Newborn Supplemental Feed Guidance Needed

[Cheeky_Moose]

Hi All- long time lurker but first post! I am a cat foster for our local shelter (remote small town) and usually deal with seniors with medical needs but this is my first queen. Was supposed to be ‘easy’ lol. Here’s the situation; I’ve had the pregnant stray for the last 18 days. Pregnancy was smooth, she went into labour this morning and popped out 6 kittens in 3 hours. She’s a great mom and so far has let me get weights on 4 of the 6. Biggest is 128- the runt is 109. Moms recovering well and all kittens but the runt look in good shape. Here’s the problem; runt is having trouble latching, is already getting pushed aside and is struggling, and mom only seems to have 4 maybe 5 functioning nipples. Here’s the questions; how do I supplement runt without getting mom upset? She’s been very good so far but I know she’s going to get protective if baby gets upset. How often should I be supplementing? I have kmr and syringes ready- just not sure when to step in. Or do I ditch supplementing, go full on try to bottle feed runt and leave the rest to rotate? I’d prefer to keep baby with mom but I’m already seeing it getting isolated and struggling… I really appreciate any advice you can offer!

 

[Sarthur2]

You’ll need to supplement with a syringe. Here’s a helpful link:

Syringe Feeding — Kitten Lady

Maybe boosting for a couple of days will get baby strong enough to suckle mom.

In the meantime, you should definitely rotate 3 on and 3 off about every 2 hours. Put the 3 off in a separate nest box with a heating pad under a blanket set on low with room to move off if they get too warm.

If you have more questions please let us know!

 

[StefanZ]

Hi All- long time lurker but first post! I am a cat foster for our local shelter (remote small town) and usually deal with seniors with medical needs but this is my first queen. Was supposed to be ‘easy’ lol. Here’s the situation; I’ve had the pregnant stray for the last 18 days. Pregnancy was smooth, she went into labour this morning and popped out 6 kittens in 3 hours. She’s a great mom and so far has let me get weights on 4 of the 6. Biggest is 128- the runt is 109. Moms recovering well and all kittens but the runt look in good shape. Here’s the problem; runt is having trouble latching, is already getting pushed aside and is struggling, and mom only seems to have 4 maybe 5 functioning nipples. Here’s the questions; how do I supplement runt without getting mom upset? She’s been very good so far but I know she’s going to get protective if baby gets upset. How often should I be supplementing? I have kmr and syringes ready- just not sure when to step in. Or do I ditch supplementing, go full on try to bottle feed runt and leave the rest to rotate? I’d prefer to keep baby with mom but I’m already seeing it getting isolated and struggling… I really appreciate any advice you can offer!

Rotating is a good idea; with the subvariation you have them on 1 -5 or 2-4 (depending if there are 4 or 5 working teats)

The idea is, runt shall get quality time with momma.

Re making momma less upset: its usually best to do whatever needs to be done near momma, so she sees the kitten isnt taken away...
Of course, the kittens differs; some take the help without great fuss, ... Others are shrieking and trying to wriggle out as if they were prisoners wishing to protest by hunger, even if its to death..

Train some on a doll near momma, so what you do isnt unkown to her...

 

[Sarthur2]

How are things going today?

 

[Cheeky_Moose]

Thanks for your help! Unfortunately despite syringe feeding, heat, fading kitten protocols etc, the runt passed suddenly this morning. It was a bit of a surprise as he went critical late last night and I was able to get him to rebound- bit more energy, was sucking weakly at the syringe, no more gasping etc. so I was feeling good for him recovering- but considering he never latched and never gained weight, there must have been something else going on. Poor baby! Fostering is such a roller coaster sometimes…. The other 5 are doing wonderful though and gaining weight. Photo for help tax as they’re a cute mix of tabby and tuxies.

