7 day old kitten not suckling and fights the KMR…HELP!!

Home The Daily Kitten Cat Chat Forum Cats & Kittens 7 day old kitten not suckling and fights the KMR…HELP!!

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  • #51633
    tamratesseneer
    Participant

    We took in a stray who was infested with fleas and seriously malnutritioned and she ended up giving birth to 8 premature kittens. We did research on how to take care of them and did what we could but by the second day, all but one died. On the third day, my other male cat pushed the door open and took the small kitten in his mouth and brought it out to us in the other room. This left a gash on the kittens cheek and a bruised lip. He started out rooting and suckling just fine until suddenly on the fourth night he just stopped. He seemed a bit lethargic and had no interest in suckling. As he had a taste for momma’s milk, he refused the KMR. I have tried several instruments to administer the milk (bottle, syringe and eyedropper) but he fights all of them. I manage to get some KMR into him, but I’m afraid he is not getting enough. I have been feeding him the KMR for 3 days now and he still fights it every step of the way. I took him and the momma to the vet and they gave him some antibiotic which he has been taking for going on the third day. I am feeding him what I can every 2 hours around the clock to make sure he gets enough to eat but I am worried that he is not getting enough. He is not much bigger than when he was born. The anitbiotic seems to be helping as he is less lethargic and he has started to root again, but he just can’t seem to suckle…when he finds the nipple, he sucks for a second or two but just can’t seem to create a seal so he gives up. I don’t know what else to do to help this little guy. The mother is not taking much of an interest in him unless I coax her to…I have to pick her up and put her in the bed with him and pet her so that she will stay. She does clean him and stimulates him once they are together but this rarely happens without my help. I am also concerned about the fleas. I pick them off the baby when I see them as they can die due to anemia from too may flea bites. Unfortunately, the vet didn’t have any encouraging words and was not much help other than the antibiotic. He didn’t seem too optimistic but I think that if this little guy beat the odds for this long, he just may have a chance. Does anyone have any advice?

    #735455
    tamratesseneer
    Participant

    He just pooped and peed…he took some of the KMR, but still fights it. Will he get used to it eventually? The only time he whines is when I try to feed him. Is this normal? He will root around and scoot in the bed (I take that as a sign that he his hungry) but I usually have to wake him up to feed him…then he falls asleep once he gets situated in a warm comfy spot in the bed. I’ve never dealt with kittens before and the only experience I have with cats has been with the stray kitten I found about 5 months ago. I am so lost and out of my element!!

    #735456
    jcat
    Participant

    These videos are fantastic for help with orphaned kittens: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctfhMJUdxZA

    and so is the messybeast website: http://www.messybeast.com/handrear.htm

    I wish your vet had been more proactive about the fleas, they can indeed kill a small kitten, you need to get them off, just comb, comb, comb with a flea comb and drop them into hot soapy water (the soap stops them climbing out again). Don’t treat him with any over the counter flea things though, he is WAY too young. I think you should prepare yourself — once most of the kittens in a litter have died, very often they all slip away — they may have a virus or something else we don’t know about. But where there’s life there’s hope, and you may well turn out to be this little one’s saviour. If he doesn’t like the bottle, you can try a syringe (without the needle in) or eyedropper or even a spoon, if he doesn’t like the KMR, you can try kitten glop ( http://www.hdw-inc.com/glop.htm ) or canned goats milk (baking aisle at supermarket/Walmart). Try to get hold of a paste called Nutrical at the pet store, it is a high energy paste for malnourished kittens and cats. You need to wake him to feed him, or his blood sugar could crash, if you can’t get Nutrical, a smear of karo corn syrup on his mouth (no big blobs, nothing he could choke on) may give him an extra burst of energy. He needs to be warm to be able to feed.

    But if you watch the clips and read the Messybeast site, you will be well armed with all the information anyone could give you. All we can do is try to save them, the rest is up to them. Bless you for trying.

