What could have killed these kittens?

If a mother cat has the litters too close together that will risk the health of the most recent litter. Your friends kittens unfortunately fall into this category. The mother cat is simply tired and probably young as well. But more so her body has not had a chance to "reboot"' so to speak before getting pregnant again. So when she got pregnant with this litter she was already weak. The twin kitties that you spoke of may have had under developed organs or perhaps they simply were malnourished. The mother cat's ability to produce milk for her kittens may have not been all that great, or like you said...her not being as attentive to this litter could have been the culprit. None the less, no sense in pointing fingers. You and your friend need to step in and take this into your own hands. Your vet will probably suggest that you start feeding the kitty and caring for her on a regular schedule and allow the momma cat time to rest. In order to allow her the required amount of time to recover from giving birth before she is spayed, keep her in a different room from the male cats or keep her indoors and do not allow her outside. If the males are indoors as well. Then you will have to take the extra precautions to make sure they do not get together. Another thing to consider is neutering the males. Neutering is a lot less evasive and the recovery time is so much quicker for males than it is for the females. Not to mention, its a lot cheaper too. I just want to emphasis though that it is a good idea to also spay the mother cat too.

When queens are permitted to breed indiscriminately, what happened to this litter becomes more common. After awhile, the mom's body becomes so depleted of energy and nutrients that she can no longer adequately supply the kittens with what they need. Her body is usually doing all it can to keep her going. There often isn't a specific diagnosis for why the kittens died. It's commonly referred to as fading kitten syndrome. Basically, the kittens fail to thrive because the mother is not thriving. If Kink continues to be bred, the same thing is likely to happen to the next litter. Or, when her body is totally drained, the kittens will begin to be delivered prematurely or they will be stillborn. It's actually a very sad progression to watch, for both the queen and the kittens.

It is for this reason that responsible breeders take the time to become adequately educated on safe and healthy breeding practices. Most breeders will only permit their queens to produce 1-2 litters per year, and they're usually retired and spayed by the time they are 2 or 3, if not younger. What your friend is doing is nothing short of ignorant and cruel. I'm very sad for her cat.

ETA - ... and I don't mean "ignorant" in a hateful way. The intended use of the word was literal. Sadly, many people are not aware of the risks involved in over-breeding pets. If you can get to a pet supply store tonight (or even Wal-Mart), you could pick up some kitten milk replacement and a kitten bottle for the remaining kitten. Whatever you do, don't use cow's or goat's milk. The kitten can't tolerate it. It must be kitten milk replacement. Take over mom's job for the night until you can get to the vet. The milk should be warmed to about the temperature you would warm a baby's bottle. To stimulate the kitten to suckle, you can gently rub under it's chin or the corners of its mouth. Gently rocking the bottle side to side while the nipple is in its mouth will also help stimulate the suckle reflex. If the bottle doesn't work, you can try using a (cleaned) medicine dropper or medicine syringe. Since the kitten is probably dehydrated, you need to try to get the milk into her every 2-3 hours overnight and until you can get to the vet. After feedings, rub the kitten's bottom gently with a warm, damp cotton ball or cloth. This will help to stimulate the kitten to use the bathroom. Between feedings, keep the kitten warm by swaddling towels or warm blankets around it. Putting a heating pad underneath towels will be a great source of warmth. All you can do is try, and it will be a lot of work. If the kitten can make it through the night, the vet may be able to offer sub-Q fluids or some other therapy that may help. Personally, I wouldn't get my hopes up too high... but at least your friend will have an idea as to what it will take to try.

How Terrible! I'm not sure about the "over breeding" theory. However, I see from your comment to one of your readers that your friend was taking the kitten to the vet today. I hope it went well. What i was thinking about was is it possible that the kittens are not fully litter trained yet? Mom cats help their kittens "go" by licking their bottoms. Possibly if the mother is ignoring the kittens they could be suffering from a blockage which could also result in internal poisoning. Sadly, it happened to a little one I had and I didn't know :( If you thinks its a possibility, I recommend stimulating the kittens bottom with a warm textured wash cloth for a short period every couple of hours and see if she has any reaction. Kittens easily urinate when their bottom is stimulated but getting them to poop takes a little

more perseverance and tummy rubbing too. I hope all turns out well!

