I'm so glad I found this. My Bengal, Adriana just had her first litter of 7 kittens on Saturday and I discovered 1 kitten smashed/unresponsive yesterday afternoon. He was a beautiful snow Bengal, very different from his siblings & finding him has traumatized me. I can't seem to take my eyes off the babies. I've kept a close eye on mommy and her milk. I thought I messed up but after reading what a lot of you go through I feel blessed. Adriana eats a lot of chicken and drinks a lot of water, she's a fantastic mom. I guess the snow Bengal wasn't meant to be here but his 6 siblings are doing great. I tried to put him on her nipple and she would swat my hand away, as though she knew he wasn't going to make it. I haven't had to intervene since but I'm paranoid of loosing another one. All of the babies are about 3.5 ounces at 4 days old. I guess the best way is to let nature take its course. Adriana got pregnant on her own, delivered 7 kittens on her own, let one of them go on her own and is being a mommy on her own. Forcing a cat to do anything doesn't seem to work well......I can sleep now..... [size=50][/size][size=100][/size]

Congratulations on a litter. All catteries should have on hand supplies to supplement feed kittens. I know there are many owners who simply breed their females and have no idea what they are doing! Syringes, bottles, kitten formula is what you must have on hand in the event you need them. I'm guessing there may have been something wrong with the one kitten. Mom's instincts are pretty spot on and I am sorry you lost one. All breeders weigh their kittens to make sure they are gaining weight. It doesn't take much to lose a kitten and you must ensure the mom is feeding them and they are getting enough milk.

The mom needs to be on a high-quality diet to produce the milk she needs. And you need to keep a good eye on her and the kittens.