    #735457
    tamratesseneer
    Participant

    I got him to suckle a little last night/this morning…but he still seems to be low on energy. I’m not sure if I’m just being a little paranoid…as he is premature I’m not sure if it is normal for him to “give up” when feeding him. He fights me for awhile, whines a bit and moves his head away from the nipple of the bottle…eventually he just lays his head down on my finger and accepts the nipple into his mouth. I’m not sure if he is attempting to suckle the bottle or if he is trying to push the bottle out of his mouth but the end result is the same…he is swallowing small quantities of formula. I don’t think that the kittens were sick…I believe they died due to being so premature. Some of the kittens were lacking fur and had bulging eyes. They were considerably smaller in comparison. Like I said in my prior post, he is peeing and pooping so that tells me that he is getting some nutrition. I may be just overly concerned having never done this before. Could the lack of suckling be due to the injury to his lip? I don’t see any malformation or cut, however it is badly bruised. Since giving him the antibiotic he has come around some…but he still has his good moments and bad. I was also concerned about the lack of “crying.” He stirrs a bit in bed, but doesn’t really cry other than when I try to feed him. I know his odds are slim, I am just looking for something…anything to help increase them. Unfortunately, while I have researched the subject extensively, I have not been successful in finding much help in the way of premature kittens. I have no idea just how premature they were so knowing just how far behind he is growth wise is impossible to tell. Also, I did have a question…almost every website I visited concerning aging a kitten has said that the umbilical cord falls off around the fourth day, however this little guy’s is still attached. Should I be concerned with this?

    #735458
    jcat
    Participant

    I wouldn’t worry about his umbilical cord at all, quite honestly that’s the least of his problems. Here is what Messybeast says about Premature kittens:

    “Premature kittens happen when the mother goes into labour early for some reason, including physical trauma (some traumas may necessitate caesarian delivery). Many vets avoid late-pregnancy abortions because the kittens are viable. Females who birth early may fail to nurse the kittens because the hormones triggering maternal behaviour are not released; she may even kill the kittens as a result.

    “Some pedigree breeds kitten two or three days early, without any problems. F1 hybrids of a domestic cat and a larger wild cat (e.g. serval) may be born on time as far as the mother cat is concerned, but at an earlier stage of kitten development because the wild species has a longer pregnancy. This means that the kittens are premature in terms of how well developed they are.

    “My own experience of premmies is from late-aborted kittens (at the owner’s insistence) which were fostered by a shelter kitty who had given birth the same day. As with other orphan kittens, a foster mother is preferable as fostered kittens can suckle at will and get more maternal attention. Where not possible, a human foster mother is necessary.

    “The more premature a kitten is, the less likely it is to survive. Survival chances decrease rapidly for kittens more than 5 days premature. Kittens born more than 2 weeks premature are unlikely to survive. They are small, fragile and easily become chilled. Their lungs will be poorly developed and lacking in surfactant (the moisture which lines the airways in the lungs). Their digestive systems will also be immature and unable to cope with full-strength kitten formula.

    “It is very important that the kittens get queen’s colostrum in the first few hours of life. This provides maternal antibodies giving them passive immunity to a number of diseases. To prevent stressing their systems, their first feed should be glucose solution (they cannot store glucose for long and burn it up at a tremendous rate) and then diluted milk solution. It is best not to feed full strength milk until the kittens reach their due date. This reduces the strain on their immature digestive systems. They will probably not increase greatly in weight until they have passed their due date.

    “Their sucking reflex may also be poor and they may require tube feeding. Kittens born more than 6 days early should be tube fed. Very premature kittens also require steroids and antibodies (administered by the vet) to help their immature lungs.

    “Premature kittens often resemble mice in that their tails, legs and ears lack fur. Sometimes the body fur may be so fine as to be barely visible. In general, the first week or so of their lives is spent reaching the full-development stage at which they should have been born. They don’t put on weight at the same rate as a full term kitten because their bodies are expending energy on growing fur (up to 30% of their intake may be devoted to growing and maintaining fur) and “finishing off” immature internal organs.

    “When the fur has “grown in” they often gain weight rapidly. Because premature kittens must finish off crucial development outside of the womb, weight gain often begins later than in full term kittens e.g. a week later, though they usually catch up after several weeks.

    “A two week premature kitten will be at a similar stage of development to a normal few days old kitten, not at a similar stage to a two week old born at full term. I have found it helpful to think of them as “minus 2 weeks old”, “minus one week old” instead of “a week old”, “two weeks old” etc as this gives a more realistic idea of how fast they should be growing.”

    It may be that your best chance with this little one is to get a vet to show you how to tube feed him.

