What can I do to have healthy kittens in my breed?

Attention: This is the excellent article on birthing kittens forwarded from CFA Mentoring which I hope this article will benefit to all breeders. Please take you time reading this article for your kitten healthiness and leave the credit to CFAMentoring, and Candice Massey!

To: CFAMentoring@yahoogroups.com
From: rmassey@freeway.net
Date: Sat, 12 Dec 2009 15:26:11 -0500
Subject: [CFAMentoring] Minimizing neonatal deaths in the cattery

A protégé writes: "What can I do to have healthy kittens in my breed?"
*******************************************************
That is a very good question!

To some extent a bit of early neonatal death is natural to every breed of domesticated cats as there may be hidden birth defects to organs that can produce failure, however, there are definitely proactive steps we can take to maximize general kitten neonatal health and survival.

You are already doing some of them by careful isolation of the momcat and her litter from any others in the household, including the washing of your hands, and by using clean clothes and shoes in the nursery. A too-small house without sufficient isolation places for a litter to be off to itself away from free-roaming adult cats who can make new mothers nervous and cause them to move their kitten frequently, often to places that are not appropriate: cool, drafty or inaccessible to the breeder's watchful eye. Keeping newborn kittens toasty warm especially during the early weeks is essential. During the first couple of weeks of life, newborn kittens have very little internal heating regulation system, relying instead upon the warmth of the momcat and her nest environment. An investment in a microwave warming disk or a rice bag can be a lifesaver for newborns.

Prior practice of the breeder with the process of birthing and raising kittens is extremely valuable. If your mentor or another local breeder is willing to allow you to attend the birthing process of one of their queens is well worth getting up in the middle of the night to experience! A breeder who keeps careful watch over the momcat and her newborns and responds with EARLY appropriate preventative intervention methods in conjunction with their competent vet's recommendations and assessments, will have considerably
healthier kittens who will survive to maturity.

Then there are the momcat's mothering skills, which is an inheritable tendency among female cats. A female whose mother and grandmother were excellent momcats, is much more likely to be a good mom herself, and to pass these skills along to her female offspring.

Beyond basic mothering skills and momcat's devotion to the babies, is making sure that cords are promptly disinfected by dipping as soon as cut or better yet torn with either 10% bleach to water, betadine disinfectant or white iodine to avoid allowing bacteria traveling up the cord to possibly cause sepsis in the kitten's bellies. Vigorously rub each newborn dry with clean terry washcloths will keep their body temperature from dropping too low right after birth for them to be able to nurse or digest milk. Changing the towels or other bedding frequently at least every day also fights acquired bacterial infections. Looking at the base of the cord to detect early redness or pus can be a lifesaver for newborns. Examining the babies several times every day to make sure that their eyes are not bulging can save kittens from eye infections that could otherwise quickly escalate to serious eye infections or scarring. Bacterial infections in newborn kittens can swiftly get out of hand in a matter of a few hours and fast become unfixable if the bacterial overwhelms the neonate's immune system.

Use all your senses when evaluating a litter. I can often "hear" that something is wrong with a litter or with an individual kitten before I can "see" what is wrong, as plump happily nursing kittens are quiet, while fussy, noisy restless lightweight kittens have something going on that can be combated by swift assessment, diagnosis, and early intervention methods.

My vet and I have agreed in advance with a protocol of what I should do if newborns are fussy, at over-night times or on a weekend when she is not available except for emergency call-out. We have agreed in advance which situations or symptoms warrant immediate vet notification or calling her out in the middle of the night. She provides me in advance with the right broad spectrum antibiotics, and/or sterile fluids for sub-Q (under the skin) administration, and eye meds on hand to combat most common early neonatal infectious situations. I always have at the very least canned goat's milk for supplementation in case of kittens not having enough milk to suckle. My agreement with my vet is that I should institute corrective measures right away, and then to call her office in the morning to let her know what symptoms were seen, and which measures I took, so as to arrange for her to see them later that day, for confirmation of diagnosis and adjustment of treatment measures as needed.

There is a bacteria that is common among young mothers that is part of their normal vaginal flora, called Strep B for short, that can infect kittens while they pass through the birth canal. It is best combated by giving an injection of antibiotic, commonly injectable penicillin, to each kitten on the first day and for the first couple of days injected in a tiny volume amount 0.01 ml (one-hundredth of a ml) to each kitten. Strep B can cause kitten death within the first 10 days often very swiftly and cause early deaths without obvious physical signs of distress being present. It is generally diagnosed by autopsy,
when it is too late to help. That is why many breeders will arrange with their vet to routinely use the penicillin injections at birth to combine Strep B and ascending cord infection. A popular second or other choice of antibiotic are Clavamox, amoxicillin, clindamycin(Antirobe) or doxycycline(Vibramycin).

If the mom had previous problems with significant neonatal losses, infertility problems, or if she had Pyometria in the previous heat cycle and was treated with prostaglandins such as lutalyse therapy, your vet may have you place her on a pregnancy-safe antibiotic therapy for the duration of the PG, and beyond through the first week after birth. That maximizes kitten survival as a nice side effect, but should not be done routinely in momcats who did not have prior problems with infertility or pyo.

As most of my mothers don't seem to be prone to Strep B, I am not currently doing this protocol, but I have in the past with any mothers who had early neonatal deaths that looked suspicious in past litter or with first-time mothers whose moms had this problem. But instead I do stand ready to institute vet-approved antibiotics at the *first* sign of anything being wrong with the litter or with individual kittens. Generally, it is better to give a broad spectrum antibiotic whenever there is any early problem with a litter or a
kitten, as the underlying problems are most likely to be bacterial within the first week or so. This is ALWAYS assuming that you have consulted your competent vet for probable diagnosis and treatment protocols!

Then there are the problems of inbred lines of cats with marginal kitten health characteristics and inexperienced or inattentive mothers. The more inbred a line is on lines that have early kitten problems, the better the chances of having higher kitten mortality. This can be combated with careful diversification of existing lines, using cats known to come from problem-free lines, and with careful selection of offspring being used for breeding. If I had the cattery space, and more than one excellent female siblings to choose among, I might keep both girls to see how well they do in PG and mothering before selecting the one to keep in my program, and placing the other one.

If your breed has allowable Outcross options utilize them to bring in a stud or dam from a more healthy and diversified gene background, to instill a better chance of having offspring who are well-diversified, and which come from generations of selection for easy birthing and excellent mothering skills.

Does this help?
Best,
Candice Massey

Since 27 June 2008

View My Stats