# Kittens born with internal organs outside!



## British shorthair blues (Apr 16, 2013)

Hi I need some advice i'm a Britsh Shorthair breeder of 8 years and i have never experienced what has happened with two new recent litters of kittens,both from different mums but same stud boy! Both kittens were born with there internal organs on the outside one worse then the other both alive sadly i had to have them both pts. I have been so heartbroken by this it was such a horrible thing to see.

I have been researching but don't seem to get any clear cut answers. My question is, is this a genetic fault or is it just pure nature and bad luck to have two kittens born like this. I have had two other girls have 2 litters each from him over the last few years and all kittens were healthy. All answers will be much appreciated.


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## MerlinsMum (Aug 2, 2009)

Unfortunately, this is one of the less pleasant aspects of cat breeding. If you ask around breeders, many will tell you that sooner or later you do get one. In my case it was in my second litter.

The other time I have encountered it was when a neighbour's cat gave birth, and there was a kitten in the litter born that way - the neighbour was horrified and came round in near-hysteria to ask me what to do.

The most usual cause is failure of the embryo to develop properly, for some reason or another , as the mid-line is one of the last places to form (hence why cleft palate, hare-lip etc are common abnormalities in all species of mammals).

I don't know if it is inherited or not, but if the lines/breed you have commonly gets umbilical hernias, then it may be connected (as in, Gross Umbilical hernia). However some gross hernias are repairable.

If you have had other litters from these lines all born healthy, then it was simply bad luck, I would say. Do you know if it has occurred in any of their relatives?


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## havoc (Dec 8, 2008)

> My question is, is this a genetic fault or is it just pure nature and bad luck


I really sympathise as this is the question we'd all love a straightforward answer to when anything isn't right. If only it was always that simple. Other than faults resulting from known recessive genes we don't know enough to take any action other than not repeat the mating.


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## British shorthair blues (Apr 16, 2013)

MerlinsMum said:


> Unfortunately, this is one of the less pleasant aspects of cat breeding. If you ask around breeders, many will tell you that sooner or later you do get one. In my case it was in my second litter.
> 
> The other time I have encountered it was when a neighbour's cat gave birth, and there was a kitten in the litter born that way - the neighbour was horrified and came round in near-hysteria to ask me what to do.
> 
> ...


I got the stud boy along with a breeding queen approx two years ago he was a year old she was 2 years, the breeder seemed genuine and i knew of her for her such quality kittens and showing but as she was giving up breeding i had the opportunity to get these two cats,i contacted her via email,text and phone regarding a form she needed to sign but from that day on she never once answered my calls. So no i now nothing of any problems she might have had with breeding, but then would she have told me anyway i think we both know the answer to that!

Both girls had previous healthy litters.

I have recently had a girl give birth to 3 healthy kittens from the same stud boy.


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## British shorthair blues (Apr 16, 2013)

havoc said:


> I really sympathise as this is the question we'd all love a straightforward answer to when anything isn't right. If only it was always that simple. Other than faults resulting from known recessive genes we don't know enough to take any action other than not repeat the mating.


No i most definitely will not repeat the mating i will be retiring one of the girls as she had a difficult labour, i will be getting a new girl and once she his old enough will put her with the stud boy and only time will tell.


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