Lost all 3 kittens
By myfanwy65
@myfanwy65 (1030)
United States
September 14, 2007 8:05pm CST
My cat recently had 3 kittens and they all died within a week. I have no idea why, they seemed ok. It was so sad. We moved her to a new house while she was pregnant and she had them the night after we moved her. I am afraid she had them prematurely and they weren't developed enough to make it. She was also a first time mommy and didn't seem to know exactly what to do. But, maybe she knew they wouldn't live and didn't want to bother to take care of them.
2 people like this
10 responses
@myfanwy65 (1030)
• United States
15 Sep 07
Thank you. It was so sad. I cried a lot while I buried them. But, I put them right beside a beautiful lilac bush. I think they would have liked playing in the yard under the bush.
@myfanwy65 (1030)
• United States
15 Sep 07
((((hugs)))) Thanks. :) It was really hard to do. But, that was the best place I could think of to bury them. And, it needed to be done.
It really was so hard to lose them. Partly because the parents are such a huge part of my life and I love them very much. I am home a lot by myself with my kitties. I can't imagine them not being around.
@ashikkalam (187)
• India
15 Sep 07
Really sad to hear that you lost your kittens.I have had cats for long and have not lost a kitten so far.But you did say that your kitty was on heat as early as 4 months.Its pretty early time for a kitten to be on heat,usually they start after 6 months or later.Maybe because your kitty was too young to be a mom,she didnt know exactly how to take care of her little ones.It happens occasionally,but she will be a better mom next time around.
@myfanwy65 (1030)
• United States
16 Sep 07
Hopefully there won't be another litter for a while. We try to keep them apart when she is in heat. But, they figure a way around our precautions. :D
@ashikkalam (187)
• India
17 Sep 07
hehe..there is no way you can keep a cat in heat away from her lover, i have tried it,they somehow find a way out.And hope for the best the next time around.
@kgwat70 (13387)
• United States
16 Sep 07
I am sorry to hear that the kittens did not make it. That was so sad to hear as I love cats and kittens and animals in general. I know you must be sad and am sure the mommy cat has to be sad too that her kittens did not make it.
@myfanwy65 (1030)
• United States
16 Sep 07
It was pretty sad. And, it was difficult to bury them. But, we'll be ok. :D
@creematee (2810)
• United States
16 Sep 07
That is so sad. I'm sorry that the litter was lost. Big hugs to you and momma kitty.
@pyewacket (43903)
• United States
15 Sep 07
Oh--I'm sorry to hear this, but yes,if momma cat didn't bother with them with them much or take care of them, she must have sensed something was wrong with them...many young newborns have respiratory problems --I've had that problem in the past myself with newborn kitties
@myfanwy65 (1030)
• United States
15 Sep 07
Thank you. It was one of the saddest things that has happened to me in a long time. I've had cats who had kittens before, but they never lost the entire litter.
@ashikkalam (187)
• India
15 Sep 07
yeah i have heard about kitties born with some problems and in those cases the moms dont take good care of them if they know that they wont survive.
@mindmap (36)
• Sweden
14 Oct 07
It sounds like it may be something called "failing kitten syndrome", it happens sometimes and especially when it's the first birth for the cat mom or if she's very young. My vet said that sometimes the hormones that cause the mother to produce milk won't work, but that the kittens usually die even if they are bottle-fed because they didn't get the right "get-you-started" hormone before birth either. He said it normally doesn't occur repeatedly, so if it's any consolation your cat will probably be able to have kittens that survive, in the future.
@myfanwy65 (1030)
• United States
14 Oct 07
That sounds like it's exactly what happened. Thank you for that information!!! I am hoping she can have more kittens. We did try and feed them with a bottle, but that didn't work either. So, it really does sound like that's what happened.
@GardenGerty (160883)
• United States
15 Sep 07
That is hard to say. It could also be she got into some chemicals or something and it went through her milk. I like cats and kittens, but I am getting to the point where I do not plan to replace the ones I lose. Was your mamma kitty mature enough to have kittens or was she too you to bear healthy ones. I know you said she might not have been old enough to have the skills to care for them properly. You are also right, it could have been moving stess. It sounds like all of you may be having some of that.
@myfanwy65 (1030)
• United States
15 Sep 07
She may have gotten into some chemicals, but I really doubt it. We have 3 cats and we are really careful about stuff like that.
She is about 11 months old. I'm not sure how old they have to be to have healthy kittens. She started going into heat when she was about 4 months.
Actually, I think the cats have adapted better than we have to the new place. LOL
@zydecokitten (451)
• United States
3 Oct 07
I am really sorry that this happened. Baby kitten are so vunerable and they depend on us. I can understand that you are sad. It is very sad to see a fragile new life waste away. Did the momma try to take care of the kittens?
@zydecokitten (451)
• United States
3 Oct 07
Did you have your vet do a necropsy on any of the three kittens? Did they all die at once? I would have wanted to know what caused this to see if your momma cat needed to be treated for a medical condition. What did your vet say?
