What to do if a small kitten dies. Early death of kittens (Fading Kitten Syndrome). Warning signs of impending death

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Unfortunately, while waiting for the birth of kittens, one must be prepared for the fact that some of them may not survive. In pedigreed cats, the early mortality rate of kittens is slightly higher than in domestic cats. One study reports that about 7% of purebred kittens are born dead, 9% die during the first eight weeks of life (mostly from the first to the third week). The number of kittens surviving after 8 weeks of life varies for different breeds (from 75% to 95%), Persian kittens die most often.

Most kittens that are not destined to survive die before birth (born dead) or in the first week of life. The number of deaths in kittens that lived more than a week is significantly less. As a rule, while a cat is nursing kittens, death occurs from "non-infectious" causes, mortality from infectious diseases increases after the kitten is taken from the mother. This is because kittens receive protection against many infections through their mother's milk. Kittens that die between birth and weaning are called "fading".

neonatal isoerythrolysis.

For some cat breeds, neonatal isoerythrolysis is a fairly common cause of kitten death. The cause of death in this case is the incompatibility of the blood types of the cat and kitten.

The kitten should start suckling in the first 2 hours of life. Kittens receive antibodies in cat's milk, absorbing them during the first 16 - 24 hours of life, so it is important that they suckle well during this period. Milk is necessary not only for good nutrition, but also for the acquisition of maternally derived immunity that protects them from infection.

The effectiveness of maternal immunity usually decreases at 3-4 weeks of age, individually for each kitten, by which time the amount of antibodies should be sufficient. The kitten's own immunity is not yet developed, and since most vaccination programs begin after 8 weeks, kittens are at increased risk of infectious diseases during this period. Kittens that suckle poorly will not receive enough colostrum and therefore will not be protected by maternal immunity, becoming especially susceptible to infectious diseases at an early age.

Among the factors that increase the risk of infectious diseases in a kitten are the following:

Insufficient amount of colostrum;
Malnutrition;
Lack of birth weight;
Lack of oxygen during childbirth;
congenital diseases (especially of the immune system);
stress peritonitis;

In kittens, bacterial infections are often secondary to viral infections (feline influenza, leukemia, immunodeficiency, peritonitis, parvovirus), although they may be primary. Clinical signs depend on the nature and severity of infection and may include diarrhea, cough, difficulty breathing, arthritis, dermatitis, as well as less obvious, more typical signs of wilting kittens. Ultimately, many of these infections lead to septicemia (a form of sepsis where there are large numbers of bacteria in the blood) and death.

Unfortunately, there is a high mortality rate among small kittens compared to other young pets. Most often, this attack occurs on newborn kittens (it is not uncommon for a kitten to die a day after birth). A kitten born from an unvaccinated cat dies especially often. The weak immunity of a small kitten is not able to withstand deadly viral diseases (only in isolated cases can a baby be saved).

On the other hand, the kitten may die from injuries that are incompatible with life.

Anyway, what to do when the little kitten can no longer be returned? Where can the owner turn for help in order to adequately accompany the kitten on their last journey? The veterinary center VetKlinik-Msk has its own crematorium for animals.

24/7 ritual veterinary caregoes to the house to pick up a dead kitten in order to take him to cremation or autopsy with an expert opinion (at the request of the owner, for example, to establish the cause of death in order to avoid a repeated case when there are still animals in the house).

Kittens died in Moscow or Moscow region, where to call?!

Round-the-clock ritual service for pets in Moscow and the Moscow region provides a full range of services from euthanasia to the issuance of an urn after individual cremation.

To cremate a kitten in Moscow and Moscow Region you just need to call the round-the-clock telephone of the dispatcher of the funeral service for animals.The cost of cremating kittens depends on the weight of the pet. Therefore, the price of a general cremation of a kitten will be one of the lowest in the price list.

The death of a pet is a very sad event, but one way or another, it will have to be accepted and experienced. Today, the birth of dead kittens is very common, there can be a lot of reasons for this. And therefore, a pet breeder needs to be prepared for anything, and adequately assess what is happening. But if kitten died,what to do in such situation? This question worries many owners who first encountered this problem.