Cats who have frequent litters get drained and their bodies are stressed. This can cause them to have weaker kittens. The remaining kitten will probably pass as well if not treated by a vet. There is no way anyone (including a vet) could tell you online what is going on. Your friend is practicing abuse. It is illegal to have sick animals and not seek medical care for them. There are spay programs where she can get her cat spayed for free or at a big discount. With her attitude towards caring for her cat and it's offspring, it would be a good idea to give the cat up for adoption. She is obviously not interested in being a responsible pet owner. People like that are the reason thousands of healthy, beautiful cats and kittens are killed everyday in shelters and on the streets. There aren't enough homes for all of them already...adding more to the world is deplorable.

I truly hope the kitten pulls through. Keep it warm and hydrated tonight and be there 1st thing in the morning at the vet. Please tell your friend to ask the vet about multi-cat discounts for spay/neuter. If he doesn't offer it, she can call her local SPCA or Humane Society for info on clinics for free or discounted spay/neuter. Intact males (and some females) eventually start spraying all over the house. Intact cats are at risk of developing deadly cancers and infections of the reproductive tract. Best of luck to Kink and the rest.

http://www.spayusa.org/main_directory/02-facts_and...

Honestly, even you take the kitten to the vet if it's too little there's nothing they can do. It could be a number of reasons too long to list.

After this litter, please have her get the cat fixed. The SPCA in our area does it for like $35-40. If she just lets them know she loves her cat and is just worried about her they will cut her a break.

If she doesn't get the cat fixed, you will have a serious problem. My mother started off with 2 cats and it grew to 23. We got EVERYONE fixed and there hasn't been a problem since. She's got the land to take care of them all and the money, some people just don't.

If anyone is cruel to you about this, I completely understand your situation. Just be careful. You will get some slack about it, sadly. :( Good luck, hun.

Perhaps an infection in the mom's uterus.

Perhaps lack of antibodies -- 3 litters a year is a terrible stress on momcat's system.

Mom cats can be spayed soon after the kittens are born -- spaying will NOT interfere with milk production.

For the sake of all the millions of kittens born every day in this world who have no chance to live, please get momcat spayed.

Low Cost Spay -- if your friend needs this:

http://www.lovethatcat.com/spayneuter.html

Does it really matter? If these kittens hadn't died then the ones at your local shelter not getting adopted because these kittens took homes from them WOULD be put to death. So either way, your friend is killing kittens by letting hers breed.

Why on earth DOES she keep letting it breed? Is she really that clueless to the pet overpopulation problem? And to make it worse what does "going to a vet is out of the question" mean? Can she not afford a vet or does she simply refuse to spend money on her pets? Either way please convince this friend to get her cat spayed. This is ridiculous that she's letting her cat be a breeding machine with so many pets put to death in shelters every single day.

I don't know what is wrong with the kittens,but the cat needs to be spayed.It is cruel to let the cat keep having kittens.

Edit: A cat can be spayed as soon as the kittens are weaned,when it is in heat, and even while pregnant.Your friend needs to keep the cat inside or away from her other cats.It isn't the cat's fault that it keeps getting pregnant,it's your friends fault. It's HER responsibiltiy to see that the cat doesn't get near an intact male.She needs to have ALL of her animals spayed or neutered. How irresponsible of her.

sounds like over bread , the mother cats immune system didn't have the necessary stuff go pass on to the Kitty's the last may also die if not seen by a vet

maybe the mother has contracted feline leukemia or some other disease from running wild and screwing every tom dick or harry that comes her way. if you arent willing to go to a vet you will never have any sort of answer aside from the smart-aleck variety, so why waste your time with this post?

Honey, over the years I've put up with too much bs like this to be sympathetic any more. It's not my kitten and not my responsibility. So get off your *** and get the kitten to the vet or stfu and watch it die. Those are your choices. Life ain't fair.