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My cat won't nurse her weak kitten. How can I help it survive?

Updated on September 23rd, 2025

Pet's info: Cat | Domestic Shorthair | Female | unspayed | 1 year old

My cat is not feeding her 4 week old kitten she had 2 but 1 died last night her breasts are very swollen with white nipples kitten is weak I've been feeding him replacement milk every hr but he is still weak and mom won't even go to him

4 Answers

Most Helpful Answer

Answered By Jenna Beyer, DVM, MBA, cVMA

Veterinarian, Certified Veterinary Acupuncturist

Published on August 21st, 2017

Some kittens don't make it no matter what we do to help them out, and some cats are just not cut out to be moms. There is also the possibility that there is a congenital internal defect. If the kitten is very weak and won't suckle from the nipple or a bottle, you can try to slowly syringe the kitten milk replacer, but there is an increased risk of it going into his lungs and causing aspiration pneumonia. If this doesn't work, you should take the kitten to get checked out by a vet. The vet can show you how to safely tube feed the kitten to get its proper nutrition. Make sure that the kitten is staying warm and clean, and that you are stimulating urination and bowel movements.

Here is a good article on raising orphan kittens:

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&S=0&C=0&A=576

1Pet Parents found this answer helpful

Related Answers from Veterinarians

Answered By Ana M, DVM
Veterinarian
Published on September 19th, 2019
Thank you for submitting your question regarding your kittens. If possible, I would have the grey kitten seen by a veterinarian to ensure that it does not have a congenital problem affecting its ability to nurse. If it appears normal, you may need to bottle feed this kitten with kitten formula to ensure it gets proper nutrition. I hope this information helps!
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Silvia De Cecco, DVM, MRCVS
Veterinarian
Published on May 16th, 2018
Difficult to say it in advance, sometime when they get used to the feeding bottle they won't breastfeed anymore, as it require more energy and effort. Sometime thanks to the replacement milk they gain weight and strength and they restart to "fight" for the mom breast. If you decide to use the replacement milk make sure mom cleans the kitten to promote defecation and urination. If she isn't, you have to replace her and gently stimulate the kitten genital area after every feeding so they can eliminate.
I also recommend to keep the kitten warm and to seek veterinarian attention if there isn't any improvement or the kitten get worse. Good luck.
Please post again on the forum if you would like to discuss it further. I hope my answer was helpful.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
Answered By Dr. Melanie, BVSc MS
Veterinarian
Published on March 30th, 2020
Oh no, that's not good. Newborn kittens are very fragile and can go long without nursing. You need to try to bottle feed her. Check this article from PetCoach on what to do:

https://www.petcoach.co/article/how-to-raise-orphan-kittens/
2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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