I have a dieing kitten.

[megan7128]

We have 4 new, about 7 weeks of age, kittens. 3 of which are doing great. These are farm kittens that live in an abandoned chicken coop in our back yard. Being as hot as it has been, we went outside to check up on the kittens to bring them into the shade outside. We found one of the kittens breathing extremely heavily. We brought it inside only to find that it can barely walk, it's head shakes and it seems to like the cold, hard floor instead of a towel. We've tried to feed it several times water, it will drink, but then turn it's head as if it doesn't want any. We've tried to feed it watered down cat food, which the other kittens will eat, but it wont eat it. Is there any possible chance i can save this kitten, i feel it's only got a night to live? I was wondering, the mother stopped feeding the cats already, and she was sick earlier with some type of digestion issue. Could we simply substitute warm milk for the mother's milk, or is this cat just extremely dehydrated? Help me, please.

-Megan

[kittycats_delight]

VET NOW !!!! She needs to be seen professionally immediately if you want any chance of saving her !!!!! And take the momma too.

[furrykidsmother]

Yes, PLEASE get the baby and the Momma cat to the vet ASAP! Kittens can dehydrate very rapidly and die!

[moosmom]

Kittens dehydrate VERY quickly. Especially one as young as yours. Please get this kitten to a vet NOW!!! Giving it milk in place of mother's milk is a bad idea, as most cats are lactose intolerant.

Please keep us posted.

[megan7128]

hi!

thank you for all of your help. i don't want you to think that i'm irresponsible, because that's the last thing i'd like to hear. I love my animals to death-and i believe that they are one of the keys to being happy in life. The kitten is laying on a towel now, he's sleeping. He's breathing fine and i believe he was just dehydrated. I've been feeding him every chance that i get. I'll keep you posted, thank you again for all of your help. You're great people.

-Megan

[moosmom]

Megan,

The one way to tell if a kitten is dehydrated is to pinch the scruff of his neck. If the skin stays pinched, he's dehydrated.

Please keep us posted. We do care.

[kittycats_delight]

Hi Megan, Donna is right a pinch on the scruff of the neck will let you know if the baby is dehydrated. Donna is very experienced and knows what she is talking about. We do all care about your pets so please keep us posted.

Michelle

[megan7128]

Alriiight,

I checked, and it is stiff. I tried getting the mother cat to feed the kitten, but the kitten is too weak to keep up with biting the nipple long enough for milk to come out/that or the mother denies the kitten. I wonder why and if she's rejecting the kitten? I've now decided to feed the kitten myself with water, since before the kitten would drink water. We are using a dropper to feed the kitten, it seems to be working. We are doing this every hour or so. I'll post soon.

Thank you for the advice, not to mention caring!

-Megan

[kittycats_delight]

can you get to a pet store and get some KMR kitten replacement milk. Water is fine for dehydration but she needs nutrients too and she is not going to get that from water.

[megan7128]

The kitten looks so helpless..

I tried feeding it, my mother picked it up once and it whined very loudly. I feel horrible because I don't think it is going to make it. I'm trying the best that i can..

Thank you all so much for your suggestions and your help, it's greatly appreciated. Now i know where to go when I have other questions.

I'll post soon, pray for the kitten.

-Megan

[Karen]

Kitten is in our prayers, good luck. Poor thing! At least it knows someone cares ... Kitten formula and water and prayers ...

[megan7128]

Kitten formula is on the list for tomorrow's to get (RIGHT AWAY) list. He's too sweet to die.....

-Megan

[moosmom]

Megan,

KMR is the best milk supplement. Also get feeding bottles. They should be right near the KMR. You'll need to put a hole in with nipple with a sewing needle to make sure the milk comes out. The powdered stuff is the best and goes a long way.

I really think you need to get this kitten to a vet ASAP. The mother is rejecting it for a reason. Usually they have a second sense about the well-being of the kitten. It could be the kitten has something wrong with it.

Kittens that small need to be fed every 2-3 hours. They also will need help in eliminating, i.e., peeing and pooping. You can do that with a cotton ball. After feeding, gently rub a cotton ball on it's bottom. If you've ever noticed a mama cat licking her babie's bottoms, that's the same principle.

When you bottle feed him, make sure he's in the same position he'd be in if nursing from the mama (on his belly). This way he won't aspirate any formula into his lungs. Hold his head between your fingers of one hand. Please, if you can, get him to the vet.

[megan7128]

Thank you soooooooo much for the advice.

I'll get back to you tomorrow as soon as possible.

Thank you, again. It means more than I could ever express.

-Megan

[Jennsen]

I know you mentioned that the kitten seems to like the cold hard floor the best to lay on. It might be better to put a heating pad under a towel set on the lowest setting for the kitten to lay on. It probably doesnt have any body fat or resourses to keep itself warm right now. Also, for kittens I've rescued at night with no kitten formula available until morning, I run to the store and get a small can of either lactose-intolerant milk, or lactose-intolerant baby formula. The kitten doesnt have the enzyme to properly digest the sugar found in cow's milk, but these will get it through the night. Also, if it's too weak to suck a nipple, carefully hold the kitten up right on your chest, holding it head up, and drip a tiny bit at a time on the end of it's tongue and gently tickle around it's tail. This will stimulate it's suck reflex. Be very careful it doesnt get any of it in it's lungs.