I have heard some really horror stories on that front too. I heard one woman put them in the freezer because she said they just got hypothermia and died. I won't repeat what my vet said to that.

My first kitten ever born had a clef palate and he had to be PTS. Still borns there is nothing you can do with them really, I would always give them a good go trying to resuscitate them first though, unless there is something obviously wrong, never just accept they are dead, sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't.

My biggest fear is an inside out born alive. I have a roll of cling film in my birth kit, to keep the innards clean and moist, so I can get them to the vet. I saw a vet on TV did actually repair a kitten like that, but I am not sure all vets would be willing to give them a go. * touch wood* I have never had one, but its always at the back of my mind.

Chances are you will have the odd still born and may never see a deformed kitten, best to be prepared though.

Right, this is going to be shock, horror, to some but there you go eek: If you have a full litter stillborn like I have had recently, what I do is get a supply of flannels (5 for a quid at poundland) and wrap each poor kit in its own flannel and then put that in an empty marg tub and tape that up, then pop in the wheelie bin. Sorry if this sounds a bit brutal but as a breeder if I was to bury every lost kitten, I would need a massive field let alone a back garden. If we were honest I would take bets on not being on my own here.

Older kits or cats I would leave to the vets to take care of.

Chrissy thank you sooooooooo much for being honest. This is the sort of information that I was after and i know that some people wouldnt like it but i needed the reality of it!

What about deformed kits that are suffering hun? Do you end their life yourself? If so, what do you do?

Never had that unfortunate situation, but if I did think it would be a vet job unless the kit died just in the first day or two of its life

I have a really big issue with dead pets,some of you will think its a bit weird i literally have to watch,and listen over them for ages,to make sure they are dead,also i could never leave anything at the vets to be disposed of.My gardens in all the houses ive ever lived in end up like cemetarys,i once had a rabbit put down it was winter and the ground was really hard so i asked the vet to dispose of it,a few hours later,and feeling very guilty i returned to the vets to get the rabbit,they got it out the freezer and i buried it!! i have never had any deformed kitts,but lost 2 from first litter,these were buried.

My old moggie that died of old age last year, my dad buried her at his house and even made a little varnished cross to mark her spot and a lovely plant next to her place. Yet as I said before, if I was to bury every single lost kitten after years and years of breeding I would have needed a field, not just a little garden.

Thanks everyone for your honesty here - i know its a tricky one to discuss! LOL

It is a heartbreaking subject. I had one kitten fade on me from each of our first two litters and despite our best efforts it was a losing battle. In the end we took them to the vet. However the first one was awful as the vet gave the kitten an injection saying it should be very quick (me in tears) but 3 minutes later the kit was still going so he had to give him another injection. He obviously felt awful about it.

I wrapped each kitten in a little cloth and in a small box and each one is buried in a different big planter pots in our garden with a special plant in it.

If I lost a whole litter i'd prob take them to the vet to dispose of or beg my other half to let me have them in the garden.