Nursing mother cat suddenly lethargic, won’t stay with her kittens for more than 10 minutes

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6kittensTN

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I called the vet and they will get back to me in about an hour to call back. I am going to ask them about the clavamox. Would it be dangerous to try and syringe feed them?
Sorry, I missed where you said it would be dangerous to hand feed :(
 

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It’s not dangerous to syringe feed if you have the right equipment and go slow and are very careful. Miracle Nipples are very helpful and fit on the end of a syringe. Check them out here and on Amazon:

Miracle Nipples

Here is a helpful video for syringe feeding if you decide to supplement. It sounds like they may need it.

Syringe Feeding — Kitten Lady
 
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6kittensTN

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Please update after you see the vet today!
I talked to the vet and they pretty much said there’s not really anything we can do for them, she said they are too young to give medication or antibiotics. 😞 she gave the option to euthanize them so they don’t suffer, or give an XRay to see if it is a respiratory infection or aspiration, but it would just be confirming it because they wouldn’t be able to do anything for kittens this young, they said. I want to hope & see if they pull through, but I don’t want to see them suffer either. It’s a hard decision to make.

The bigger one seems to be doing better than the little one but he still hasn’t gained weight since 1AM yesterday. The vet said it’s dangerous to try and syringe feed them because it can make it worse.

They still attempt to suckle but it doesn’t look like they’re gaining anything from it, and they can’t do it for as long. :(
 

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This is ridiculous! This vet apparently has zero experience with kittens. Tiny kittens are given clavamox all the time, and they are also syringe fed every day at rescues, by fosters, and by individuals like you.

See another vet for clavamox and begin syringe feeding these kittens right away. Tiny amounts - 1/2 to 1mL every hour. Mix the formula with unflavored Pedialyte instead of water so they get the electrolytes they need. Feed tummy down, head up, drop by drop until they can suck on their own. The kittens are dehydrating and losing energy. Put honey or sugar water on their gums for quick energy.

Syringe Feeding — Kitten Lady

If you feel you cannot do this then call a rescue for a foster who can.

I’m sorry this vet thinks she can’t do anything but euthanize.

6kittensTN 6kittensTN
 
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6kittensTN

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This is ridiculous! This vet apparently has zero experience with kittens. Tiny kittens are given clavamox all the time, and they are also syringe fed every day at rescues, by fosters, and by individuals like you.

See another vet for clavamox and begin syringe feeding these kittens right away. Tiny amounts - 1/2 to 1mL every hour. Mix the formula with unflavored Pedialyte instead of formula so they get the electrolytes they need. Feed tummy down, head up, drop by drop until they can suck on their own. The kittens are dehydrating and losing energy. Put honey or sugar water on their gums for quick energy.

Syringe Feeding — Kitten Lady

If you feel you cannot do this then call a rescue for a foster who can.

I’m sorry this vet thinks she can’t do anything but euthanize.

6kittensTN 6kittensTN
I will begin syringe feeding them right away. Do you mean instead of mixing water with the formula to mix it with pedialyte instead of water? I heat the pedialyte instead of water? Sorry if that’s a silly question. I haven’t been super successful syringe feeding so far, but I will try my best.

Thank you
 

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Oops - good catch! Yes, use pedialyte instead of water. I corrected it in my original post.

You’ll get more comfortable syringe feeding as you go along.

Do try to get to another vet for the clavamox. The techs can usually show you how to syringe feed also.

Please keep me posted!
 
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6kittensTN

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Oops - good catch! Yes, use pedialyte instead of water. I corrected it in my original post.

You’ll get more comfortable syringe feeding as you go along.

Do try to get to another vet for the clavamox. The techs can usually show you how to syringe feed also.

Please keep me posted!
Attempting to syringe feed them, they’re not making it easy! Since they still are trying to nurse on mom kind of, I put some formula on one of her teats and so they would suckle it off. Not sure if that’s effective but it seemed like it went down. I have just been doing drop by drop as you said. They might relax their jaw muscles for a second before clamming up and turning away again, no steady suckling yet. I see them smack a little bit after each drop so I hope that means they’re swallowing.

A couple times it looked like she was sneezing after I fed it to her, though. One time she shook her head like a dog getting out of a bath. I hope that isn’t a bad sign. She’s been sneezing anyway, usually after unlatching from mom.

I’m calling around to different vets to see if they will administer the clavamox. I hate to say this, but my partner and I have spent over $400 we don’t have on these kittens in 2 weeks with vet visits, supplies, etc. Does the clavamox increase these babies chances of surviving significantly? And is it a sure deal that they will be on the way out without it? I really hope that doesn’t sound crass or cheap of me, I truly do want these kittens to survive and will do what I can to the best of my ability but I can’t help but hesitate on another $80-$100 vet visit if it’s a long shot that isn’t likely to change much. :( I am trying to be optimistic but it seems that things keep taking a downward turn. But I suppose that is the nature of kittens much of time. I am still calling every vet in town.
 
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Oops - good catch! Yes, use pedialyte instead of water. I corrected it in my original post.

