My 3-day-old kitten is losing weight and won't suckle. What can I do?

Question

Newborn kitten born 3 days ago (Thursday evening) lost weight the first 24 hrs of life, going from 2.8 oz to 2.5 oz. I took over feeding her Friday evening. She maintained 2.5 ounces yesterday, but was down to 2.4 ounces this morning. It's a struggle getting 1.5 ml of KMR in her at one feeding sometimes taking 45 minutes to an hour. She chews rather than sucks on the bottle nipple so we have been feeding her with a dropper. Is there anything else I can do to help her thrive & gain weight? Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | unspayed | 3 days old

Emily, DVM · Accepted Answer

This could be a case of fading kitten syndrome which unfortunately has a poor prognosis. You can try Nutrical on her gums as well as a dab of Karo syrup to see if increasing her blood sugar helps. Unless she starts having a better suckle you will have to keep going with the dropper for feedings.

My 3-day-old kitten is losing weight and won't suckle. What can I do?

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