Expert: Ali - 3/2/2009

Question
QUESTION: One of the 5 just born kittens does not move at all. I tried very gentle message, Is cold to the touch. Tried to put on lap on towel and message with cloth, tried to put head to nipple, no response. Is this newborn dead? Do I remove it from the nest? There are 4 moving kittens, seem to be eating, but I can't tell if queen has milk. Queen very young, adobted last saturday from local shelter may be 6-7 months old according to vet.

ANSWER: Laurie,

If the kitten is cold to the touch there really isn't much that can be done for him/her. I'd recommend removing this kitten from the nest box and having your veterinarian dispose of the tiny body appropriately ASAP. If the kitten seem quiet and appear to be nursing then they are probably getting enough to eat. If the kittens seem squirmy, noisy and frustrated they probably need some supplemental feedings of kitten milk replacer via oral syringe. It sounds to me like these babies are doing well for the moment and it's best to allow mom some peace and quiet for tonight and check on the family tomorrow morning. It is important to handle these babies from birth, but it's also very important to understand that they are born with very few antibodies to resist viral or bacterial infections, especially if mom wasn't properly vaccinated prior to becoming pregnant. Don't over handle the kittens as this may cause a nervous mom to stop feeding her babies and reject them. Just be observant and check in on the whole family every few hours. I do think given the age of the mom that it would be well worth having the entire family assessed by a qualified veterinarian to ensure that everything seems good so far. If mom seems to be walking stiffly or seems overly anxious it can be a sign of calcium/magnesium deficiency brought on by nursing a fair sized litter, this is a medical emergency and must be treated by a veterinarian. If mom still seems to be straining but she isn't producing anymore babies or she seems agitated/anxious it may mean that someone's been left behind which would require a caesarian section. It's also important to know that mother cats wean their babies on their own, they don't require human help for that. All that you need to do is keep feeding a high quality holistic food on demand as mom is still growing and she must support the rapid growth of her babies. The kittens should ideally stay with mom for a minimum of 10-12 weeks, this allows them to become socialized, to understand what it means to be a cat and it also allows the kittens to learn such important skills as bite inhibition. I can offer more information on caring for the litter and queen if you'd like.

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

QUESTION: 3 days old - 1 of 4 kittens is weak, trying to get it to suckle, but only successful for a moment or two at a time. Have supplemented with newborn formula from vet (went Friday) eats about 2-10 drops at a time, but still weak. Making sure kittens are warm, formula is warm, I had read something somewhere about adding a 1/5 part sugar water to formula Should we try this? Will be calling vet in Morning but still worried through night to make sure we are doing the right thing. Know it may be natures way, but alas, still don't want to not do something if we should...

Answer
Laurie,

I'm sorry for the delay in getting back to you, my internet was down last night. I'm wondering if your vet might be able to give you some dextrose and/or a stimulant for this kitten because it may respond to dextrose which is a longer acting sugar than glucose and a stimulant injection may give this baby the energy to cope with life and get stronger by nursing. Unfortunately if this kitten doesn't pick up and start nursing soon you may lose him. It's also worth talking to your vet about passing a stomach tube to feed this baby - it's a long shot but it might work.