on the supplementing. You’ll have to play it by ear and use your judgement. Or maybe give a little less often and see how they do for a day.

Are the eyes of the white kitten crusty at all? If so, wipe across them gently with a warm, damp cloth to clean them and loosen any crust. They should open soon, but do not force them!
 
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Yeehaw2020

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No his eyes do not appear to be crusty at all. They look healthy, they just are not open yet...

My vet wanted them gaining between 10 & 15 grams per day. My biggest male has only gained 6g in the last 24hrs now as he’s not latching and prior to this was drinking from a bottle like a champ. He has been my big gainer so I’m a bit confused. He doesn’t seem to be getting the milk from momma to make up for the lack of bottle feeding, which is a bit worrying. One of the 3 kittens had gained 5g and the other 2 both lost 1g each over the last 5 hours, with momma in there with them the whole time.

Thank you.
 

Sarthur2

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How long has this been occurring? Will he drink from the syringe?
 
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Yeehaw2020

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He had stopped drinking from the bottle the day before yesterday and I was still syringe feeding but he was not latching. Today I tried another bigger nipple on the bottle and he latched better on that one, so he drank about 4ml.

My last 5 hours away from the kittens none of them gained any weight. 2/3 lost 1g and 1 stayed the same weight. They don’t seem to be very hungry when I get there though... The small ones took about 2ml each from me slowly feeding them with the syringe. I tried them with the larger nipple and it didn’t seem to be any easier for them though. They’re all not latching well... Probably because they are still feeding off mom so it’s hard for them to have 2 very different nipples...
 
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Yeehaw2020

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Me again!
The kittens will be 3 weeks old tomorrow and I’m looking for some advice on starting them on wet food!
Also, do they still need to be gaining the same amount of weight or should this increase per day?
I imagine my milk feedings will lessen?

Thanks!
 

Adrieemarie

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Me again!
The kittens will be 3 weeks old tomorrow and I’m looking for some advice on starting them on wet food!
Also, do they still need to be gaining the same amount of weight or should this increase per day?
I imagine my milk feedings will lessen?

Thanks!
I found a 2 week old almost 3 weeks, he was able to use the litter and I was able to feed him wet food with kitten milk mix in the kitten wet food he wouldn’t latch on to the bottle at all so the wet food was all I was able to feed him. He didn’t drink water until he was 5 weeks old.
 
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