My 6-week-old kittens are dizzy, crying, and won't eat. What's wrong?

These kittens may be suffering from fading kitten syndrome, or were born by a cat infected with FeLV. Since two kittens are already dead and the third kitten is showing signs, I suggest you take the remaining kittens to a veterinarian today, as this is an emergency. Sometimes supportive care can save them, however if they indeed suffer from one of these two diseases, there is a high mortality incidence. A veterinarian can examine and diagnose the problem and assess your kittens and hopefully treat them.

Poor kitites. Lethargy and weakness can cause pets to stagger. Numerous things oculd be causing this including: anemia (low red blod cell count), or any other underlying illness. Without any other sympotms to speak of, there isn't much else to speculate on. Hopefullyt he vet can gether more information after a thorough physical exam and possibly even testing for infectious disease (FELV/FIV). I hope that your kitties are going to be ok moving forward. Best of luck and take care.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Loss of appetite and lethargy can be observed with many conditions such as gastroenteritis, dietary indiscretion, kidney disease, pancreatitis, among many other possibilities. Unfortunately, there is no way to help them without knowing what is going on. I recommend that you have them evaluated by your veterinarian for further assessment and treatment. They would be able to check for these possibilities and others depending on the findings on exam. Treatment would be based on findings. Good luck and have a great day! Hoping for a speedy recovery!

Hi there Your kittens need to be seen by a vet. It sounds like they've either contacted an illness (viral, bacterial, parasitic) or that they aren't receiving enough food. Kittens need to eat kitten milk every hour or so to keep up with their energy demands. I would get them to a vet ASAP to help them and find out what's going on.

Fading kitten syndrome is not really specific to any one disease, but is a term we use when a kitten is dying. This can be very difficult to manage and requires the help of a veterinarian immediately. Your description of him definitely sounds serious, so my best recommendation is to get him to a vet as soon as possible. For now, you can help keep his blood sugar up by giving a little honey or karo syrup on her gums. You can also try to give a little water in his mouth with a syringe. If he drinks the water, then it's good to give him 10ml every two hours. If he is not drinking, then don't force it, because this can cause him to choke. I hope that helps and he gets better soon.

Those poor kittens and their mother! Do not give Vinnie cow's milk, it's not good for cats. Cats are lactose intolerant, and it will give them diarrhea as well as possibly cause them to vomit. The mucus on her butt could be from diarrhea, and that diarrhea could also be caused by intestinal worms, which are common in young kittens. Both kittens need a deworming treatment, and they need a kitten formula to eat. If their eyes are open, then they are old enough to be weaned onto a kitten dry food. To help them wean and to get used to dry food, I would soak a high quality kitten formulated dry food in warm water until soft. Then mix that with kitten formula such as KMR to make a mush the consistency of oatmeal. Over the next two weeks, gradually increase the amount of dry kitten food and decrease the amount of water and KMR you use until they are eating the dry kitten food only. If Vinnie continues to not eat and act lethargic over the next 12 hours, he will need to see a vet immediately. Best of luck, I hope this helps.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Tiger and John. I am sorry to hear that they are not feeling well. They will need to see a veterinarian right away. I am concerned they are affected by the same disease that took the life of their litter mate. They will be evaluated and hopefully their disease diagnosed. I am worried they are suffering from feline panleukopenia. Their veterinarian will let you know if this is the case and how best to treat them. In the meantime, try to get them to eat and drink small amounts if possible. I hope this information helps. Good luck!