Premature or just small? Newborn kitten advice

[StephieMarie]

A male cat got into our home a couple of months ago and I didn't really think too much about it since we shooed him outside as soon as we found him (our cats were hissing). And I don't remember the exact date. We have 3 female cats but 2 are fixed.

Well yesterday, I heard a tiny mewing noise and found our kitty with a tiny baby under our couch. We moved them to a private room and mom seems to be doing great, but the baby is so small. She was 1.9 oz last night and 2 oz this morning. Mommy kitty, Jinx, is taking good care of the baby. She won't leave the nest hardly, only to wolf down canned food we bring her every few hours. The baby seems to be getting stronger and more wiggly, squirming around a bit and crying when Jinx leaves to eat.

I bought some kitten formula in case she wasn't gaining weight and we needed to supplement. How much gain should I look for before trying to supplement?

Does she need a heating pad if mommy kitty is staying close?

Jinx was the runt of her litter and is only about 5 lbs herself (4 years old), but healthy so I thought maybe that's why her baby is tiny. Is there anything special to know about particularly small kittens or singletons?

 

[Sarthur2]

The kitten looks fully furred, so appears premature by birthweight only. At 56 grams if she does not continue to gain I would certainly supplement every 1-2 hours with formula, giving her only 1-2mLs if she will take it. Use a syringe, and always feed on the tummy.

Here is a helpful video for syringe feeding:

Syringe Feeding — Kitten Lady

The kitten will be in a safer zone once she hits 90 grams.

Let us know how this goes.

 

[Sarthur2]

The kitten should gain 6-10 grams per day. Can you weigh in grams while she’s this tiny? It makes a difference.

Do you plan to spay this mama after the kitten weans?

 

[StephieMarie]

The kitten should gain 6-10 grams per day. Can you weigh in grams while she’s this tiny? It makes a difference.

Do you plan to spay this mama after the kitten weans?

Thanks so much for the information. I've definitely been watching the kitten lady videos. We will keep checking the weight every 12 hours and I will swap the scale to grams.

And yes, we will get her spayed.

 

[StephieMarie]

She is growing and growing. My husband weighed her a couple more times in ounces because he didn't know how to swap the scale. She was 2.3 oz last night, 2.6 oz this morning, and I just weighed her at 83 grams this afternoon.

Mommy kitty is enjoying some free time while we babysit. She doesn't like to leave the nest unless we hold her kitten. I can definitely tell the baby is getting stronger.

 

[Sarthur2]

So glad she is gaining!

 

[StephieMarie]

Two weeks old now and doing very good. He's up to 250g and seems to really healthy. We already had to change the nest because he kept escaping and making mommy kitty stressed. Though they both really just prefer the bed.