How long can a kitten go without oxygen before brain damage sets in?

by Sam
(Canada)

If a kitten goes 10 minutes without oxygen, will it end up with brain damage? I live on a farm and my cat had kittens today. One was dead, not moving, ice-cold with its mouth open.


I brought it into the house to put it under warm water because I have revived kittens before doing this when I see signs of movement. This one had no movement but I thought it wouldn’t hurt to try. So I put it under warm water and rubbed it to get blood flow.

After a while, it STARTED MOVING. Slow gasps every few seconds until it was breathing on its own. Now a few hours later it is warm and meowing and moving around.

It seems like it is out of the woods. But even if it stopped breathing the second I found it, it still would have been out of oxygen for at least 10 min... my question is: will this kitten end up having drain damage or health issues as it grows up?

Comments for How long can a kitten go without oxygen before brain damage sets in?

Average Rating starstarstarstarstar

Click here to add your own comments

Jul 04, 2021
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		The revival
by: Anonymous

I live on a farm too. 2 years ago I had found 3 dead in a liter of 5 when it was cold. I warmed them up and worked with them until they all came back to life. These three are now some of my indoor kitties. One of the three doesn't land on his feet if he falls, but is the sweetest kitty I've ever lived with. No other problems.
Jul 04, 2021
Rating
starstarstarstarstar 		Very possibly
by: Sally F.

As far as I know, land mammals can go 4 to 5 minutes without oxygen until brain cells start dying. This can vary based on circumstances, but 10 minutes is a long time. How much brain damage may have occurred, and what the health ramifications of that are I can't say.

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Cat Health Questions.