    #735459
    tamratesseneer
    Participant

    Well, the little guy is still hanging on strong. I got him to eat 1.25 ml of formula. That’s the most he’s eaten for me in a sitting. I guess my only concern now is that he still does not cry. Do all kitten cry when they are hungry or is that a sign that something is wrong? He seems to be getting a little stronger…he will stirr and swim around bobbing his head on the blankets, every once in a while he may let out a single whimper, but that’s it. Most times I have to wake him up for feedings. Thank you for all of your information, it has been incredibly helpful.

    #735460
    tamratesseneer
    Participant

    UPDATE:

    He is eating from the dropper with no problem now (he still struggles with suckling the momma) and the momma’s nurturing instinct has kicked in which leads me to believe that this is when she was due; that would make my little guy 8 days premature. Am I correct in assuming this or is it possible that the momma sensed there was something wrong with him and abandoned him but now that he is recovering she has taken over? Either way, this little bundle is doing much better. He is crying more, moving around more and just all around seems to be doing better. I couldn’t be happier at this point! The only issue I am facing now is that the momma has changed the nesting spot…to a high up open faced cabinet. This concerned me greatly…what if the baby falls? I have since moved it to the bottom cabinet and so far so good…I just need to keep a close eye on it to make sure she doesn’t move him back to the higher cabinet as there is no way for me to safely block it off. Thank you all for your kind word of inspiration and information…I will keep you updated with his progress and change my profile picture to match his growth! I know we still have a long way to go, but we are definately headed in the right direction!

    #735461
    tamratesseneer
    Participant

    UPDATE:

    Well, issue solved with the nest moving. Moving the nest to the bottom cabinet has worked. She had not since tried to move it again. I bought a scale from Wal-mart tonight to weigh my little guy and if the scale is accurate, he weighs just over 1 oz. It’s amazing he is doing so well for being so small. So far so good!!

    #735462
    jcat
    Participant

    That is all such good news, long may it continue. You may be right about the mum’s instincts finally kicking in, it’s as good a theory as any. Please give the little one a wee smooch from me.

    #735463
    tamratesseneer
    Participant

    Will do…it’s feeding time =)

    #735464
    tamratesseneer
    Participant

    Okay, so reading this scale is proving to be a daunting task. With such a little guy like this, a digital scale would have been more practical but in a pinch this was all I could find.

    #735465
    amyhope
    Participant

    While I was reading this.. my kitten was looking at your display pic of the baby white kitten and meowing and touching the screen with his paw over the pic… my baby is 4-5 weeks old 🙂 glad to hear your baby’s doing fine..

    ★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

    5V b,

    â„¢vrruyuyy CC fa.

    What mooshy was pressing to say hello.. ahh he loves touch screens.. lol

    #735466
    tamratesseneer
    Participant

    LOL…that is too cute. We are not having a very good day here. First I spilled his antibiotic so I headed back to the vet to get another one. When I returned home to feed him, I noticed a large mass around his anus…he can’t pass it. I tried for 20 minutes massaging the area to help him, but no luck…I called the vet and they told me what I already knew…massage the area. I had him under warm running water and noticed something else; he has a small mass on his leg. I don’t know if it is a cyst or some sort of bite. It is quite large for his tiny leg but it looks like the center of it is similar to a blood blister. I don’t know what to do. I am at a loss. I want to help him but I just don’t know how. I did manage to get him to eat some but he was a little reluctant. Can anyone offer some advice?

    #735467
    tamratesseneer
    Participant

    UPDATE:

    I reluctantly out of desperation took him back to the vet we took him to the first time and he gave the little guy an enema. He was really blocked…but he is feeling much better now that he has eliminated all that waste. He ate like a litte pig when we got home so immediately I knew he was feeling much better. I’m so glad that I took him back to the vet and didn’t wait…this set my mind at ease a bit…luckily for me the vet only charged me $15 to do the enema. Although the vet seems to think I am wasting my money and time, I beg to differ. If this little guy is willing to fight, I am willing to do everything in my power that he has a fighting chance! After all, I’m sure he’s not the only 1 oz kitten to survive! Just because the mortality rate of preemies is high…he could be part of the percentage that makes it, right?

    #735468
    Skyron
    Participant

    Absolutely. I’ve only ever had one little premie, but she made it 🙂 what is your kitty eating, and how much is he eating / how often?

    #735469
    CheetahBoysmommy
    Participant

    I always say that too, Tam, someone has to be on the positive side of the percentages and it might as well be your little guy.

