my baby kitten

Question
my cat lolly had 2 kittens at PM last night one is fine but the other has a cleft pallet and wont take milk from the mum ive tried powered formula but it is coming out his nose should i keep giving him at hes not had much milk or will this harm him further also will he be able to live or is this fatal please help im so worried about him thanks, nichola

Answer
Hi Nichola,

Unfortunately, the outlook for a kitten with a deformity that interferes with nursing is often poor. If the kitten DESIRES to eat from a dropper or bottle, you can allow him to do so, and see if he survives.

Kittens with cleft palates do survive sometimes. They are prone to sinus infections because food enters the nasal passages. Depending on how severe the deformity is, it may even affect swallowing, and these kittens can develop pneumonia. But no matter what, if the kitten survives his first couple months of life, this is a condition that he will have permanently unless surgically corrected (and that is strongly recommended). This may make it harder for him to find a home. This may or may not weigh into the decision to bottle feed or let nature take its course.

But as far as doing him any more harm, the only way you can really make things worse is by forcing him to eat when he's not wanting to. This can cause aspiration pneumonia. It's better to just let the little one go if he's refusing food.

Best wishes,
Jessica