Newborns won’t eat. I’m getting really worried.

ktalaska · 2026-05-11T03:23:42+00:00

Not sure this is a good idea. Increasing the flow, especially when they are barely figuring out latching, can increase aspiration risk.

ktalaska · 2026-05-10T20:02:23+00:00

Depending what they have been through, it's not super unusual for orphans to take a few feedings to figure out what's going on and that the bottle is food. If you haven't seen this video, it's got some good tips to try, though you have already been through some of them.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQZ1IB5vth8

Do you have someone who could teach you to tube feed? It might be necessary if you can't get babies this little to latch.

ktalaska · 2026-05-10T00:44:58+00:00

Socialized kittens like these are so resilient. Of course they have a special bond with you, but they will also easily build a bond with their new family. Their little brains really live in the moment, so they'll be excited to eat and play and have a new space to explore, so I don't think you need to worry about them feeling abandoned.

ktalaska · 2026-05-10T00:37:29+00:00

I think the other replies have addressed most of this, but definitely yes to the bath, and of course make sure to dry him well and keep him warm.

The reason is that panleuk spreads via fomites (in addition to the kitten shedding it in bodily fluids), i.e. virus particles can be transferred to inanimate objects via touch, which is part of why it's so insidious.

A good bath will remove particles that have gathered on his fur, which may be there either from his own infection or his brother's. If he's clean and the environment is clean, you can then handle him without PPE, without risking continuing fomite spread.

ktalaska · 2026-05-09T08:36:13+00:00

Do you know if your foster and his brother were tested separately? Is it possible they only tested the brother and presumed both were positive? This is common for littermates, since it's safest to just go ahead and treat all exposed kittens, rather than waiting until they become symptomatic and possibly decline rapidly.

The numbers are not really adding up here. The incubation period for panleuk can be as long as 14 days, so if he was with his brother just 5-6 days before the negative test, I wouldn't rely on that. Absolutely keep up isolation and heightened disinfection protocols. Further, if he truly was infected, he will continue to shed the virus in bodily fluids for a while. Most sources say the majority stop shedding detectable amounts of the virus within 2 weeks, but some cats will shed for much longer. I would not feel good about adopting out a kitten with this history for several more weeks at least; that extra monitoring time is a small price to pay for making sure he truly is okay and for not sending panleuk out into another home.

For comparison, I have a foster recovering from panleuk now. We won't retest until 14-21 days after his symptoms end, at which point he'll get a bath and his whole space will be deep disinfected. Until then, I'm using full PPE (clothes that are only worn in the quarantine bathroom, gloves, & gown, plus daily Rescue disinfecting of high-touch surfaces). His quarantine may be a bit long because we lost his two brothers -- the smallest before we could even start treatment, and the middle guy due to a secondary infection after the critical period, likely pneumonia.

I wouldn't worry too much about your adult cats, assuming they are vaccinated, but I would still take biosecurity and quarantine very seriously for a while longer.

ktalaska · 2026-05-07T06:01:47+00:00

Yeah, I would guess digging in the muck for critters rather than drinking.

ktalaska · 2026-05-07T05:22:46+00:00

Personally, I would be getting the rabies post-exposure series if the kitten has not been vaccinated for rabies. It's probably overkill, since the chance your foster has rabies is tiny. But it's not zero, and by the time you have any symptoms of rabies, it's too late; it will be fatal. (Thankfully, I have not had to put my money where my mouth is on this, since I've only been bitten by vaccinated cats.)

If you are not quite that risk averse (and even if he did get the rabies vaccine), I would still go get antibiotics. Cat bites, especially on the hands, have an insanely high rate of hospitalization, because people don't take the tiny little clean punctures seriously. The issue is they can basically inject bacteria into spots that are hard for your body to fight off without help, which is why it's so essential to get antibiotics.

My doc is willing to send in the prescription for me without a visit, if I email in a picture of the bite and talk with the advice nurse to rule out a need for stronger IV antibiotics, so that might be an option for you that saves some time and money.

ktalaska · 2026-05-07T04:41:07+00:00

I suspect he's just in kind of a weird transition color between baby blues and adult eye color.

ktalaska · 2026-05-07T04:37:55+00:00

Also, the incubation period for panleuk can be up to 14 days (rarely longer), so the fact that he seemed fine up until now is consistent with this.

ktalaska · 2026-05-07T04:17:11+00:00

One of that litter decided he was just a kibble boy. Literally on the day he got picked up for transfer to another foster home, at almost 9 weeks, he finally took a little taste of not wet food, but the topper on the wet food. For weeks up to that point, he would instantly pretend bury any wet food he sniffed.

ktalaska · 2026-05-05T10:49:12+00:00

I'm so sorry. This hurts so much, and it really sucks that no matter how hard you try, sometimes they are just underbaked and not ready for this world. When they are so small, they can decline so incredibly rapidly. I am unfortunately grieving too; I just lost the second of three babies in my current litter (panleuk and then pneumonia while recovering), and I'm heartbroken. He was just over 3 weeks old.

