Daily Kitten Chat Forum » Cats & Kittens

1. 

   Hi!

   Yesterday I stopped by at a friend's place and I saw one of her cat's kitten was just half as big as the others. She is 8 weeks yet only as small as my palm, walking pretty weakly compared to her siblings, but looks okay to me (she plays, eyes aren't watery, eats, and clean). My friend said that she was runt off the pack in the fight for cat mum's milk.

   What bothered me was the fact that my friend does not bother to do something to her while knowing that she's runt off. So i was thinking that if she stays that way , maybe I can just take care of her. She is so damn pretty! Just super small...

   But, what am i supposed to do to her to make her better? I wouldn't dare to get her before I really know what to do..

   Thanks!

   Posted 8 months ago by Ochy #

2. 

   wow, I have never been in that situation but I would feel the same as you, like your friend really should try to get the kitten to eat more at feedings! maybe if you can't convince her, get some kitten formula and take the kitten in :) it would be very sweet of you... but mom's milk is always first choice of course

   Posted 8 months ago by Ulichka4 #

3. 

   At eight weeks, she could leave her siblings, but it would be better if she stayed at least another week or so.

   You could tell the friend that you want the little thing, but would like to have her stay with mum cat for a week more. And that you want to visit her every day so she'll be use to you. She's old enough to eat solid food so you could take a little bit of wet food to her every day and make sure the other kittens didn't gobble it up. Or take enough for all to have a little.

   Since kittens can get upset tummies when you change their food abruptly, you would be letting her get use to what she will be eating when she comes to live with you.

   Posted 8 months ago by CheetahBoysmommy #

4. 

   My friend told me that this little girl eats RC kitten along with her siblings as well, but yea, I kinda.. worried? (Is that even the right word?) She is so small! Check these pictures out:

   http://www.flickr.com/photos/64415658@N06/6149934876/

   http://www.flickr.com/photos/64415658@N06/6149932768/

   http://www.flickr.com/photos/64415658@N06/6149382157/

   What do you think?

   Posted 8 months ago by Ochy #

5. 

   OMG, I think she's adorable, they all are, I want, I want pretty kitty! Ohmygoodness I could just eat her all up in one mouthful, lol. I think she looks happy, active and healthy and absolutely beautiful. She may always be small but I have a very soft spot for tiny cats. Mills is small too, and so is Libs. You could add a little Nutrical to her food...

   Posted 8 months ago by jcat #

6. 

   I know.. Hehe. I am so in love! That's why I could not believe that my friend did not bother about her.. -.-

   I am just afraid that I can't take a great (I heard that runt kitten needs more than just a good care) care of her. But leaving her with my friend doesn't seem to be another good option. And as I believe she will be more sensitive, I really should be careful with her right? I think I will just get her then. Even dreamed of her last night ^^

   Umm.. JCat, What is a nutrical? lol.
   I'm in Indonesia, so maybe if i can't find it i can get something similar :)

   Posted 8 months ago by Ochy #

7. 

   I am sure you can take just fine care of her, Ochy. Nutrical is a high calorie paste you can mix into the kitten's wet food to get malnourished or under-nourished kittens up to weight. In New Zealand it is called Nutri-gel. I am sure your vet could tell you if it's available in Indonesia. Or you should be able to find it online. Let me check for you.

   Posted 8 months ago by jcat #

8. 

   You could try this Aussie link:
   http://www.myshopping.com.au/PT--272_Nutrigel__fs_s127562_e__

   Or this one probably ships to Indonesia:
   http://www.vetnetsupplies.com/content.php/shop/browse/2-109/1104/0?utm_source=getprice&utm_medium=cpc

   Or this:
   http://www.petdirect.com.au/diet-supp-s--calming-prdcts/947-nutripet-200g-tube.html

   But check in your local pet stores first or with your vet :)

   Posted 8 months ago by jcat #

9. 

   Ochy, runts sometimes have medical issues, I'd get the little girl checked if you can afford it, before you commit to her.

   Having said that...she looks beautiful! Looks healthy, from what I could tell (which isn't much). If she reacts to you and her sibs and surroundings, acting like the others, just smaller, that's not all bad. I had a runt (my beloved Tansey) and while she was a runt, and was always a slim little thing, she was healthy and lived for over seventeen years. She was a real joy....Good Things Can Come In Small Packages! Runts sometimes make up in love, what they don't have in Size!

   Everyone's advice here has been good, and yes, if you take the wee one, keeping her on the same food will be less upsetting to her, in addition to her leaving her home and going someplace new.

