Kittens aged zero to 12 weeks are susceptible to contracting Fading Kitten Syndrome, sometimes called FKS. What is Fading Kitten Syndrome? It is a term used to describe the many different potential causes of death in a kitten for health reasons. These include illnesses contracted through the mother cat, birth defects and infections caught after birth. Some people refer to Fading Kitten Syndrome as the "mystery illness", because often it is hard to know what caused the kitten to become sick.
For the best success at beating FKS – it needs to be detected early. By learning some of the common causes of Fading Kitten Syndrome, people can help prevent kitten deaths. Unfortunately however, some kitten losses are unavoidable.
Common Causes of Fading Kitten Syndrome
A kitten can get sick due to something he has been exposed to during pregnancy. A mother cat that has a bad dietary intake has a higher chance of giving birth to kittens who get FKS. It is important for a mother cat to eat a healthy diet during her pregnancy and whilst nursing. A sick mother cat will subject her unborn kittens to her sickness – resulting in potential Fading Kitten Syndrome for her kittens.
Nursing kittens are also at risk of Fading Kitten Syndrome. When a kitten is nursing, he or she may be pushed away by its litter mates – resulting in this kitten not getting enough nourishment. Sometimes a kitten will have a different blood type to his mother, causing him to get very sick and potentially die. If this happens the rest of the litter should be taken away from the nursing mother and raised as orphan-kittens.
If a mother cat has a viral or bacterial infection she can also cause her kittens to get sick through nursing. A baby kitten is very fragile with an under-developed immune system and he cannot handle the same illnesses an adult cat can. This cause of FKS can be beaten with a dedicated owners attention.
Newborn kitten care involves making sure the baby kittens are kept warm if the mother is not doing so. When kittens are born they are not able to self regulate their temperature, which can cause them to catch a chill. A chill can lead to the more serious hypothermia, which can lead to the very serious death of the kitten.
Signs of Fading Kitten Syndrome
When a litter is born it is important to remain alert to the signs of Fading Kitten Syndrome. After birth kittens should be examined for birth defects, some will be obvious like a unformed limb. Keep an eye out for a kitten that loses interest in eating, is lethargic and any signs of weakness.
More Kitten Care Articles:
Sources
www.keepingkittens.com
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Michelle Taylor - Michelle Taylor is involved in several different fields. Including writing, gardening and business start-ups.
