cat had 7 kittens we think they were about 4 to 5 days early?

It is very unlikely that your cat's kittens were born early. This is because the lungs mature last of all & premature kittens would just not be able to breathe. It may be that this kitten was in the birth canal for quite a long time (relatively) & once the placenta has detached from the uterine wall the kitten can get short of oxygen if it then has to wait while bigger stronger kittens from the other uterine horn are born first. This is just a guess on my part however but it may be why this kitten does not have a strong suck reflex.

Just be aware that although you are doing the absolute best to raise this kitten it may never thrive or simply fade away in the end. This tends to happen when there are underlying health problems that we are (of course) unaware of. I would be doing/have done exactly the same as you are however in the hope that it will survive!

The only thing I can suggest that may be useful is to weigh all the kittens & record their weights. If you do this before & then after they feed you'll get an idea how much the healthiest kittens get from mum & this will give you a better guide than guessing for how much to feed the runt. Weighing every couple of days is enough to establish that every kitten is getting it's share & all are putting on weight steadily.

You may find that with such a big litter, a little supplemental feeding for all the kittens during the day time will take some of the pressure from Mum cat - I did this with my Bengal's first litter of eight! Just 1 to 5 ml each plus whatever they get from mum is enough to help them along. By weighing daily at first I immediately picked up when one of the smaller ones did not put on any weight for a day or two & was able to take it to the vet for a quick shot to improve it's appetite. All were raised without further problems.

I also supplemented Mum's diet by mixing milk replacer with her wet food plus a little water so it wasn't too sticky. She should have kitten food wet & dry available at all times, as much as she will eat until the kittens start to wean onto solid food. Some kittens like to start at 4 weeks with wet kitten food mashed with a little water so they can lap it up to start with & some are a little slower but all should be having 5 or 6 small meals by 6 weeks old. They are still feeding from mum at this stage & will continue to do so until they are about 8 or 9 weeks old. At about 10weeks they develop their own immune systems & then there is no further advantage to them still feeding from mum - they just like the comfort.

I think the amount you're feeding is perfect for now but it will increase within a few more days so be prepared! Once kit can take on a few more mls in one go you guys can make the feeds 2 hourly by daytime & 4 hourly by night, by day 7 & then onto 4 hourly by day 10 with a 6 to 8 hour gap overnight. Day 10 is when they should all have opened their eyes. Once you're getting a full night's sleep you can return to the world of humans! lol.

I hope you enjoy being foster mums to your cats kittens & good luck with raising them all.

If the kittens were born "too early" they would not be alive. Premature kittens (before 62 days) rarely live. If the kitten you are feeding is thriving, then you are feeding enough; however, don't be surprised to lose this kitten. Even experienced breeders have a hard time saving runt kittens.

Mom needs to be spayed in 8 weeks and kittens rehomed no earlier then 10-12 weeks old.