I have a mom cat (Church) and she had four kittens on 03/21/2008. On April 7th I had taken one of the kittens to the vet because I noticed she had labored breathing and she was not nursing. She started gasping for air, shook a little, and died in my hands before the Dr. was even able to see her. I brought the rest of the kittens up to the vet and the Dr. said that it was probably fleas and treated them all with Adams right there on the spot. The next day (yesterday) I noticed another kitten was showing the same symptoms. So I brought Church and her remaining three kittens to the same vet. He informed me that Church had a fever of 103 and her gave them all a shot of antibiotics and something to reduce the fever. He then informed me that I would have to separate Church from her kittens and I would have to nurse the babies from here on out. On the ride home I noticed that same kitten was acting completely different from the other ones. The other two seemed to be fine and relaxed and she was getting worse and worse. I brought her back in that same day. The Dr. gave her another shot that he said would counter-act with the shot he had given her earlier which could have caused her behavior. I spent four hours with that baby. I could tell it hurt her to breath, she tried so hard to hang on, and then she past too. Now I have two remaining babies that are doing good with everything but pooping. I have been using the just born kitty replacement milk. Their urine is a little darker than what I would like, but they are eating, urinating, and sleeping. There are no signs or symptoms that remind me of the other two. I just haven't seen them poop yet, is there anything I can do to help this situation without going to the vet? Also, since Church has not been allowed to nurse, her teats have swollen greatly. She is still on antibiotics now. Is there any need to be concerned for her? And is there anything I can do to help alleviate any discomfort she is having? I know this is a lot to read, but to get a good answer detail to the situation if very important. I am planning on keeping both babies and the mom cat. All of them will be fixed as well!

As far as the kittens. They must eliminate waste or they can become toxic. You can try taking a rag and running it under warm water, squeeze the excess water out, gently massage the kittens anus with the warm rag. This should stimulate them to defecate. As far the mothers nipples. The swelling should subside once her body becomes use to not nursing. Like all mothers, the milk will dry up. Hope this works for you. Good Luck

<moved from Nursing to Cats>

Thank you very much for answering my question. The two babies I have left are doing fine now. They are so big! I ended up adding a drop of mineral oil in their formula. That helped them go to! Mom cat is also doing fine, her milk is all dried up. I have learned a lot from this whole experience. Hopefully I can help other with their questions now!

Awwww. That's wonderful. Glad they are all doing well. You're a good Mommy. :)