Good for you for all your hard work with these kittens. Anyone that has had a litter of kittens to feed and care for knows how very much work it is. I agree with you that it is hard to find good statistics on kitten mortality.
In a breeding situation, the average loss is about 15-25% of the kittens. This is higher than many other domestic animals. And for your situation, there are many more variables. You’re right that if the kittens have not nursed and have not gotten that colostrum to help their immune system, they tend to do much worse. You may also have kittens that had an ill mom, poor living situation before they came to you, congenital defects etc. In an orphaned newborn litter of kittens, I do not think it is unreasonable to assume you will lose at least one kitten, even under the best circumstances.
I know lots of people will say they’ve had much better luck and hardly ever lose a kitten, but there are also many that have lost a lot as well. Of the kittens that don’t make it, most will pass in those first three days of life. I wish I could give you an exact number but hope this will help. And don’t forget every orphaned kitten you fostered that did make it, they likely would not have if you hadn’t intervened. For them, they hit the jackpot!
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