To begin with, consider the reasons that lead to the fact that dead kittens are born. These include:

Heredity. If a stillbirth has taken place in the line of a cat or a cat, then the probability increases several times;
The fetus developed with abnormalities or genetic abnormalities;
Mating of closely related animals is a very common cause of dead kittens being born;
If the blood type is incompatible, this factor is especially taken into account in breeding;
If the female was injured during pregnancy or fell from a height;
There are inflammatory processes.

All this can lead to the fact that the female will have dying kitten who simply cannot be saved.

But what to do if kitten died what measures need to be taken? This is a very topical issue for breeders of domestic females. In the first seconds of birth, it is necessary to take a number of appropriate manipulations aimed at saving the cub. If within 20 minutes, the animal does not come to its senses, it can be considered dead. To start, a dead pet must be isolated from the cat, and placed in a bag. In this case, it is best to take the dead animal to a veterinarian who can determine the cause of what is happening. What is it for? This will prevent similar cases in the future. After giving birth, the mother also needs to be examined, because the reason for the birth of dead kittens may be hidden in her.

If your cat is pregnant and you are not ready to give birth on your own, call your veterinarian. This specialist has extensive experience in this, and in the event of the birth of a dead kitten, he will be able to personally take all the necessary measures. Moreover, the veterinary clinic of the city of St. Petersburg provides assistance to animals around the clock, and with home visits. Sometimes, with the help of a veterinarian, the birth of a dead kitten can be ruled out. But this is only if the kitten was alive at the time of birth.

Hello. I'll tell you a sad story. I found a kitten on the street (she was about a month and a half), after treatment for fleas and worms, she showed it to our local veterinarian, because. she also had problems with her eyes. One eye almost immediately opened after the drops of Bars, the other did not. But that's off topic. In general, after the examination, nothing was found on the skin, but due to a problem with the eye, they were sent to another clinic. There, they already discovered lichen, after I expressed my suspicions to them, tk. I got a patch on my neck. No one determined what kind of lichen, the kitten was immediately injected with Vakderm and Fosprenil, they also gave the latter an injection with them for another 4 days, and Vakderm was prescribed after 10 days. No one warned about the reaction and possible consequences. The kitten was sleepy and lethargic, but then everything went away. On the advice of a doctor, they washed with Nizoral and smeared with iodine. Then, instead of iodine, they switched to fukortsin, he began to help better. It's time to go and inject the 2nd time Vakderm. After that, having arrived home, they washed with Nizoral, began to smear with Fukortsin (before that they washed and smeared 2 days ago), and then she began to jump off her hands and hide in the closet, it happened three times. Then it got worse, her temperature rose, she began to tremble all over, her breathing became rapid, like her pulse. They gave her something to eat and drink, and if she drank convulsively, she was drunk, not as usual. It was almost night, there was nowhere to take her. In the morning the condition did not improve, we did not know what was wrong with her. Stopped eating and drinking. She moved with difficulty. The voice is gone. They took her to the doctor, and while they were taking her paws began to get colder, the temperature began to drop sharply, and she just lay with her mouth open, and at the moments when she regained consciousness, she tried to meow, as if asking for help. My heart bled, I was afraid that I would not take it. But she had time, the doctors were already waiting, they began to inject something into her, then they tried to put in catheters, but they didn’t work out with it, they said that the veins were too thin, they couldn’t put them on their front paws, they decided, sort of, to try in the back, but then I sent home, and I don't know what they did with her next. They said it might be septic shock, a reaction to the vaccine. After 2 hours they called me and said that the kitten had died, and they did everything possible. And the exact reason was not named, they themselves are not sure. Here is such a story. I am not a doctor, but I read a lot of information about all this and here is what I can give out based on the current situation:

— yes, she did have septic shock, to the vaccine.

- as far as I understand, Vakderm has a very strong effect on the liver, and such a small kitten should not have been injected at all

- vakderm is not a medicine, it should only be injected to a healthy animal

- we had pink lichen, the nature of which is not fully understood and this is a viral disease, and Vakderm contains fungi, because. he is rather against such types of lichen as ringworm.

