Preemies are extremely difficult to care for because so much is under-developed. You can only do the best you can. Imperative you keep the little one warm. It is best to pouch the little one over your heart if you can. I use an old pillowcase and make like a drawstring purse. Drape the cord over my neck and shoulder and place the little one inside the pillowcase where there are several layers of warm rags for him to lay on. That is the best way to keep preemies with you- they are comforted by your heart and warmed by your body.

If mom is in the picture, then it is best to leave the little one with her and supplement the kitten with feedings of nutrical and formula to take the stress off the queen. Be sure and feed the queen KMR, kitten chow, canned food and give her plenty of water. There is no better mom than the queen and we can do all we can with her help. The danger is if the kitten is sickly and starts smelling off to the queen, she will either take it and put it somewhere that predators will find it, or she will kill it herself. So watch the family closely.

Edited by scratch - 12 Oct 2009 at 9:25am

You can't expect a preemie to respond as a newborn ready to hit the earth does. In the wild when cats mate, queens can be taken by up to three toms at one time. This means that inside of her, she can have more than one family growing. Once the first concieved litter is ready to be born, they push all others out regardless if they are ready or not.

I would feed him only, let mom still clean and care for him if that is possible? Yes, queens mourn the loss of their kittens and the stress can dry up the milk, or she can just be a young mother and her body doesn't know how to respond.  If she is licking and cleaning him, let that be her job. If she isn't leaving him for long periods of a time, then she is the best provider of warmth for him. We make poor substitutes for the queen. I would also start adding a bit of Nancy's plain yogurt with active cultures in his formula as it will help him immensely.

I know how daunting it can be to have such a little one in your care. I stand by ready to help out as much as I possibly can. I have successfully raised preemies over the years to health and put them into loving homes. I have also lost my share of the preemies as well. Two years ago a litter of kittens found in a newly mown hay field were delivered to me. They were days old, the mom had been killed and  how the babies were spared is beyond me. They were all preemies, manx-crosses and none of them had their bowels fully developed. At less than a week old, we had to let them go to the angels despite all our efforts and prayers. Some of the things wrong with stray kittens, even God cannot fix.