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The litter tray

Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

Original poster

Help with neglected (?) kitten

27 replies

LemonadeAndSchnapps · 06/07/2021 17:19

Hello everyone,

I bought a kitten from a hobby breeder close to me on Saturday (3rd July). I've been in contact with the breeder since she was born and received photos of her when she was born and again at about 4 weeks. She was born on 3rd May.

When she brought her out, she seemed very small, but I have only previously had one cat so am not wholly experienced. The breeder said she was a tiny girl but she would bulk up when she got away from her litter mates. She had some dry poo on her back legs but the breeder said that was because she'd sat in poo earlier on and she just needed a wipe. We brought her home.

She seemed very quiet and wouldn't eat but did drink. I messaged her breeder who suggested feeding her brine from a tuna can to get her to drink. I decided that I would take her to the vet, which I did first thing on Monday.

The vet weighed her and she is 370g. She said that they didn't think the kitten was weaned, and that she needed support, and encouraged me to take her back to the breeder, because she said the onus should be on the breeder to pay for vet bills for a cat this young. I honestly don't think I can do that as I'm terrified that anyone who let a kitten get to this state is just going to let her suffer until she passes.

So now I'm bottle feeding our kitten. She really hates it but I get about 10 to 15 ml in her of royal Canin kitten milk every 3 to 4 hours. She won't take any solids but I think I've seen her try to eat litter a couple of times (which obviously I've stopped). She is so resistant that I'm terrified that she will just never take to eating by herself. I've left a dish of the kitten milk and she just ignores them. She hadls started to poo but its yellow and watery. I've called the vet who said this is expected at first.

She's perked up a little but mostly sleeps or surveys her surroundings. Has anyone else brought a kitten back from this?

OP posts:
Original poster
LemonadeAndSchnapps · 06/07/2021 17:20

Sorry, I did this on my phone and it's ruined the formatting Hmm

OP posts:
Neves7 · 06/07/2021 17:27

It sounds counter intuitive but if she is trying litter try some dry kitten food. Mom may have been on dry food and sometimes that gets them eating. Source: I’ve raised a lot of feral kittens over the years.

thecatneuterer · 06/07/2021 17:35

Christ almighty. This is why you should only go to rescues for kittens. You are paying clueless, or worse, neglectful people to bring more kittens into a world where there are already too many, and to take no care of them whatsoever.

Anyway, rant over, she is much to small to have left her mother - at 9 weeks she should weigh at least 800g. So either the breeder (I hesitate to use that word - is the cat a pedigree? otherwise she can only be described as a greedy and/or neglectful owner) is lying about the age or the kitten has something seriously wrong with it. The kitten should go back. Can you see the rest of the litter? Are they the same? If so then she is lying about their age, if not then your kitten is very sick indeed. Then report to the RSPCA and get yourself a kitten from a rescue.

Veterinari · 06/07/2021 17:49

If the breeder has been offering her brine she could well be in kidney failure. Is she passing urine?

What breed is she? Did you see the mother/littermates? Or photos/videos?

She sounds barely weaned

Is she dehydrated?

Honestly it sounds as if she needs intensive care
Has she been dewormed?

Veterinari · 06/07/2021 17:51

Also if you're in England/Wales the breeder has broken the law as it's illegal to sell a kitten under 8 weeks so please make a complaint to trading standards

JorisBonson · 06/07/2021 17:53

@thecatneuterer

Christ almighty. This is why you should only go to rescues for kittens. You are paying clueless, or worse, neglectful people to bring more kittens into a world where there are already too many, and to take no care of them whatsoever.

Anyway, rant over, she is much to small to have left her mother - at 9 weeks she should weigh at least 800g. So either the breeder (I hesitate to use that word - is the cat a pedigree? otherwise she can only be described as a greedy and/or neglectful owner) is lying about the age or the kitten has something seriously wrong with it. The kitten should go back. Can you see the rest of the litter? Are they the same? If so then she is lying about their age, if not then your kitten is very sick indeed. Then report to the RSPCA and get yourself a kitten from a rescue.

This this this this.

This poor baby has been taken from their mother far far too young.

Breeding of animals for profit should not be considered a "hobby".

nimbuscloud · 06/07/2021 18:01

How much did you pay the hobby breeder??

Gingerkittykat · 06/07/2021 18:07

It might be worth calling a rescue for some advice, I know the one local to me specialises in hand rearing kittens so will have much more experience than the vet.

