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Kitten not thriving, mother tends to ignore it?

bbwvixen Jan 12, 2006 10:24 PM

We have to wonder female cats who we love very much and do plan to get spayed as soon as the kittens are weaned.

Cyn cat #1 had two still borns a few months ago, then cat #2 Lucy got pregnant and gave birth to four kittens on Oct 29...all the kitties are now in good homes. Just as we were about to get her spayed, Cyn #1 gave birth to two more kittens (it was hard to tell she was pregnant)

These two kittens lived and one of them is thriving and is eating great. Kitten #2 is very tiny though, and Cyn seems to not pay as much attention to him as she does to kitten #1. She does clean him and feed him, but he's only about 2/3 the size of his sister. (They're four weeks old)

Meanwhile Lucy cat #2 keeps *stealing* kitten #2....and keeps trying to hide him. Both adult cats will groom the babies,and play with them, but I'm worried about kitten #2. Confused yet? lol

Also Cyn #1 and mommy will seperate both babies, and will literally wrap #baby in blankets so we have to unroll him to find him!

Any suggestions?

Replies (3)

phtessie Jan 12, 2006 11:13 PM

It could be the kitten is just small, they dont necessarily have the same fathers. And it could be the second mamma just wants a baby of her own..if the tiny one is eating and doing all the other things a babykit does, i wouldnt worry too much. Otherwise a vet check would probably be a good idea...
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PHTessie

catman1 Jan 12, 2006 11:33 PM

Posted by: bbwvixen at Thu Jan 12 22:24:56 2006 [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ]

We have to wonder female cats who we love very much and do plan to get spayed as soon as the kittens are weaned.

Cyn cat #1 had two still borns a few months ago, then cat #2 Lucy got pregnant and gave birth to four kittens on Oct 29...all the kitties are now in good homes. Just as we were about to get her spayed, Cyn #1 gave birth to two more kittens (it was hard to tell she was pregnant)

These two kittens lived and one of them is thriving and is eating great. Kitten #2 is very tiny though, and Cyn seems to not pay as much attention to him as she does to kitten #1. She does clean him and feed him, but he's only about 2/3 the size of his sister. (They're four weeks old)
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In my OPINION.
Whats happening is not unusal.Kitten #2 is the runt and is not as healthy as it should be.Usally the mother will dispose of a kitten that she feels is not healthy.You could always seperate #2 and raise her yourself.Being there four weeks old this shoud not be a proplem.
The important thing here is to get both cats spayed as soon as possible.This proplem will come back if you don't.If you don't seperate #2 then you have no control on what could happen.
Believe it or not this is nature at work and theres not much you can do to change it.#2 may turn out to be bigger then #1 and will make a fantastic pet.Does she have big feet.
Good Luck.....Lou

PHWildCat Jan 13, 2006 05:47 PM

My guess would be that Mom doesn't pay as much attention to kitten #2 because the other cat keeps stealing him and giving him attention so she doesn't have to. It is not usual for mother cats who are close to share kitten raising duties. Since the kit has made it to 4 weeks, he is apparently getting fed although small in size. I would have him Vet checked but he may just be a small cat. I have had litters that vary greatly in size as they may have different fathers and have been conceived a few days apart even. If you are taking the kitten from the cat that steals him and giving him back to his Mom, stop that and perhaps they will stop trying to hide him somewhere. I would also start feeding him kitten food and canned cat food. He is old enough to eat now and he might actually get more calories that way. Let us know how it is going and pictures are always nice too...hint hint
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PHWildCat/Tessa and 17 cats, 1 dog and even a hamster
Tabitha, in my heart forever.... earned her wings 6/26/05
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