Expert: Jessica - 10/8/2009

Question
QUESTION: Dear Jessica,
My 6 month old kitten has given her litter in the early morning of this question. Later at night-time, now, we found out that a 2 out of 7 kittens is missing out( 7 but one died even before it had a breath in life). What do i do with these 2 young ones? There was said to be a cat formula milk? And what materials to i need? And if you have extra tips, that would be much needed!

Thanks Jessica you were very helpful.

ANSWER: Hi Jimmy.  I am amazed that a young kitten had such a large litter!!!  Most first litters average 3 kittens, and as she is just a baby herself, it's surprising that she had more than one or two.  Since she is still growing and needs all the nutrients she can get for her own body, I would highly recommend to supplement all the kittens’ feedings with kitten formula.  This is really recommended for any cat, no matter that age, with a litter larger than 5.

For this you will need kitten milk replacer.  This is available at pet stores and through most vets.  Be sure it’s not the cat milk that’s formulated to give adult cats as a treat.  I prefer to use the powdered formula that you reconstitute with water.  My kittens take to it better.  But there is also pre-mixed formula available in cans.  

Brand newborns are usually best to start feeding with a small syringe (needleless of course)  or eye dropper at first.  You will want to switch to a bottle as they get a little bigger, but the nipples on these tend to be a little large for kittens that are under 5-7 days old.  Most day old kittens will eat about 3-5 cc’s every 2 hours.  This is day and night!  If you have someone who can take shifts helping you feed them, it will help out.  Although formula packages usually say to feed every 3-4 hours, I lose lots of kittens feeding on this schedule.  Mom feeds kittens every 2 hours or so, and that’s the schedule my kittens do best on.  This schedule is for the babies being excluded.  I would try to feed the other babies twice a day to help mom out.

Be sure to burp the babies after they eat!  Just as you would a human infant, place them on your shoulder and very gently pat their backs until the babies burp.  Some kittens will be ready for more formula following this, but never force a kitten to eat when he doesn’t want to.  He could choke, or it may result in stomach upset.

Around 5 days old, I would start attempting to switch the babies over to a pet nursing bottle.  They take some getting used to for the kitten, as the nipples feel unnatural.  Be very careful when cutting a hole in the nipple.  Too large a hole can choke the kitten because milk will flow out too fast, but too small a hole will frustrate the baby and cause him to give up trying to eat.  You can burn a hole in the nipple with a hot needle, but I personally cut a small “x” in the tip.  Place some formula in the bottle, and hold it upside down to test the nipple.  If milk flows out, the hole is too big, and you need to try again with a new nipple.  A drop of milk may appear at the tip of the nipple, and this is fine.  Milk should be easy to express if you squeeze the bottle.  However, avoid applying too much pressure to the bottle while the baby is feeding, as he may choke.

If mom is taking care of the kittens aside from feeding, you can leave them with her to keep them warm, clean and stimulate them to eliminate.  If the kittens are being cast aside completely, you will need to take care of these duties.  The babies need to be kept in an environment of about 90 degrees F (32 degrees Celsius) for the first week, 85 degrees F (29 degrees Celsius) for the second week, and 80 degrees F (27 degrees Celsius) for the third week.  If your rooms are cooler than this, you can use a heating pad, wrapped in a thick towel, set on low heat, to provide them with warmth.  Be sure the kittens have room to move off the heating pad if they feel too warm.

The kittens need to be made to urinate and defecate after each meal.  This is done by massaging the genital area in a gentle circular motion with a warm, wet cotton ball.  They will urinate each time and will typically defecate a couple times a day.  Stool should be soft but somewhat formed.  If the babies have diarrhea, it may indicate they are not being fed often enough (it could also indicate an infection).

Babies start urinating on their own around 2-3 weeks and start defecating shortly thereafter.  You can introduce them to a non-clumping litter (I prefer wheat or corn-based litters for kittens) when they start going on their own, although it will take them a couple weeks to get the idea.  The little ones should be introduced to canned food around 4 weeks old.  I personally hold off on dry food until 16 weeks, when they get in their adult teeth, but certainly no kitten should ever be exposed to dry food prior to six weeks old, as is poses a choking hazard.

Best of luck!

Jessica






---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Jess this was just a follow up for my very last answer.

Just some sad news, the 2 little fellas died and  buried them with the other one who died at birth. We mixed baby powder and we tried using an eyedropper but the little one didnt like it. What other powders should i use?I tried doing what you said for the other 2. Mommy was looking for them and i think she was crying too. But thanks very much for your timeliness and i know that you've tried your best for the others. And i also think that the queen isnt much experienced with nursing. who's fault is it?

Answer
Unfortunately, it isn't very surprising that the mom isn't quite sure what to do with the little ones.  At six months, a cat is about as mature as an 11-year-old child.  Their mothering instincts are still very underdeveloped, and while some do successfully raise litters, a great many neglect their babies.  It's not their fault - nature has not intended for cats to be able to reproduce at this age.  It is very rare indeed for them to be able to do so physically, so they are not prepared mentally to raise a litter.  Most cats cannot even become pregnant prior to 9 months.  So, do your best to ensure she doesn't become pregnant again, especially before the age of one year, when most cats finally develop a good maternal instinct.

I like to use the brand KMR kitten formula.  But if your kittens didn't like the powdered kind that you must mix with water, you can always try the premixed kind.  KMR makes this as well.  There are multiple other brands available in the US, such as Just Born, but I'm not sure which ones are available in Australia.  You can give any one of them a shot, as long as it's specifically labeled as a kitten milk replacer.

Most kittens are a little reluctant to eat formula at first because it's not natural milk.  You can't force feed a kitten, but if you can get them to take one drop at a time, they may come to tolerate it and eventually eat it willingly.  This takes lots of patience, and unfortunately, you are at the mercy of nature.  If the kitten is spitting it out or it's coming out his nose, there is nothing else you can do.  However, if he will swallow one drop at a time, it may well be worth the effort.  And always make sure that the formula is staying warm.  If it's kept in the dropper for long, it can cool off quickly, and the kitten will not swallow it.  Cool formula will shut down the digestive system.  Better to waste the cold formula than to feed it to the baby.

I hope so much that the remaining babies will pull through!  Sadly, nature can be very disappointing.  If you know of anyone else who has a nursing queen with a strong maternal nature, you may want to see if she will take the little ones.  Cats are usually very good foster mothers.