My cat just had kitten--help please....?

Question

She keeps leaving the litter of kittens(4 of them) unattended for extended periods of time. They are just 1 day old. One has already died for reasons unknown and one other one is REALLY small compared to the other two. Is this normal? Do I need to start feeding them with a bottle yet? Or just wait on the cat to feed them?

Thanks!

Yes, this is her first litter. She is a little over a year old. I'm just concerned about the small one because the other two have made substantial weight gains and the "runt" as you can call it, looks the same as it did Tuesday night when it was born.

The "runt" cries occasionally and the other two I've never heard cry. But I've also never saw the runt feeding. I just checked on them and the runt looks really underweight compared to the other two.

Answer 1

I agree with these people; VET. Also try [e-mail] . The first litter is as traumatic for cats as a mothers first child. Luck from Brian&Stimpy....

Answer 2

It sounds like you need to start bottle feeding the remain kittens, and you should do it today. There is always one kitten or puppy that is smaller then the rest, so that is normal. All three should be about the same size when they grow up as long as they don't have any birth defects. You should take them to a vet when they are about a week old for a check up, the vet will let you know what needs to be down with them at that point to keep them health and what shots and vaccines will be needed if you decide to sell the kittens. If you cat doesn't start to take care of the 3 kittens on her own then you might want to think about having her fixed so she won't have more kittens. Oh, do you know if this was the only litter of kittens she had, could she have had 4 kittens in the one spot and moved and had more some place else in the house? Check the site below for more helpful hints.

Answer 3

Congrats on the kittens, i would say to put the mother in a secure area like a large kennel with the babys and monitor her a make sure she isnt denying the kittens, when she is enclosed in the area she will lay down and then the kittens can eat there isnt much she can do. but for some reason if she is not feeding them then call the vet and they will let you know how to do all the bottle feedings and how much to give them, as far as the little kitten that is alot smaller than the other you can ask the vet about it also, but alot of the times when cats have a litter of kittens there is always a runt. hope this helps, good luck

Answer 4

Some mothers will feed and then leave the box, it is just their nature. Other cats do this when they are inexperienced, or there is something wrong with one or more of the kittens.

Take the skin of each kitten in your thumb and index finger and pull it upwards. Do this behind the shoulders. If the skin does not "snap" back, but stays up in a ridge then slowly sinks down, the kitten is dehydrated. It needs to be fed immediately, if not given sub Q fluids by your vet.

The rule of thumb for feeding kittens, is that for every 100grams the kitten weighs, it should have 24ml of liquid kitten formula a day. This ratio was arrived at by calculating the average kilcalories in all formulas.

For newborns, feeding every two hours is advised, so if your kitten weighs 100g. it would need 2ml every two hours. The long, thin nipples made specifically for cats are best, but in a pinch you can feed directly from the barrel of a 1cc/ml diabetic needle (without the needle).

The colostrum in kitten formulas will not replace their mother's, which is only passed to the kittens in the first 18 hours after birth. What is in the formula, is colustrum derived from cattle, and will not benefit another species.

Answer 5

Sad fact of life some kittens die.Some moms are so good they only leave to eat and go potty.Some leave until they hear babies cry and some leave for a couple of hours and come back when their milk ducts are full and they know it's time to feed the babies.As long as she is feeding them and they are not screaming in hunger than she is doing her job...just like humans some moms are better than others,some will prop a bottle to get some away time and others want to be with baby every second...cats are the same way.When she is away just make sure they are in a warm,draft free area.You will know they are fine if they are sleeping and not crying.If you feel bad for the kittens and give a bottle they wont eat when mom comes back and she will lose her milk supply...her milk is what is meant for them and bottles are only for emergencies when mom abandons them all togather.PLEASE DONT LISTEN TO THESE PEOPLE PUSHING THE BOTTLE UNTIL YOU ARE SURE MOM WILL NOT FEED THEM.NATURE IS BEST LEFT ALONE. When mom is with kittens bring runt and help him attach to her nipple...sometimes kittens are born sick and ready to die and just refuse to feed.If he is hungry and you help him find the nipple he will eat...squeez some milk out gently so he can smell and taste it and that may get him going.Unfortanately some just dont make it.I have had tons of litters and have dealt with it all.If he refuses to eat you can drop some sugar water into his mouth...only a tiny drop so he wont choke..they may give him so energy but a common reason some kittens wont feed is their digestive tracts are deformed and they just wont want to feed and will die..you cant prevent that.If he is healthy he will eat.

Answer 6

Try locking her in the room where the kittens are and puting all of her food and litter box in there. That's what I did when my cat had her babies. The small one is probaly just the runt, keep an eye on him. If she doesn't respond to them, then you will have to bottle feed them. You have to feed kittens this small one to two hours. Trust me I have experience with baby kittens. And yes that means you have to get up in the middle of the night. You can buy kitten milk replacer at Big Y or Agway.
Good Luck!

Answer 7

Something sounds off.. When my cat had her litter she was with them 24/7 only leaving them to eat or use the bathroom---

First try finding a foster feline mother; breeders, veterinarians and animal shelters may know of nursing cats in your area. Try calling any "cat people" that you know for leads as well. Cats will very often feed kittens other than their own.

If you must feed them yourself before weaning age, you must devote considerable energy and weeks of constant care if the kitten is to have a good chance at survival. The younger the kitten, the more fragile it is. Very young kittens may not survive without a mother no matter how good the care

Feeding can be done with an eyedropper or a nursing bottle (available at the vet). If using the eyedropper be careful not to force feed the kitten. Let the baby suck the fluid at its own pace, otherwise you can fill the baby's lungs with milk and cause pneumonia.

Answer 8

We had a stray cat that came into our house and had kittens in our closet, just like you,she didn't stay with the kittens very long, and if she stayed away too long we'd pick her up and put her back into the closet. And of course we had a runt..
sometimes you really can't do anything about it (Nature's choice). I recommend waiting a little while before you bottle feed, because, bottled milk somtimes just doesn't have the nutrients for the kittens to grow.

Answer 9

OK if the mother leaves them to much you must put her back. I would recommend putting them in there own little space but big enough to walk around in. I would feed the small one. It is normal to have a small one but you need to pay most attention o it. If your cat doesn't sit down to feed the kittens you should try to bottle feed them a little. Don't worry about the other kitten that passed tere is most likely 1 to pass in a litter. I am so sorry but I wish you luck,oh and i do know what I am talking about when it comes to this stuff.+}

Answer 10

I would call a vet pronto. If the runt isn't feeding then you should try to help get the nipple in the kittens mouth and get a little milk on the nipple before you get the kitten to feed. If this works then try doing this once every 2 hours the kitten will get the hang of it.

Good luck and please let me know what happens to the kitten

Kim [e-mail]

Answer 11

Some cats will abandon there young, is this her first litter? If so she just might not know what to do I've seen that before and some breeds are worst than others about abandoning their young. Call the vet. And get her fixed before this happens again she may never be a good mother.