# MAYDAY - newborn kitten won't/can't nurse \[Update: sad outcome\] **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 14, 2012, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-newborn-kitten-wont-cant-nurse-update-sad-outcome/631447 "2012-08-14T07:19:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [September 2, 2012, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-newborn-kitten-wont-cant-nurse-update-sad-outcome/631447/61 "2012-09-02T21:31:52Z")
oh goodness. the cuteness! i’m glad to hear momma and kittens are all doing well. 3 more utensils, eh? timer? chop stick? pasta spinner? ---
**Author:** ![Sarabellum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarabellum/32/3492_2.png) [@Sarabellum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarabellum)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-newborn-kitten-wont-cant-nurse-update-sad-outcome/631447/62 "2012-09-03T01:22:06Z")
Wow, that is a pile of cute, yes it is! Little Spork and Tong and Pepper are too cute for words. Could you give us a little rundown on which ones have tails and which don’t? It’s hard to see, in the picture. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 1:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-newborn-kitten-wont-cant-nurse-update-sad-outcome/631447/63 "2012-09-03T01:29:35Z")
> [@starwarsfreek42](#): > > They are doing good! They have eyes now and are kind of toddling around, not quite walking but not swimming anymore. [Here](http://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/s720x720/558216_10151386516814046_225124313_n.jpg)is a pic from this week. The solid gray one is Tong and the gray and white one is Spork. The stripey one is Pepper Mill, but I can’t decide if he/she should be called Pepper or Millie for short. I think most of them are girls, but I’m not sure. Within the next couple of weeks you should be able to tell the boys by looking under their tails. I know it’s not as obvious on newborns (we raised several) but I’m always baffled by people who can’t tell when they get a kitten 8+ weeks old that hasn’t yet been neutered. Especially when they think a boy is a girl. Aren’t the fuzzy testicles a giveaway to everyone? ---
**Author:** ![starwarsfreek42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e56c9b/32.png) [@starwarsfreek42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/starwarsfreek42)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2012, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-newborn-kitten-wont-cant-nurse-update-sad-outcome/631447/64 "2012-09-03T19:24:01Z")
Ok, [pic](http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/561031_10151393708209046_526540839_n.jpg). See the solid black one to the far right? It’s got a tail. The nearby tuxedo cat with its butt mooshed up against Pepper Mill’s head has a tail also. The rest are bobtailios. ---
**Author:** ![Sarabellum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarabellum/32/3492_2.png) [@Sarabellum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarabellum)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2012, 12:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-newborn-kitten-wont-cant-nurse-update-sad-outcome/631447/65 "2012-09-04T12:27:19Z")
Spork is the cutest. That is all. ---
**Author:** ![Sailboat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sailboat/32/461_2.png) [@Sailboat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sailboat)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2012, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-newborn-kitten-wont-cant-nurse-update-sad-outcome/631447/66 "2012-09-04T13:00:14Z")
> [@starwarsfreek42](#): > > Ok, [pic](http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/561031_10151393708209046_526540839_n.jpg). See the solid black one to the far right? It’s got a tail. The nearby tuxedo cat with its butt mooshed up against Pepper Mill’s head has a tail also. The rest are bobtailios. The gray and the dark ones are cute! The orange ones are freaking me out a little, though. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2012, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-newborn-kitten-wont-cant-nurse-update-sad-outcome/631447/67 "2012-09-04T16:20:16Z")
The grey one with a white tummy is in desperate need of a tummy rub. I can tell these things. Kitten tummies have the softest fur. ---
**Author:** ![Sarabellum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarabellum/32/3492_2.png) [@Sarabellum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarabellum)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-newborn-kitten-wont-cant-nurse-update-sad-outcome/631447/68 "2012-09-05T03:25:28Z")
I love how so many of them have the pure white “socks” - it just draws emphasis to those little baby feet! Yes, Spork definitely needs a little tummy rub. It is a good thing you don’t live nearby, or I would have myself a new kitten. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![madrabbitwoman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c37758/32.png) [@madrabbitwoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madrabbitwoman)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2012, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-newborn-kitten-wont-cant-nurse-update-sad-outcome/631447/69 "2012-09-05T07:24:45Z")
I’m sure they can feel the tummy rubs through my screen ---
**Author:** ![starwarsfreek42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e56c9b/32.png) [@starwarsfreek42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/starwarsfreek42)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-newborn-kitten-wont-cant-nurse-update-sad-outcome/631447/70 "2012-09-12T21:45:41Z")
Update: Tong has a soft spot on his head. Like, a big one. I took him to the vet this afternoon after I realized it and they said it probably will never close up, and it’s putting pressure on his eyes that kind of gives him a surprised look. But, they said, it isn’t hurting him and the eyes will probably sort themselves out as he grows. He may have seizures later in life, and he may not. I probably will go ahead and make plans to keep him myself, unless I find somebody soon who wants a special-needs cat. Everyone else is looking good. Their ears popped open last week. ---