    Is the mama flea free now? And what are you feeding her to keep her strength up? It takes a lot of nutrition to produce good milk for a kitten.

    We tend to shorten names around here – you’ll see me referred to as CBM. Is Tam okay for you or would you prefer something else?

    #735470
    choyt11
    Participant

    and I am CSBM – short for Cheri (Me), Spice, 15 year old is the only one who is long haired, (very long haired – she is a Maine Coon runt, only weighs 7 pounds or so). and my kitties Bronson (a 2 year old girl), and Melinda (her twin sister.), all my kitties are pure black. welcome to TDK !!!

    #735471
    tamratesseneer
    Participant

    First off, I would like to thank you all for being there for me and my little miracle. Just a few kind works and a bit of information goes a LONG way! Growing up, my family always called me Tam…kinda strange hearing it again, but it is much welcomed. Reluctantly due to budget constraints I am feeding him Hartz Kitten Milk Replacer from Wal-Mart…I have heard many people speak negatively about it, but it’s all I have at my disposal at the moment. He eats between .5 and 1 ml every 1 1/2 – 2 hours. He had gotten to a point now that he just fights for a second to get the dropper in his mouth but once he gets a taste of it he goes to town til he falls asleep. I wake him back up and drop another drop on his tongue just to make sure he is full then send him to bed. The vet advised me to feed him as much as he will eat and not to force feed him as long as he is eating. Due to his size (he is about the size of a small field mouse) it is difficult to get accurate answers…everything at this point is best guess. Momma cat is eating dry cat food for now…although I know it is not exactly the most nutritious food I am supplementing with vitamins and brewers yeast tablets which I heard will help with the flea issue as well. She is still not flea free, but we are doing the best we can with what we can as I have to be careful about the baby. I’d say we’ve gotten rid of at least 50% of the fleas thus far…still working on it-it’s a process doing it the old fashioned way…flea comb, soapy water and a fair amount of luck! As for the little one, he seems to be on his way again, he’s eating healthier anyway. He still seems to be a little on the lethargic side wanting to sleep a good bit today, but I think after the ordeal he went through today that is just a typical reaction…it may take him a day or so to regain his strength. I believe the culprit of his constipation to be the antibiotic he is on as constipation is one of the side effects. Unfortunately for this little guy, it can be a fatal one. Does anyone have any advice to combat the constipation as it comes rather than waiting until it becomes a big problem? I wish the vet would have showed me how to do the enema so that I would be more prepared should this happen again, but the vet tech didn’t feel comfortable with such a small patient (the blockage was so large that we could not even see the anus) so she took him to the back for the vet to do it…came back about 15 minutes later saying he pooped all over me…he should be good now! He relieved his bowels several times a little at a time for the next couple of hours and now the mass is gone. I am still not completely convinced that he has eliminated everything and I would hate to go through this every few days. I was also curious…how long should I stimulate him before I concede that he doesn’t have to “go?” I am just so worried that this will happen again and as I mentioned before, I don’t have the funds to keep taking him to the vet for things that can possibly be prevented with a little preventative care….it adds up! I spent $30 just today between his new medicine and the enema. I know it doesn’t seem like much, but add in everything else he needs and there goes my bill money! I know that this is part of owning animals, but I can only help as far as my budget will stretch. Well, it’s about feeding time again, so I’m gonna end this post here. More updates to come and thank you again for the warm welcome!

    #735472
    tamratesseneer
    Participant

    UPDATE:

    The little guy is not looking so good…He is extremely lethargic, has a bloated belly and his poo is not normal looking (when he does in fact poo which is very little and not often enough.) It looks yellowish brown in color and is mucousy and grainy. What could this mean? I am going to call the vet this morning to see what they have to say, but they don’t seem to care about him and seem a bit frustrated with my concern and calls.

    #735473
    tamratesseneer
    Participant

    I don’t believe he has much longer. His belly is getting even more bloated, he is really dehydrated despite my best efforts, he won’t eat or suck on the dropper, he can barely hold his head up let alone move. I have been unable to get him to pee…though I have forced him to get some fluids in him…I am at a loss…how is it that no matter how much you do right it doesn’t change anything? He has struggled and held on for going on 12 days…I feel guilty like I wasn’t doing enough or doing it right…he will leave an everlasting impression on my heart. He is hanging on but barely…as am I!

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