The breeder sounds awful, I have a ragdoll and I know the registered breeders don't let them go till at least 12 weeks. Did you see mum and the other littermates?

The fact she has perked up seems like a positive sign.

ViperAtTheGatesOfDawn · 06/07/2021 18:10

As well as the above please make sure that the litter you are using does not clump, if kittens eat it and then it swells inside it's very dangerous.

Original poster
LemonadeAndSchnapps · 06/07/2021 18:19

Thank you for the helpful comments. I am worried about the peeing/drinking, which she does seem to be doing. I think I will go back to the vets tomorrow and ask for them to investigate further.
The other kittens were larger and the mother seemed normal.

OP posts:
4PawsGood · 06/07/2021 18:23

Gosh that’s very small. Have you had advice on how/what/when to bottle feed her?

Aprilx · 06/07/2021 18:28

Oh my lord, I think this kitten needs expert care. I am shocked at a 370g kitten, she can be no more than four or five weeks old surely? I have had cats for fifty years, I got a new kitten in April, I have usually taken kittens home at 12 weeks but I took this one home a couple of days shy of eight weeks. He went to the vet the day he was eight weeks (to get registered) and he weighed 1.1kgs.

I think this kitten needs professional care, It doesn’t sound like she is ready for solid food yet, certainly do not try to feed her dry food! She needs a couple of weeks on solid wet food before trying dry and even then I would soak it first. Can you find anyone to help, Cats Protection maybe? I think an experience fed foster home needs to be considered.

GuppytheCat · 06/07/2021 19:06

Roughly speaking, a kitten should gain 100g a week at that age. I've just checked the records for a previous litter and they were all more than 400g at 4 weeks, even the small, sick, runty one.

Double-check that it's not your vet's scales (stick her in a small box on your kitchen scales), but that weight suggests she's either very young of very unwell.

Skyla2005 · 06/07/2021 19:18

No such thing as a hobby breeder. People breed their animals for money that's the only reason

Gingerkittykat · 07/07/2021 16:43

Are there any updates on the kitten today?

Original poster
LemonadeAndSchnapps · 10/07/2021 08:45

She's doing much much better! She's put on 80g in 5 days and is running around happily, playing and eating kitten food normally now, supplemented with the milk Smile

OP posts:
Gingerkittykat · 10/07/2021 14:14

I'm really glad she is doing better.

Do you have a photo of her you can share?

Avoidance · 13/07/2021 10:50

My oldest cat who is now two was very small when I first got him, the lady I got him from had over 10 cats (not including the litter of kittens). I brought him home on a Friday and took him to the vets the following Monday for a check up, jabs microchip etc. He was too small for anything though he was supposed to be 8.5weeks old at that point but weighed much less than he should have so the vet suggested coming back the following week, in the hope he would have been big enough for the treatment however this was not the case and this went on for 3 or 4 weeks. Thankfully my cat had been weaned to a certain degree anyway. Didn’t care much for dry food and would only eat the jelly or gravy from wet food but did enjoy kitten milk from a shallow bowl. I wasn’t able to see the other litter mates as mine was the last one, so I’m not sure if he was just the runt of the litter or if all the kittens were a similar size. I did see the mum kitty though and she seemed happy and friendly enough. My cat is not a healthy weight and although doesn’t eat anywhere near as much as my other cat (1.5 years old) he’s happy and healthy! So I hope your kitty is able to catch up too :)

Avoidance · 13/07/2021 10:51

My cat is now*

OnceUponAMidnightBeery · 14/07/2021 15:58

@LemonadeAndSchnapps how is she doing now?

AlfonsoTheMango · 14/07/2021 16:53

Another one who would like an update on the wee puss.

Original poster
LemonadeAndSchnapps · 14/07/2021 22:35

Let's hope this works!

Help with neglected (?) kitten
OP posts:
Original poster
LemonadeAndSchnapps · 14/07/2021 22:39

I've been trying to post a picture and I think I've finally managed it. She's doing absolutely great, eating all by herself, put on lots of weight, plays just like a normal kitten. Such a relief. I did take her back to the vet in the end and she was given a course of antibiotics and that seemed to crack it. She's still getting extra TLC and I'm monitoring her to make sure she doesn't slip but it looks like she's raring to go Smile

OP posts:
littlebilliie · 14/07/2021 22:48

She is lovely, sad about her start though

Parsley1234 · 14/07/2021 22:55

Oh my she’s adorable