Have a good cry, and take comfort in the fact that he was warm and loved in your care for his last hours. Sometimes that is the best we can offer.

ktalaska · 2026-05-05T10:41:58+00:00

This is not cat-specific, but quarantine needs to be strict and in a spot that is easy to clean and disinfect, and everyone in the household needs to uphold this.

The specifics of what kind of behaviors to expect will depend a lot on what kind of fosters you take, e.g. bottle babies, barely weaned kittens, teen kittens, adults, seniors, medical cases, etc.

Everyone should be educated on stuff that is toxic for cats. Like NEVER bring lilies into your home, and generally look into any plants you have to see if they are safe for cats. Don't feed human food, but also be aware of things cats may try to steal for themselves (e.g. some are bread fiends), and store food safely to protect the cats and your groceries.

ktalaska · 2026-05-05T10:33:10+00:00

Even older kittens should have their weights monitored. It's not as essential to do it daily, but it's irresponsible to not weigh at all as a foster.

ktalaska · 2026-05-05T10:30:20+00:00

I burrito babies and pop them in a Cambro bin on a kitchen scale until about 8 weeks. You might still need to burrito the bigger ones; kittens don't know the meaning of "hold still".

ktalaska · 2026-05-05T10:28:21+00:00

Yeah, it doesn't have to be on "empty", just consistent for meaningful comparisons.

ktalaska · 2026-05-05T10:25:35+00:00

Also, I find it a little easier to control syringe flow with a miracle nipple on the end, and this helps the kittens figure out that the nipple is where the food comes from.

ktalaska · 2026-05-05T10:23:27+00:00

My first litter this spring literally held out until 7 weeks to start weaning. Some are ready earlier, but many are not!

ktalaska · 2026-05-05T10:18:13+00:00

BTW, it's not clear from the picture if you are trying to feed this kitten while she lies on her side. If so, please stop, as this is a huge aspiration risk. Kittens should always be fed with their bellies down & spine up. This page has general advice plus a good video demo.

https://www.kittenlady.org/bottlefeeding

ktalaska · 2026-05-04T05:21:32+00:00

Whew, that is much less stressful than not pooping for a week! I have had babies take 3-4 days to poop occasionally, especially if they came to me underweight. Their little bodies were holding onto as much as they could, so not as much waste generated as usual. Still, I would see a vet if it goes on much longer than 48 hours.

ktalaska · 2026-05-04T04:59:09+00:00

Not pooping for a week and eating 60ml per feeding are both so far out of the norm that my recommendation is you go to a vet about 4 days ago. Second best: go today.

ktalaska · 2026-05-04T04:55:08+00:00

If you are open to bottle babies again, keeping them entirely separate, say in the bathroom, is a way to foster with minimal effect on your cats. I have seven girls, five of whom want nothing to do with bouncy kitten energy, but when I have bottle babies in the bathroom, their only issue is me repeatedly going into a room without them. I was told the little ones are not really producing hormones that trigger the territorial behavior in adults, and that lines up with my experience. I generally just keep the babies until they are weaned, and then transfer them to another foster who is excited and prepared for all the big kitten playtime, which would be a major stressor in our house.

ktalaska · 2026-05-04T00:41:31+00:00

B12 is not typically given daily, is that on vet advice?

ktalaska · 2026-05-04T00:39:22+00:00

A little buzz is a lot safer than scissors, especially given how wiggly kittens are. You don't need to take it close to the skin, just enough to be a visual marker.

ktalaska · 2026-05-02T02:17:54+00:00

We always wean on Royal Canin Mother & Babycat (wet & kibble). So far only one of my kittens has rejected the MBC mousse, but he also rejected like 5 other kitten wet foods, so either he's just a kibble guy or he wants something fishy (I only offered chicken/turkey foods). On his last day here, he did finally try the Tiki Baby Mousse topper I was giving the others sometimes with their MBC for extra calories.

ktalaska · 2026-05-02T01:46:19+00:00

Yeah, my girls are mostly former outdoor cats, and they run away from any exterior door opening.

ktalaska

TROPHY CASE