Newborn kitten has swollen red claw

Question

i have 6 kittens who are 5 days old. one has been handfeeding also and is teeny compared to the others, but picking up and i think he will make it and we have started to feel happier about his progress, then this morning i noticed his claw on his front poor- the end one- is not int he right position anymore and it is red/inflamed at the base.

The kitten only weights 82g - 2.8oz.. when his siblings weigh obout 150g or 5oz approx

I don't want this to turn to anything bad, but i am unsure if it something that needs attention. When i saw the vet with him when he was not feeding or anything she told me that he was too small to do anything with so just to try to feed him and hope for the best and he would need to be a few weeks old before he could be 'treated' for anything so i am thinking she will not be able to do anything if i were to take him with his poorly claw.

any advice on how i can treat this and does anybody actually KNOW if this could cause a real problem for him. We have gone through quite a lot for this little guy & dont want to loose him now thanks

Answer 1

It is possible that his claw was somehow cut too close to the middle if something were to happen where somehow the claw was cut. There is a vein in cats' nails and when it gets cut it bleeds and gets sore for the cat or kitten. It is possible that if this happened it could have gotten infected.

All I can say is call your local vet and ask for more help because I dont think many people will know on Yahoo Answers.

Good Luck!

Wish the best for the kitten!

Hope this helped

_-_LadyLawyer_-_

|-Julie K-|

Answer 2

ditch them and get a proper cat that isn't so high maintenance  

Answer 3

Is the mother helping to care for the little one or is she ignoring it.  If she is ignoring it then that is the reason it is so small.  Try to get her to care for the little one by consistantly placing the runt with her.  It has been my experience the runt usually turns out to be a character. You might put a bandaid on the paw and see if the mother takes it off. The runt might be nursing on its foot when it is humgry.  How does the mother react to it when it cries?

We had a rabbit when I was a kid and the mother tried to kill it and the foot was one of the places she started.  My mother took the bunnie away and we raised it, named it baby...grew old and weighed about 20 pounds she was let loose in the back yard and only went in her house at night, greenest lawn in town.  

Answer 4

I understand the frustration from handling newborn kittens that are too young to treat. I have had the same situation with babies this summer. I would however, at least call the vet and see if they can offer any advice on this. It is possible that there may be some safe topical treatment that could help. You sure don't want the baby to develop an infection.

Just an idea that comes to mind...wash the paw with an anti-bacterial soap. Make sure you rinse it off well. I really can't see that it would hurt anything...(I would try it if I were you), but a vet's advice is always best.