birth defect in siamese kitten

Question
Hello!  Our Siamese cat gave birth to 4 kittens this morning and 1 of them has 3 nostrils and a split mouth.  We tried to feed it some KMR just now and the little kitty seemed distressed, so we don't know if any went down right.  Is this a common defect amongst Siamese cats?  It does seem like 2 cats never separated fully (2 noses & 2 mouths) just like siamese twins.  What could have caused this? What do you recommend?  Thank You~

Sandra

Answer
Hi Sandra.  Poor little one!  These birth defects, if I'm understanding what you're saying, are relatively common as far deformities go in kittens.  It sounds like he has a split nostril and a cleft palate.  The defects are not any more common in Siamese cats than in other cats as long as the two cats bred came from diverse gene pools.  As with any other situation, if there was inbreeding involved, as occurs with some lines of Siamese, then chances of deformities with their offspring are greater.

More than likely, this didn't involve two fetuses, but just one that there has been a genetic hiccup with.  A split nostril isn't always a problem, but a cleft palate tends to be a larger issue, because it can allow milk flow into the sinus cavities and cause aspiration of milk into the lungs.  There may also be deformities that aren't visible, such as those of the heart and lungs.  A cleft palate may close on its own over the first few weeks of a kitten's life if he does, indeed, manage to survive that long.  Some kittens learn to nurse with a cleft palate just fine.  If a cleft palate doesn't close up on its own, sometimes a surgery can close it once he reaches a safe weight to undergo anesthesia.  It's getting to that point that will be the biggest challenge.  

Unfortunately, a kitten so little must be carefully fed.  If he's eating on his own, then you can see how things progress.  If he's not eating on his own, you have a difficult road ahead of you.  Trying to get anything into him is likely to result in formula in his lungs.  You can try feeding him carefully with an eye dropper, just a drop at a time.  But in the case of a physically deformed kitten who refuses to eat, euthanasia may be the kindest choice.  Even at a day old, a vein can usually be found to make this compassionate choice possible, or the injection may be given into the chest.