You’ll get more comfortable syringe feeding as you go along.

Do try to get to another vet for the clavamox. The techs can usually show you how to syringe feed also.

Please keep me posted!
They’re still squirming around, crying, attempting to suckle, etc. I’ve managed to give them both maybe 1/2 ML of the formula/pedialyte mix and a tiny drop of honey on their gums so far. They’re trying to sleep now, but I’m making sure they get enough.
 
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6kittensTN

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They’re still squirming around, crying, attempting to suckle, etc. I’ve managed to give them both maybe 1/2 ML of the formula/pedialyte mix and a tiny drop of honey on their gums so far. They’re trying to sleep now, but I’m making sure they get enough.

edit: I meant a 1/2 mL between the two of them, not each.
 

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I called the vet and they will get back to me in about an hour to call back. I am going to ask them about the clavamox. Would it be dangerous to try and syringe feed them?
syringefeeding has some dangers, but if its the least bad solution, so its the least bad solution...

Re runt with breating problems. give her some extra glucose sugar. It will be typically a droplet of white caro syrup on her gum, beneath the lip. Repeat now and then, several times a day.
The idea is to try and compensate for the extra labor, so she wont collapse just because her blood glucose sugar is exhausted... She uses quite a lotsa of energhy now...
 
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6kittensTN

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Managed to give them roughly
syringefeeding has some dangers, but if its the least bad solution, so its the least bad solution...

Re runt with breating problems. give her some extra glucose sugar. It will be typically a droplet of white caro syrup on her gum, beneath the lip. Repeat now and then, several times a day.
The idea is to try and compensate for the extra labor, so she wont collapse just because her blood glucose sugar is exhausted... She uses quite a lotsa of energhy now...
I don’t immediacy have white caro syrup on hand but I can get some, I have been using honey instead a couple times a day. Is this similar or is the white caro syrup the better way?
 
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6kittensTN

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It’s been ups and downs.
I’ve been trying to syringe feed the pedialyte/formula mix to them. It seemed like they gained weight (little one +4 grams, big brother +12 grams). However, since then they’ve lost 3g and 6g respectively. Their 24H total gains are little one, +3g, big one, +7g. :(

I’m going to continue to try, but I’m preparing for the worst at this point. I asked my foster her opinion on it and it was also to let nature take its course. I feel horrible. I simply can’t afford to take them to the vet anymore, I found one vet that would administer amoxicillin to them but it would be over $80+. It doesn’t help that my landlord informed me they increased rent by $100 today. I’m holding out for the best and continuing to do what I am able to, but trying to prepare my heart as well. Just prayers
 

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Keep doing what you’re doing! Small gains are better than no gains. Keep your chin up!
 
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Keep doing what you’re doing! Small gains are better than no gains. Keep your chin up!
So today, after supplementing them with the pedialyte/KMR and a little honey on the gums a few times a day, they’ve gained some weight and some energy. The big brother has gained 9grams, and the little one has gained 7! I’m still going to be monitoring them closely, but my outlook seems much less dire. Mom cat has been wonderful at attending to them and they have been nursing more frequently.
 
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They seem to be nursing well again today, 24H gains are little one, 24g and big one, 23g!! Wow!! I have to wonder if I made some egregious miscalculation somewhere when recording their weights the past couple days that has caused me to worry too much? Yesterday I recorded a loss of 22g in just a few hours. I am thinking that may have been a huge error on my part, it doesn’t seem to make sense with recent patterns. Although, even if I did make errors, I know that they were not exactly gaining much weight for a day or so there and it was worrying. But whatever the case, it seems they’re back on track for now (fingers crossed 🤞)

One thing that does slightly concern me, is I’ve noticed the little one has trouble righting herself when she is on her back a lot. I have had to help her out a few times because it seemed like she was just stuck there like a turtle. (Ironically, I’ve been calling her Turtle because she’s a tortie). I googled this and all that came up was fading kitten syndrome. :( I have also noticed she has a slight tilt to her body, like she favors turning one way, it reminds me of like scoliosis or something, if that makes sense? Like a croissant, but it’s not fixed that way, just seems she is more comfortable turning to one side than the other and rarely faces straight on. Otherwise, she is nursing fine and gaining weight and responsive when held.
 

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Continue with the honey and hopefully this trend will continue!
 
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Both kittens seem to still be doing alright. Both nursing well, gaining steady weight. I have been giving the little one honey on the gums a couple times a day as well as continuing to drop feed her the pedialyte/KMR. This morning I was worried because her breathing seemed rapid/labored(mouth breathing) and I wrapped her up and sat with her in a steamy bathroom for a while. After a while her breathing evened out a bit and she was nursing normally again. Tonight, she seems to have more energy. It almost seemed like she was playing-swatting with her brother, holding her head up and checking me out, even hissing.

Big brother looks fat and healthy and nurses well and is starting to play with his own paws/tail it looks like.

I have one question, if Little One has a URI do these always develop into pneumonia without antibiotics? I’m praying she continues to improve and do well.
 

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Not necessarily, but still sounds like she needs antibiotics for a respiratory infection.
 
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