OK this is her second litter .The first one all kittens appeared healthy at birth , they started dying at 2 weeks old until we lost them all.Well this litter they are a little ove a week old and its starting again.She has been spending lots of time with them .She has milk .The only thing I can think of is bad milk but they don't all die at once its one at a time.

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@hotmail.com), March 28, 2002

Answers

A cat will starve her kittens if her milk is bad, feed them canned milk with a doll bottle.

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), March 28, 2002.

Mitch , can I send them to you ? She is still feeding them .

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@hotmail.com), March 28, 2002.

I've never heard of a cat having "bad" milk. My guess is parasites. Are the kittens dying fat & healthy, or do they waste away for a few days first? Do they get runny eyes or any other symptoms of illness? Hard to guess without more information. Why isn't the cat spayed?

-- Shannon at Grateful Acres Animal Sanctuary (gratacres@aol.com), March 28, 2002.

Your sure milk will come out? Your cat might look full of milk and yet still hold it up. I wonder what a vet might say about a small shot of Oxytocin? You'd sure need to ask a vet for a dosage, and a fractional dose syringe! Perhaps a warm cloth rubbed on her belly would help?

-- Ross (amulet@istar.ca), March 28, 2002.

All the other cats are , the vet would not take her because she got pregnant again.I have since found another vet.We get drop offs all the time.I try to get them all done or brought to the pound.The kittens look fine then start getting cold .And then we loose them.The one who is sick now was the biggest kitten fat and lively.Its by the wood stove now.

-- Patty {NY State} (fodfarms@hotmail.com), March 28, 2002.

Same thing happened to us. Drop off cat had kittens in the barn and then they started to die. Mother tested positive for feline leukemia.

-- Toni Kibler (dontoni@iinc.com), March 28, 2002.

More info at www.thecatsite.com.

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), March 28, 2002.

I have to agree with the others that it could be parasitic or feline lukemia. I honestly don't think that a mother can have 'bad' milk unless she has some sort of infection or something. Get to a vet.

-- Alison in NS (aproteau@istar.ca), March 28, 2002.

I would put the mother on antibiotics about 1 week before she has kittens and the kittens I would give amoxicillin for a week after they are born. She may have an infection. Terry

-- Terry Lipe (elipe@fidnet.com), March 28, 2002.

Unfortunately, not all kittens make it! If anyone of you thinks I'm hard-hearted, realize that I love cats. There are a lot of illnesses that kill kittens and,unless we can sterilize their environment, some will die. I call it survival of the fittest!

-- Ardie/WI (ardie54965@hotmail.com), March 28, 2002.

It may be feline distemper, or fading kitten syndrome, but more info is needed. With feline distemper, the kitten will be dehydrated, have sunken eyes and will be cold. The gums are white (not the pink that they should be) With fading kitten syndrome there are no symptoms. The kitten just stops thriving and slowly dies within days of birth. There is no known reason. It is usually the smallest of the litter. Not the entire litter. You may want to check with a vet. If it is feline leukemia or FIV you may have infected all your other cats, unless you have this mother confined with no outside contact. Good Luck

-- Kelly T (packldr1101@yahoo.com), March 28, 2002.

Poor things. Don't hate me for saying this but have you thought of spaying her?

-- Najia (najia274@yahoo.com), March 30, 2002.

We have had the same problem before as well. It's called fading kitten syndrome, If the mother is healthy, and they have no flea's, the wife says,to check their noses and tongues see if they are a nice bright pink. If not they might be needing vitaims and iron. Some times the mother even thought she has plenty of milk, will be lacking iron and vitamins in the milk. We had 2 females (sisters)that had this problem, the wife brought them all back with a drop each of baby vitamins. They perk back up in no time. The nose and tounge being a whiteish or pale color is a dead give away they are lacking. Some mothers just aren't able to provide the iron. jackc

-- jack c (injack1@aol.com), April 01, 2002.