 

[Cheeky_Moose]

Back again - this time with questions about supporting Mama Stray. The babies are all doing great and are hungry little chunky monkeys. Mama is a great mom and cleans/feeds like a pro. However, she is HYPERvigilant. She lets me sit with her and watch the babies. I only touch them once a day to weigh and I bribe Mama with wet food to do so. The problem is that she gets upset/aggressive whenever I do other needed tasks inside her room like top off her food and water/ clean her litter.
I’ve now added a second set of food & water bowls to try to alleviate the resource guarding but she is Very quick and ready to swipe when I touch any of them. I try to distract her and move fast delivering the wet food as she launches at me when I put it down.
I otherwise move slow, talk gently, avoid eye contact, slow blink etc. and I wait till she’s feeding the babies to do these things; however, its getting more challenging to do as she’s starting to spend more time outside the nest taking breaks from the babies. Any ideas to alleviate her stress and keep my skin intact? She’s otherwise still wanting pets and actively rubs against my legs and greets me at the door. Thanks!

 

[StefanZ]

Perhaps try with calming, relaxing music? And or a Feliway diffuser...

Re your body language: you do good, try also with yawning and stretching yourself... Its in cat language friendly greeting to their pals.

 

[Sarthur2]

Yes, try a Feliway diffuser in the room. She clearly trusts you if she’s rubbing your legs, etc. It sounds like she is simply protecting her babies. This hyper-vigilance should decrease as the weeks pass and mom realizes you are not there to harm her kittens. Also, her hormones will level out over time. I think it’s just a matter of time.

So sorry about the runt. Rest in peace.

 

[Cheeky_Moose]

I put the Feliway in the room last week as soon as she started showing aggression and it definitely helped but didn't fully take away the resource guarding. Mama so badly wants love and attention but doesn't realize smacking and biting without warning is not the way to make human friends lol. I'll give the music a try!

 

[Cheeky_Moose]

Hello again~
Needing more advice this time on one of the kittens. They’re now 13/14 days old and things have been developing nicely- everyone’s gaining weight, squeaking, eating etc. However, I noticed one of the smaller tabbies can’t seem to open her eyes? They were cracked open partially ~day 9/10 but it doesn’t look like it’s progressed where everyone else’s eyes are fully open. It’s not weepy or red. She’s gaining weight perfectly fine (I did a check just now) and she was happily jumping into feed right after I looked at her. It’s Easter weekend here and I live in a small rural town so the vet won’t be available till Tuesday at the earliest. Any ideas? Pic of the baby in question attached…

 

[Sarthur2]

Wipe the kitten’s eyes gently with a warm, damp cloth in case they are “glued” shut from discharge or crust. Repeat as needed to soften anything that may be under the lids but do not force the eyes open. Usually this will help the eyes to finish opening.

If you do notice any yellow or green pus, get a tube of Terramycin antibiotic eye ointment from a vet and apply. It will resolve any infection quickly.

If they aren’t quite ready to open fully, the eyes may just need a few more days.

Cheeky_Moose

 

[Cheeky_Moose]

Wipe the kitten’s eyes gently with a warm, damp cloth in case they are “glued” shut from discharge or crust. Repeat as needed to soften anything that may be under the lids but do not force the eyes open. Usually this will help the eyes to finish opening.

If you do notice any yellow or green pus, get a tube of Terramycin antibiotic eye ointment from a vet and apply. It will resolve any infection quickly.

If they aren’t quite ready to open fully, the eyes may just need a few more days.

Cheeky_Moose

Thanks so much Sarthur2, I’ll give that a try. I find myself rather paranoid about this batch since I lost the one at the beginning.

 

[Cheeky_Moose]

Update: The kittens are now 17 days old. The biggest (Spud) is a whopping 402 g and is busy walking/playing/doing tiny adventures outside the nest. The smallest of the group (Russet) is 343 g and is bright eyed/playing/walking. Right in the middle is the kitten I've been watching to get her eyes open (Taters). Taters is a healthy 367 g; she's gaining weight but she seems to be...a little delayed might be the best word for it? Her eyes are still not fully open despite me soaking them every night since Sunday. She clearly can't see - she tries to walk/play blindly but it's very hesitant and me soaking her eyes seems rather traumatizing to her as she crawls to the back of the nest and shakes after I'm done handling her. She also seems overly sensitive to light compared to the rest of the litter and I've been trying to keep the nest dark most the time to support her. However, she's still fiesty on the nip and growing like everyone else.

Are these kinds of delays normal? The shelter I foster with is hesitant to bring her in if she's otherwise healthy due to their limited funds (which I totally get) and I hate the idea of stressing her out. But it also breaks my heart to see her shy away from light, try to play, and see her siblings race to mama because they can see her now and she can't. Should I stick with the current program of gently washing her eyes every night and then push to bring her to the vets next week when she's a little older?