I can say one thing, I definitely don’t advise this for kids, and I don’t advise animals that have lichen in a neglected state. And still, I advise to address to the competent and checked up experts. The baby was dying painfully, before that she had suffered for so many hours. I don't want to blame anyone or the drugs, but the facts speak for themselves. Be very careful when treating.

Early mortality is observed more often in pedigree kittens than in ordinary domestic ones. About 7% are already born dead, and up to 10% die within the first month of life. Newborn babies may fade slowly or leave abruptly. Let's find out what to do if a kitten dies and if there is anything we can do to help it.

Causes of early death of babies

The following factors influence the low survival rate of the offspring:

the number of children (one kitten dies in half the cases);
unreasonable intervention of the breeder in the process of childbirth;
low weight;
prematurity;
incompatibility of blood groups;
genetic features of the breed;
mother's illness.

Immediately after birth, the kitten needs warmth, as it has not yet developed the mechanisms of thermoregulation of the body. Hypothermia leads to slow heart rate and heart failure. If the mother cat has died or refuses to accept the babies, then so that the kittens do not die, you need to place them next to a heat source. It could be a hot water bottle wrapped in a diaper or a heating pad.

To maintain the viability of the body, babies need energy, which they receive from mother's milk. A weak newborn kitten dies of low blood sugar (hypoglycemia) in the first 5 days of life if it does not get enough food. For example, he cannot suck on his own, or stronger brothers prevent him from getting to the nipple.

Improper nutrition of the mother affects the fat content of milk, so it is better to feed the cat with a special balanced food.

Early death of kittens comes from dehydration (dehydration). From lack of food, overheating or diarrhea, the body loses a large amount of fluid.

Infectious diseases are not uncommon and account for 4% of total mortality in the first days of life. If within 2 hours after birth the kitten did not suck mother's milk, then it did not receive colostrum, and with it antibodies to protect against pathogenic viruses and bacteria. Until the immune system finally matures, it will not be able to independently fight pathogens of dangerous infections. Even vaccination during this critical period is ineffective. That is why it is important to ensure that the baby has access to the nipple as soon as possible.

Kittens are stillborn or die shortly after birth due to intrauterine developmental anomalies:

umbilical hernia;
skeletal disorders;
deformities;
infection of the rectum;
split sky;
underdevelopment of the kidneys.

In some cases, excessive licking of children by a cat leads to cannibalism, so you need to watch if the mother shows excessive care for the offspring.

Warning signs of impending death

Unfortunately, weak, sick or premature pets die during the first days of life or are already born dead.

In this case, it is impossible to help, since it makes no sense to fight natural selection. But a kitten over 2-3 weeks old needs a veterinarian if the following symptoms are present:

high or low body temperature (37–39 ⁰С is considered normal);
refusal to eat;
vomiting or diarrhea;
weight loss;
sneezing, difficulty breathing, coughing;
discharge from the nose and eyes;
bleeding;
injury.

How to help a dying kitten?

All you can do for a newly born kitten is to provide him with warmth and sufficient food. If the cat cannot feed it, then in the veterinary shop you need to buy a special mixture. Ideal when you manage to throw a baby to another recently born cat. Cow's milk is not digested by the pet's stomach, but in extreme cases goat diluted half with water is suitable. While you are looking for wholesome food, give your baby warm boiled water from a pipette or syringe without a needle. This will prevent dehydration.

Never take a kitten in your hands without first washing them with soap. Otherwise, there is a high risk of infecting him with an infection.

After each feeding, gently wipe the kitten's genitals with a damp cotton pad. Do this to stimulate bowel movements. The pet still does not know how to relieve himself on his own, and he needs help. After the process is completed, urine and feces are removed with a damp cloth, and the fur is wiped dry.

If you are worried that you will not be able to cope with your duties, then it is better to look for a special shelter where such animals are accepted. Professionals know best how to handle newborn babies. Therefore, these kittens have a high chance of surviving.

If your pet dies despite your best efforts, remember that you did everything possible to save it. It is important to understand that A newborn needs a mother which cannot be replaced even by round-the-clock human care. After the death of a kitten, it is better to bury it in a beautiful place outside the city or in the private sector, if this is not prohibited by law.

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