7 week old kitten died

Hi. I'd been given a kitten at 6 weeks old. He was litter trained and weaned and was very confident and happy.

But I'd only had him just over a week, and he died. He had been fine all day, and in the evening started being sick. My veterinarian told me to keep an eye on him. He slowly got worse and stopped drinking water, and he hadn't eaten for hours.

While I was on the phone, talking to my vet, asking what to do, my kitten died.

Now, I had taken him to my mom's for the day, and we were still there when he died. Could it have been the stress of him being somewhere new?

I feel so guilty and am hoping for some peace of mind. Thank you.


Please don’t blame yourself for your young kitten’s passing. Unfortunately, with kittens this young, there is a small percentage that die from unknown causes. Your kitten may have had a virus, missed a meal and became too dehydrated because he was so small, missed a meal and his glucose became too low, or, there is even a condition known as fading kitten syndrome, where young kittens practically just fade away. Often times, with kittens so young, we never know why they die.

The travel to your mom’s did not likely do anything to harm your little kitten, nor did the stress of a new environment. You did all of the right things, talked to a veterinarian, asked for help, and paid very close attention to the serious illness symptoms you were seeing. Please do not blame yourself for your loss.

I am so very sorry for your loss. I know it is incredibly painful to lose a little one.

With deepest sympathies,
Dr. Neely