# Mother not feeding her 1 day olds?



## toothadash (Aug 11, 2010)

Hi my cat gave birth to 3 kittens yesterday :001_smile:

no1 @ 8.30am
no2 @ 10.30am
no3 @ 13.30pm

Birth went well as I made sure all cords etc are correct, The only thing im worried about is the kittens dont seem to be feeding on mum


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## lizward (Feb 29, 2008)

Right, you need digital scales and you need to weigh them. Weigh as soon as you can today, weigh tomorrow, if they have not gained weight then you need to be supplementary feeding as a matter of urgency.

Is Mum being attentive to the kittens? What makes you think she isn't feeding them?

Liz


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## missye87 (Apr 4, 2011)

Any news on the babies and their feeding? xxx


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## Aurelia (Apr 29, 2010)

toothadash said:


> Hi my cat gave birth to 3 kittens yesterday :001_smile:
> 
> no1 @ 8.30am
> no2 @ 10.30am
> ...


Are the babies crying? That would be a big clue as to whether they are feeding or not.

You definately need to get some digital scales as Liz says, urgently! But please don't wait another day after weighing them. If they haven't gained weight in 6 hours time then I would seek veterinary help straight away.

They may ask you to take them in for a check over, they may give your queen (mum cat) an injection to stimulate milk production. They will also hopefully show you how to feed them correctly until the injection starts to work. It's vital someone knowledgeable shows you this as you can get it wrong so easily.

Better still help from an experienced foster mum would be beneficial, so please call your local rescue centre and see if someone can spare you some time to show you. I know it's a busy time of year for rescue centres, but if possible it might be better for your queen and her kittens to go to a fosterer for the first 5 or 6 weeks so they can be reared by someone experienced.


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## Myanimalmadhouse (Mar 6, 2011)

Take cat and kittens to the vets straight away, she may not be feeding for a few reasons:-

1 shes rejected them and you will need to hand rear them.
2 her milk is not coming through so she will need an injection and top up feeding til it starts to come through.
3 there may still be a kitten left inside and will need removing by c section.

In any circumstance I'd really recommend you get them to the vets asap, good luck x


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## toothadash (Aug 11, 2010)

Hi thanks for your replys

Mum is feeding 2 of her kittens but not sure on the 3rd this ones seems too be very weak i have put them on the scales

kitten 1= 94g [weak one]
kitten 2= 110g
kitten 3= 116

Dont know what too do next


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## missye87 (Apr 4, 2011)

toothadash said:


> Hi thanks for your replys
> 
> Mum is feeding 2 of her kittens but not sure on the 3rd this ones seems too be very weak i have put them on the scales
> 
> ...


You need to try and encourage the tiny one to eat, I think it's the teats towards the back that have the best milk, but somebody else can confirm that?

You will also probably need to top up using a syringe, but you should really be speaking to your vet asap!


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## toothadash (Aug 11, 2010)

Thanks ill give it one more try if nothing ill have to call a vet i have tryed several times to put kitten on mum but he dont responed just lays there


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## missye87 (Apr 4, 2011)

toothadash said:


> Thanks ill give it one more try if nothing ill have to call a vet i have tryed several times to put kitten on mum but he dont responed just lays there


If he doesn't then you need to call the vet *now*, as it will be a life or death situation for the little one if he doesn't get fed! There is so much you will need to know too, so you are better off calling the vet straight away!


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## toothadash (Aug 11, 2010)

Will do thanks


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## Taylorbaby (Jan 10, 2009)

missye87 said:


> You need to try and encourage the tiny one to eat, I think it's the teats towards the back that have the best milk, but somebody else can confirm that?
> 
> You will also probably need to top up using a syringe, but you should really be speaking to your vet asap!


its actually the teat nearest mums front paws, nolt the back 

can you take mum to the vets asap for a shot of oxytocin, up to 48-72hours after the birth will hopefully bring her milk in, if not your hae to top them uop, have you got in all the hand rearing items?


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## Aurelia (Apr 29, 2010)

Taylorbaby said:


> its actually the teat nearest mums front paws, nolt the back
> 
> can you take mum to the vets asap for a shot of oxytocin, up to 48-72hours after the birth will hopefully bring her milk in, if not your hae to top them uop, have you got in all the hand rearing items?


Umm are you sure about that TB? The front teats on Rilly hardly got used and as a result didn't have much milk. The back ones however had plenty!