 

[Sarthur2]

This is not normal. She needs to be seen by a vet ASAP for her eyes. There may be meds they can apply that will help. They can also determine if her eyesight will improve or if indeed she is blind.

You don’t need to bathe her eyes every night. Just wipe them clean gently with a warm damp cloth if you see crust or pus. Otherwise, leave her eyes be.

Have you seen pus or crust? Have you tried terramycin yet? That might help. Please try terramycin and get her seen asap. I am concerned that she may need meds to treat infection that is keeping her eyes from opening. The longer it goes on the likelier that she may never see.

She looks like the cutest, sweetest butterball of a kitten I’ve seen in awhile. Bless her heart.

Cheeky_Moose

 

[Sarthur2]

Part 2 following above:

Read about various eye situations in kittens:

Eye Problems In Kittens

Cheeky_Moose

 

[Cheeky_Moose]

This is not normal. She needs to be seen by a vet ASAP for her eyes. There may be meds they can apply that will help. They can also determine if her eyesight will improve or if indeed she is blind.

You don’t need to bathe her eyes every night. Just wipe them clean gently with a warm damp cloth if you see crust or pus. Otherwise, leave her eyes be.

Have you seen pus or crust? Have you tried terramycin yet? That might help. Please try terramycin and get her seen asap. I am concerned that she may need meds to treat infection that is keeping her eyes from opening. The longer it goes on the likelier that she may never see.

She looks like the cutest, sweetest butterball of a kitten I’ve seen in awhile. Bless her heart.

Cheeky_Moose

I haven't seen any pus/redness/weeping and there's only been a very very tiny amount of crust- I was hoping that was just leftover seal from when her eyes started to open and they were just stuck shut (hence me wetting them every night to try and get it to loosen up) but her eyes have stayed partially sealed despite that. Her eyes are all black from what I can see and that's what concerned me most as all her littermates in the last few days have lightened to the typical kitten blue so it's not looking like a case of her eyes just being stuck behind her lids.
Taters is a beautiful little sweetheart so I hope I can get her in. I've asked the shelter for an appointment and to get access to Terramycin ASAP. Our vet is swamped so I'm worried their only taking appointments if it's a 'life or death' situation. Sometimes it really sucks to live in a small town with limited resources (from a vet perspective). I'll keep you posted on what happens.

 

[Cheeky_Moose]

So I was able to get Taters seen and I’ve got mixed feelings. On the most positive side; Taters has no eye infection and, apart from her unopened eyes, is very healthy. Always good to hear. On the flip side, the vet says to just continue to observe and to bring her back if she hasn’t opened her eyes in 10 days (when she’s 4 weeks old) barring any other changes developing. I really really hope that’s all it is- just delayed unsealing of eyes. But it’s frustrating not being able to do anything more. I worry it is something more but a rural vet unused to treating neonatal’s wont see it. Anyways, will stay positive and will keep y’all posted if Taters opens her eyes up! Pics of Taters and her siblings for tax

 

[Sarthur2]

I worry it’s something more that your rural vet is not knowledgable about also, but we’ll see. I’m surprised he did not at least prescribe eye drops just in case.

The kittens are adorable! Thanks for the update and photos, and please keep us posted.

 

[Cheeky_Moose]

Update and a question (I always have questions haha). Taters has an eye open! Hooray! I’ve kept wiping once a day and it’s opened up. The other eye is 75% sealed still so now she’s lopsided but she seems MUCH happier and was roaring around batting at things. They are now 22 days old so I hope the other eye follows quickly.
The question is about her sibling Spud- I’m pretty sure he was conceived earlier then the others as he’s always lead the litter in terms of development. He was a chunky 474 g at 21 days. He’s been interested in what mama does so he’s been sniffing the dry food and today I actually watched him drink water out of her bowl. I was surprised as I thought that was at least a week away. Should I be starting to offer him some wet food at mealtimes? Seems way too early…

 

[Sarthur2]

I would wait on the wet food. One reason they are on milk is because their systems are not ready to digest solids quite yet. Is he cutting his baby teeth yet?

That’s excellent news about Tater’s eyes! Continue wiping and let’s hope the other one opens soon.