3 week old kitten is near death, what can be done to save it?

Question

I hope that someone can answer this in a timely fashion, My cat had 9 kittens 3 weeks ago. There is two runts but at this time they seem to be doing okay; however, one that wasnt even a runt is not. I went to check on them and it was in the corner of the box, i thought it was dead, i picked it up and it was completely cold and wasnt moving, upon a close look i noticed very shallow breathing. I went and got it kitten formula and gave it 2ML and after 30 minutes it started to move. It didnt move to much but it was a sign in the right direction. Currently its eyes have blood looking spots on the iris and wont dilate to light correctly, and the membranes are half way over the eye. Also the poor thing cant even blink. I've been trying to warm it and feed it. But how much should i feed a kitten in this condition, and how often? I also have been supplementing the runts a few times a day and they are doing okay, seem to have a lot of energy, but are still VERY small..

I just wanted to say for those of you who are giving me a lecture, I know that she needs to be spayed, i had rescued her, a neighbor left her out to die with her mommy and other kittens.. anyways.. I plan on getting her fixed, she is a indoor cat and got out once for 15 minutes, yes 15 minutes and we found her with a stray male cat..I would LOVE to take the kitten to the vet, but thats not in my reach, i have 2 year old twins and im the only one here with them so leaving inst a option at 10pm at night. I dont have any shelters that are open. i literally live out in BFE in the desert.. I'm doing all that I can, and thats all I can do.. so for the person that told me to stop wasting my time, im not wasting my time by asking anyone, i have twins and cant leave at this hour, so im making the most of my time and trying to save this poor kitten! I have a heating pad set up on low under a shirt and have been feeding him 1-2 ML's every hour or so.. :( i just hope it works..

Answer 1

GET OFF THE COMPUTER AND STOP ASKING STRANGERS YOUR WAISTING YOUR TIME GO TO A VET NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Answer 2

You're doing what you can under the circumstances, and I commend you for it.

However, the mother cat seems to have rejected this kitten, and mother cats have an accurate instinct for knowing when a kitten is not going to survive. The mother cat will separate it from the rest of the litter, often by moving them all away to another location and leaving it behind. In this way, the mother instinctively reserves her milk and her attention for the other kittens.

Often we can't tell what is wrong with the rejected kitten, but in some way it is sick or defective and most likely will not survive. The kitten is not weak and feeble because the mother has shunned it and pushed it away..it is the other way around. She is rejecting it because there is something seriously wrong with it.

Our hearts go out to poor kittens like this one, but rarely are efforts to save them successful, even under the care of a vet.

Continue with what you have been doing, giving it a few cc of the same supplement you give the runts, every hour or so. A tiny bit of sugar in water could help, too. Put it on a heating pad topped with several thicknesses of cloth. A cat's body temperature is about 100-101 degrees, so try to keep it at that temperature.

Good luck and thanks for trying to help the little guy.

Answer 3

This doesn't sound good at all. From what you are saying, it sounds like this kitten is two seconds from death. I would put this poor suffering little kitten down as soon as possible so it doesn't have to suffer anymore. When a kitten gets into this condition, it doesn't have any fight left. This kitten probably had something wrong with it from the time it was born. When there are this many kittens in a litter, it's not uncommon to lose one or two. Think about it, there's only room enough for so many, and 9 is a few too many to develop properly. I really don't think you can do anything to save this kitten and it will probably be dead by morning if you don't do something NOW. Take it to a vet and put it down. Good luck with the rest of the kittens. Please spay your cat to prevent future kittens and cats from losing their lives. There are thousands and thousands put down each year in the US from over-population problems.

Answer 4

The kitten needs hydration. Take itto the vet and try to feed it formula every 2 hours, as much as he will it. Drop by drop. Be careful not to force milk into his mouth if he is not making any swallowing or sucking or licking move, because he may inhale it. Usually they eat 5-10 ml every 2-3 hours. But he may need the vet to hydrate it first.

Also, keep it warm but not too warm. If the weather where you are is hot, keep it in a cool room, in the shade, they also get heat stroke.

Answer 5

oh that is so sad.

There may be a veterinary emergency hospital open somewhat nearby you that you might be able to call for some advice. Usually the local emergency vet # can be obtained by calling the office number of any regular vet you can find through a Google search; most clinics state the overnight emergency vet # in their voicemails.

Keeping it warm and feeding very small amounts frequently is the only course of action that I know of without knowing the cause of his malaise.

Good luck, I hope he makes it!

Answer 6

Sorry to tell you. Sounds like the mother cat laid on it. The blood in its eyes are an indication of pressure being on the kitten. Also if it got choked for some reason, the cutting off of air can cause blood to appear in the eyes. If it went without air too long, it may have brain damage. Just make the kitten comfortable and feed it. It probably will not make it.

Answer 7

Call the vet NOW. Cats can gestate more than one litter at the same time, if mom has 9 kittens she probably was "catting" around. The smaller ones are probably from a later catch by a male. Not all kittens will make it every-time, it's a sad fact. If the sick one is not meant to live you've done all you can, so long as you've called vet.

Answer 8

Unfortunately, it is very unlikely it will survive. One of the easiest ways to tell is by whether or not the monther is giving it any attention. In most litters, if there is a sickly kitten, the mother won't even bother to clean it or nourish it and just kind of lets it go. It's sad, but I think she just understands some won't make it. Just try to keep it warm and hope. Good luck.

Answer 9

You seem to be doing all you can but it may not be enough. For some reason the momma cat has pushed it aside. She senses that something is wrong with it. I don't know of anything else you can do other than call a vet and see if he or she can advise you of something else. I'm truly sorry I couldn't help.

Answer 10

a drop of Karo syrup on the tongue helps to revive,but don't stop there keep it very close to your body for warmth ,set up a small box .put a towel in it.fold another towel and put a heating pad in that towel place the towel with the heating pad under the box,this will keep it warm without over heating it can place a hot water bottle instead. its sad but once the baby has gone cold its hard to bring them back.,good luck

Answer 11

I a m sorry I am not a vet but have you considered taking them to the vet? I know there are quite a few diseases they may have. Good luck. I hope they are ok.