Newborn Kitten - Mother Disappeared

[raro]

At raro's a big drama emerged - following scenario:

Cat #1 got kitten on April 4th. In Cat #1 family everything above board so far.

Cat #2 got kitten on April 16th, so they are just two days old as of writing this.

Now the Cat #2 did not show up the whole evening and the kitten are hungry. We got already a feeding bottle from the vet but they don't want to drink from it. Cat #1 is not interested in adopting the kitten from the other cat whatsoever.

Although their is still hope that Cat #2 walks through the door anytime soon, I don't want this to become a major problem.

Questions:

1) How long can the kitten survive without food?

2) How can I make Cat #1 feed the kitten from cat #2?

3) The vet wanted to sell me some quite expensive special milk...is it a moneymaker fr the vet or do kitten need that special milk?

4) How to feed with that bottle, you poke it into their mouth but they turn their head away and don't get the drift that there is food coming out of it...

Thanks for advice!

raro

[kayo]

raro, keep trying with the bottle.

the kitten should accept it eventually.

maybe get it interested in the smell, by putting a few drops in her mouth first. (literally drop by drop)

as far as the vet "special product". There are some, but personally I wouldn't bother.Kittens were being born long before mars/whiska came up with "special products"

nothing too cold, and nothing too hot.

room temperature liquids.

also psychology. kitten doesn't have a mum. become that mum, in terms of attention, caressing, grooming, etc, so that the kitten trusts you.

this will help with feeding.

[BambinA]

1) How long can the kitten survive without food?

few days ..Unlike pups ,70% of kittens who have no mother to take care may die .

2) How can I make Cat #1 feed the kitten from cat #2?

It's hard to make C1 adopts C2's kitten coz C1 will always think the C2-kitten is/are stranger ( You can find this case from many Cat-mamas who have got cesarian section ..they will be not realized their kid

3) The vet wanted to sell me some quite expensive special milk...is it a moneymaker fr the vet or do kitten need that special milk?

some pups and kitten have a sign of lactose intolerance.. (lack of the enzyme "lactase" which digests disaccharide ( sugar) as lactose that found in milk) these kinds of kids will get gastro-intestinal problem.Plus dog and cat's milk has higher protein than cow's milk

4) How to feed with that bottle, you poke it into their mouth but they turn their head away and don't get the drift that there is food coming out of it...

The feeding position in kitten and pups is defferent from human baby

you have to feed them in sitting position . 4-6 times a day

DO NOT forget to use a soaked cotton ball (with warm water) whipe around peri-anal area( for stimulating poo-pee ..kind of a reflex ) after you have finished feeding them(in natural, mom will lick that area)

/edit

- in the pic, I fed a pup > sitting position( i use human baby's milk bottle fed him.He was around 7days old)

- in un feeding cat-mama she may be get a new estrous cycle in next 7-10 days . So if you don't want to have more kittens . Desexing is the final answer.

- i have found another pic from google

Edited April 18, 2007 by BambinA

[raro]

Kayo and Bambina, thanks a lot for your great input!

This morning I had first success with bottle feeding....and in walks the mother! Takes over the kitten care as if nothing has happened.

Still a bit strange to me. C1 is never further than two minutes distance from the kitten. A kittten miaow and there she is. It is the first time she has kitten.

C2 disappeared for about 18 hours. She is a stray cat that adopted us and we do not know how many times she had kitten before. It's her last time, though....

[kayo]

great news raro.

Glad things worked out.

Oh, and i guess C1 was curious: maybe given time, C1 mama's conscience would have gotten the better of her, after all.

Good news!

[raro]

Another strange thing happened:

The other day in the morning there were only three out of four babies in C2's box. The fourth one we found later in my record collection and put it back in the box.

Yesterday early morning, I saw C2 carrying one of the babies back into the box.

When I cam home yesterday evening, two of the four babies disappeared and also C2 was gone for a while. She came back later and looked after the remaining kitten. I have not seen any trace of the other kitten so far.

Did someone hear of that before? Cats splitting up the litter and raising them at separate places?

[raro]

...and the drama continues, C2 moved out with all the babies over the weekend and hasn't been seen since. Heard some trippling sound from above the ceiling, maybe that's where they are residing now.

/edit: What makes me wonder most is....C2 didn't even come back for food anymore.

Edited May 1, 2007 by raro

[Phil Conners]

It is quite normal that a cat mother will take her litter elsewhere after the birth, especially if she is not feeling fully secure in the first place. Maybe the competition with C1 was too much for her.

[bigmove]

...and the drama continues, C2 moved out with all the babies over the weekend and hasn't been seen since. Heard some trippling sound from above the ceiling, maybe that's where they are residing now.

/edit: What makes me wonder most is....C2 didn't even come back for food anymore.

It's normal for the mother to split or move her babies in a different location.I experience this many times when my cat gives birth.I think they don't want to be disturb and mostly the best location is the ceiling.

goodluck

[Etrigan]

If you are going to be the "mum" buy some cotton buds and use these with water to clean (and stimulate) the kitty's bum area, as usually the mother would do this as kittens can't shit by themselves.

Good luck.