Dying Kittens

Question
My friend has a cat that has had babies twice.  Each time the kittens have died.  They stop eating, won't meow, won't move, and their tongues turn white.  This happens at different times though.  The first ones died within hours of each other, but this second set died within weeks.  One was even eating solid food. Could it be something genetic or what could cause this to happen?

Answer
Hi Shauna,

I'd be very suspicious that the mother may be carrying the feline leukemia or feline AIDS virus. These are very common causes of kittens deaths. Your friend should have the mother tested. Most vets can provide results in their office within 10 minutes.

If the tests return negative, the causes could vary widely. When litters begin to die off for seemingly unexplained reasons, the occurrence is called Fading Kitten Syndrome. A vet would need to examine the mother and kittens to see if a cause can be found. When kittens die within the first couple of days, it's possible that they were born very prematurely or that the mother didn't produce sufficient milk to nurse them. A conflicting blood type with the mother can also kill the kittens within the first several days, due to antibodies in the milk. Kittens that live a little longer but fade are most often suffering some infection, underdevelopment or deformity since birth that finally catches up with them. Many times, these kittens are several days premature and seem to thrive at first, but their underdeveloped organs are not able to support their quickly growing bodies. The most common reason these kittens die is probably infection. Sometimes antibiotics can help, but the cause is often viral (as in the case of feline leukemia), and therefore incurable.

I would strongly recommend that, regardless of this kitty's leukemia and AIDS status, she be spayed. Since both of her litters have died, it can be assumed that she is not the best stock for breeding.

Best of luck!

Jessica