**Author:** ![rocking\_chair](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rocking_chair/32/2918_2.png) [@rocking\_chair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rocking_chair)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2012, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-newborn-kitten-wont-cant-nurse-update-sad-outcome/631447/71 "2012-09-12T22:25:28Z")
awwww, poor tong. hopefully he won’t land on his head too often. ---
**Author:** ![Sarabellum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarabellum/32/3492_2.png) [@Sarabellum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarabellum)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2012, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-newborn-kitten-wont-cant-nurse-update-sad-outcome/631447/72 "2012-09-13T01:08:10Z")
We need more pictures! Also, they all need names! 🙂 Tong’s soft spot - how large is it? Just curious, as I have never heard of a cat that has an incomplete skull and I find these things interesting. ---
**Author:** ![starwarsfreek42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e56c9b/32.png) [@starwarsfreek42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/starwarsfreek42)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2012, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-newborn-kitten-wont-cant-nurse-update-sad-outcome/631447/73 "2012-09-13T01:56:20Z")
I’ll try to get some pics tomorrow. The soft spot is about the length of my thumbnail, and kind of narrow. It goes from near his left ear to down between his eyes. I didn’t notice it until today, but the vet says it had probably always been there and widened as he’s grown. You can’t see it because it’s covered by fur, but you can feel it by petting him. It’s much like a human baby’s soft spot. I did ask the vet if it was likely that he’d run into something and puncture his head open, and he said probably not. The only things to worry about are his eyes and the possibility of seizures later, but that might not ever happen. He also might be a little 'tarded, but that won’t hurt anything. I’ve got plenty of 'tarded cats already. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [September 13, 2012, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-newborn-kitten-wont-cant-nurse-update-sad-outcome/631447/74 "2012-09-13T13:13:40Z")
Hey, 'tarded cats are the best! ---
**Author:** ![Sarabellum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarabellum/32/3492_2.png) [@Sarabellum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarabellum)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2012, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-newborn-kitten-wont-cant-nurse-update-sad-outcome/631447/75 "2012-09-15T05:40:57Z")
I wonder if Momma cat was exposed to something (chemicals?) early in the pregnancy that caused a greater than normal amount of birth defects? Two kittens in one batch that have skull deformities seems unnaturally high. Is Tong acting pretty normal so far? Development on par with the other littermates? ---
**Author:** ![starwarsfreek42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e56c9b/32.png) [@starwarsfreek42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/starwarsfreek42)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-newborn-kitten-wont-cant-nurse-update-sad-outcome/631447/76 "2012-09-16T20:26:13Z")
A week ago I’d have called them even, but now all the others are getting more coordinated and he isn’t. Otherwise, he’s playful, he eats, me meows, he grooms himself and the other kittens, he’s interested in socializing with my own cats. He seems to be able to see and hear fine. He does normal kitten stuff, but he may be falling behind in development. I really don’t know if the mom cat was exposed to something, but I wouldn’t be surprised. The crackheads that live behind me are basically running a mechanic’s shop out of their back yard and there’s constantly smoke and fumes pouring over the fence. They’ve probably got a ton of chemicals and car fluids back there, and she was running free in the neighborhood before I brought her in. ---
**Author:** ![Taomist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/53a042/32.png) [@Taomist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taomist)\ **Post date:** [September 16, 2012, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-newborn-kitten-wont-cant-nurse-update-sad-outcome/631447/77 "2012-09-16T21:07:24Z")
I just got to this thread; poor Spoon! Good on ya for doing the right thing. And omg squee kitties!! It’s so nice you can keep Tong, just in case; a lot of people either wouldn’t or couldn’t. And now I’m imagining Tong with a little kitty helmet. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sarabellum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarabellum/32/3492_2.png) [@Sarabellum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarabellum)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2012, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-newborn-kitten-wont-cant-nurse-update-sad-outcome/631447/78 "2012-09-17T18:34:39Z")
Hmm… sounds like Tong is holding his own, all things considered. I’m also glad to hear that you’ll be keeping him yourself. Tong is a bobtail, also, right? ---
**Author:** ![starwarsfreek42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e56c9b/32.png) [@starwarsfreek42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/starwarsfreek42)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2012, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-newborn-kitten-wont-cant-nurse-update-sad-outcome/631447/79 "2012-09-30T21:49:06Z")
Yes, Tong is a bobtail. [Here](http://i1278.photobucket.com/albums/y501/starwarsfreek42/SN853453_zps543548a1.jpg)he is! Everyone is doing good so far. I’m saving my moneys so I can get them all fixed before they go to new homes. I frankly do not trust other people. ---
**Author:** ![Corcaigh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Corcaigh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corcaigh)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2012, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-newborn-kitten-wont-cant-nurse-update-sad-outcome/631447/80 "2012-10-01T11:12:47Z")
n’awwwwwwww they are adorable ❤ I’m loving the Hallowe’en themed blankets! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-newborn-kitten-wont-cant-nurse-update-sad-outcome/631447.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mayday-newborn-kitten-wont-cant-nurse-update-sad-outcome/631447.md?page=5)