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Why did my newborn kittens die suddenly? Caring for the mother cat.

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Mixed Breed | Female | unspayed | 3 years and 3 months old | 7 lbs

Hello, my cat had given birth about a week ago of 9 healthy little kittens. All of a sudden, the 9 of them died within 24h. They had creamy white diahrea for some of them, and refused to drink from the bottle (they qere drinking from bottle sometimes before that) and had lost weight rapidly. Other than that they seemed fine before they'd suddenly lost all energy and die within an hour, one after the other... What could have killed them? And what to do with mother who lost all her kittens?

2 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Rebecca, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on June 7th, 2017

I'm so sorry for the loss of the kittens. They may have had a parasite infection or virus such as panleukopenia. Salmonella can also kill them quickly. Without a post mortem exam there is no way to know what they dried from. Mom will probably go back into heat fairly quickly so you might want to get her spayed. Monitor her mammary glands that they don't get engorged or painful. You can apply cool compresses to them if she will let you.

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Other Answers

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    Answered By Lindsey Edwards MVB, BSc, IVCA

    Veterinarian

    Published on

    I am sorry for your loss and would recommend a postmortem exam of some of the kittens to determine the cause, as well as a physical exam of the mother to rule out any signs of infectious diseases. The mother is now at risk of mastitis so close monitoring is required alongside any treatment as prescribed by your vet after examination.

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