Cleft Palate

Question
QUESTION: Hello and thanks for your help!

I had a litter of kittens born 5am on September 30th. When I was examining them tonight, I noticed something for off with one of the kittens. When I opened up his mouth it appears he has a huge cleft palate. The roof of his mouth has not formed at all. I have never seen this before and not sure what to do. Will he be able to make it and what can I do to help him?

My vet is closed until Monday so I'm hoping for some advice until I can see them. I'm pretty sure they will tell me to put him down but I don't want to if I can help him.

Thanks again,
-Chris

ANSWER: Hi Chris,

Cleft palates are among the more common deformities in kittens. A secondary cleft palate, when there is an opening in the tissue that separates the oral cavity and the nasal cavity, will usually cause a kitten problems if not corrected. Because the kitten has survived thus far, it would appear that he is receiving some nutrition. However, depending on where the hole in the palate is, he may be at higher risk for pneumonia and nasal infections. He is also likely to grow more slowly than the other kittens because of difficulty receiving nutrition.

Some small holes can close on their own, but severely deformed palates must be surgically repaired. If the kitten does survive, a surgery will be required in order to give him a good quality of life. If he is left with the cleft palate, chronic nasal and lung infections are likely to plague him. You should discuss with your vet whether the surgery might be feasible for this little one once he's old enough (some mouths are too deformed to repair), and whether the cost is manageable for you. So although it is a very difficult decision to make, I would encourage you to have the vet look at him. Because you have already noticed something was off with the little one, this indicates that he does need to be examined closely, and the kindest decision for him should be made. If it appears that milk is flowing into his lungs, this is a bad sign, and it may be best to put the little one to sleep.

Good luck with him and all the rest!

Jessica

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hello Jessica and thank you for replying,

I was getting worried since it looked like milk was coming out of his nose so I looked up vets open on Sunday and started getting ready to leave. When I went to get him he had already passed. It was so quick I wasn't expecting it and I'm not sure what happened. Could mom have crushed him or did he suddenly drown from the milk? This has been a very sad experience.

I was wondering if you know if this is a genetic defect since you said it was common? Or if it could have been caused in utero from outside factors (stress, etc.)? It was definitely not a small hole. The roof of his mouth was completely exposed while the palate looked like it was where his gums should have been (I hope I'm describing this correctly).

Thanks again for the info and help,
-Chris

Answer
Oh, I'm sorry to hear this.

Cleft palates are not usually "familial", which means a deformity that is passed down in the genes. They usually happen spontaneously for unknown reasons, but they happen in much higher incidences if the mother is inbred, is infected with a disease or is malnourished while pregnant. There is also some evidence that certain vaccines can cause deformities if administered while pregnant, especially when given early during the pregnancy. Because the entire litter is exposed to these circumstances, there is sometimes more than one deformed kitten in a litter. I would try to check the other kittens over to make sure their mouths look okay.

I think it's most likely that the little one died of aspiration pneumonia (essentially drowning from the milk), especially since you noted that there was milk coming out of his nose. This is extremely common in kittens who are unable to swallow properly. With a deformity so severe, I don't imagine that this poor little one would have survived to an age where he could have undergone any surgical correction.

Although I have heard reports of it happening (especially in hairless cats), I have never seen a mother crush her kittens personally. She sleeps on top of them for ages, and yet they breathe fine! They wiggle their way out if they get too warm or stuffy. I think this is something very low on the list of probabilities.

I wish having kittens was 100% joy for you. Unfortunately, it is extremely common to lose a kitten from a litter. I know first-hand how very sad it is. Nature can be very difficult to appreciate, sometimes. But I hope the rest of the kittens will be a nothing but fun!