I agree with getting veterinary advice straight away though! I miss read your first post and thought it was this morning they were born and not yesterday :scared:


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## lizward (Feb 29, 2008)

I find it is the back teats too.

OP, I'm afraid this is a kitten problem not a Mum problem. The weight is OK but if he loses weight then you are likely to lose him. To be honest there is unlikely to be much you can do at this age, but it is worth trying to supplement him.

Liz


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## Taylorbaby (Jan 10, 2009)

Aurelia said:


> Umm are you sure about that TB? The front teats on Rilly hardly got used and as a result didn't have much milk. The back ones however had plenty!
> 
> I agree with getting veterinary advice straight away though! I miss read your first post and thought it was this morning they were born and not yesterday :scared:


yeah lol! mine are always bursting (well not mine the cats haha :lol at the front and the ones atthe end, the kittens hardly gain & fight from the fronts ones, been the same with all my litters, a few breeders told me that ages ago, but then all cats are different so could be on diff cats etc!

with a litter of 3 though and plently of nips they should be having lovely gained, but you never weighed them when they were born so you dont know how much they have gained since? Id sit get mum up asap, that oxy injection is fantastic, IVe had it twice and the milk came out so quick, was brill!  Id also be topping them up if they dont gain, gota try everything


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## toothadash (Aug 11, 2010)

Hi ive manage to get the kitten to feed a bit of mum but had to give a top up which he/she took very well seems to have a litttle bit more strengh

fingers crossed:biggrin:


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## Myanimalmadhouse (Mar 6, 2011)

Good luck, hope you can get little un up and going x


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## toothadash (Aug 11, 2010)

Myanimalmadhouse said:


> Good luck, hope you can get little un up and going x


Thanks hope so too He/she is lovely:wink:


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## Taylorbaby (Jan 10, 2009)

when did you last weigh them? as he is so tiny Id weigh 12hours after that WI, that way hopefully your know if his gaining, if not you can call the vets


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## toothadash (Aug 11, 2010)

Hi sadly the kitten died about an hour ago:crying:


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## Myanimalmadhouse (Mar 6, 2011)

Aw so sorry, sometimes its just not meant to be I'm afraid. Hows mum doing with the others? Is she feeding them ok now or you needing to top up? I'd agree with TB you need to weigh every 12 hours to make sure they are gaining weight and then you'll know quicker if they lose any so you can get to the vets asap x


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## Aurelia (Apr 29, 2010)

What milk are you giving them and can you describe how you're feeding them please? Just want to make sure you have the right stuff and method so you don't lose any more.

Also please speak to a vet, there may be a problem with the others. Better to be safer than sorry! a phone call should be free ...


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## Taylorbaby (Jan 10, 2009)

did you phone the vets? did you hand feed him? how much have they gained today?

poor baby


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## toothadash (Aug 11, 2010)

Myanimalmadhouse said:


> Aw so sorry, sometimes its just not meant to be I'm afraid. Hows mum doing with the others? Is she feeding them ok now or you needing to top up? I'd agree with TB you need to weigh every 12 hours to make sure they are gaining weight and then you'll know quicker if they lose any so you can get to the vets asap x


Hi have been weighing them every 4/5 hours and each time there gaining plus there feeding off mum so they all seem to be coming along nicely thanks for all your replys

nikki


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## Aurelia (Apr 29, 2010)

toothadash said:


> Hi have been weighing them every 4/5 hours and each time there gaining plus there feeding off mum so they all seem to be coming along nicely thanks for all your replys
> 
> nikki


Hi, is it possible for you to answer my previous questions with regards to feeding?

Have you at least spoken to a vet yet?


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## lizward (Feb 29, 2008)

If they are gaining weight then they are obviously being fed. I'm afraid it is quite common to have a kitten die in the first week. FAB quotes a 10% death rate of which half is stillbirth and the other half neonatal death. It is quite likely that this kitten simply was not viable. One possible clue - if the umbilical cord has gone from the others but not from that one, that may be an indicator that something was wrong, Mum paying less attention to a non-viable kitten. It has been an indicator for me anyway.

Liz


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## Aurelia (Apr 29, 2010)

Maybe so Liz, but it's best to err on the side of caution here. The OP appears to be hand feeding/topping up for the first time ... it's better to be safe than sorry.

A phone call to the vets is not going to cost anything, it's not like there is a reason not to call the vet for advice.


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