   Posted 8 months ago by Siobhan #

10. 

    JCat, Thanks a lot for the info.
    We have this:

    http://www.vetuk.co.uk/dog-and-cat-supplements-multi-vitamin-and-mineral-c-5_222/nutri-plus-multivitamin-mineral-gel-120g-tube-p-381

    which is more to vitamin than high calories compared to Nutrigel, but I'm still looking :) Will ask pet shops nearby if they have it.

    About this cute little girl, yea, I will just have her checked first, but I think I will leave her with her pack for one more week - while observing her more closely.
    I hope that she won't have such great deals with health problem. She seems okay, just small. But vet-check will of course be better than my eyes.
    I just hope that my friend won't get bored or even bothered seeing me at her place :D

    Posted 8 months ago by Ochy #

11. 

    OMG...she's awwwdorable!! I just melted from the cuteness!!

    Posted 8 months ago by feral #

12. 

    No one can resist.. :)

    I'm taking her in soon. So far I'm preparing for the food, equipments, etc. Better prepared now compared to when I was getting Troy :D
    By the way, do you think she would need some additional milk formula?
    earlier today I was driving around to several pet shops in town and only one I caught had nutrical, yet it's only for dogs -.-

    Posted 8 months ago by Ochy #

13. 

    Hi, Ochy, oh you are lucky, she is one beautiful kitten, and she is lucky too! No, at eight weeks, she shouldn't need milk formula, best to keep her on wet food, that will help to fatten her up, lol. It's a pain that after all that searching you only found dog nutrical but, on the bright side, that means it's not unknown in Indonesia :) Maybe you'll find some yet or maybe the shop with the dog nutrical can order some in for you.

    Posted 8 months ago by jcat #

14. 

    I got my Nutrical from my vet. It clearly says on the label for dogs & cats. Are you sure the label had for dogs only? I always thought it was made for both since my label said so. I could be very wrong tho & maybe they do make different Nutricals.

    Posted 8 months ago by feral #

15. 

    If you wanted to give her a little kitten milk during the first two weeks that you own her, it will comfort her and bond her to you a little closer. She wont need it for nutrition, but it might help her miss her mama cat a little less. I did that for both Gracie and Thierry Henry when they were babies.

    Posted 8 months ago by KYKAT 12 23 #

16. 

    - JCat -
    Well about the milk I also wonder if it can also help her to grow more, as yea, she's lacking on mama's milk :P
    I'm going shopping today! Please give suggestions on what i should buy to welcome this little girl :)

    - Feral -
    Hmm, probably it's some other brands or so? Because it has Nutrical on it, and dogs pictures on the tube. Is it possible? It was also written there that it's a high calorie stuff, like what described.
    Other pet shops, everytime I asked for Nutrical, they always gave me Nutriplus Gel. Said similar, but bet it's not as the other one is multivitamin.

    - Kykat -
    Thank you for the suggestion and I like that name of your cat, "Thierry Henry". How many goals has he set at home? ^^
    Yesterday I also saw RC Babycat formula. I just wondered if it can help her grow more as she's been lacking of mum cat's milk. But yea, i need to be real careful as I really don't want to upset that tiny stomach :)
    But as it's designed for babies, it should be okay, no?

    Posted 8 months ago by Ochy #

17. 

    Hi, Ochy, well, the milk wouldn't harm her so if you think she would like some, go ahead and try it. You could drizzle it over her wet food.

    From what I read on the Net, Nutriplus Gel looks fine. It does have necessary vitamins and trace elements but it also seems to be a high-calorie protein paste so I wouldn't be too worried about giving it a try. I have seen nutrical pastes that seem to be specifically for dogs and puppies so I wouldn't use that (cats have much more complex nutritional needs).

    All she really needs is your love, warmth, food and cheap toys (ping pong balls, crumpled pieces of paper, boxes to play in). You don't need to spend a lot of money on those things. My cats always love their sheepskins to sleep on when it gets cold but she will be just as happy with one of your old jerseys. If you have money to spare, I suggest either putting it into high quality food or starting a bank account for future vet fees for both of them.

    Posted 8 months ago by jcat #

18. 

    I found another pet shop with Nutri Cal!
    I just did not know which one to buy. One, manufactured by Tomlyn with orange tube, is specially designed for cats. The other one manufactured by Vetoquinol. The tube was white and this one can be used for both cats and dogs. Which one is the "normally-used" Nutrical?

    I bought half of the equipment so far, including litter box, toys, comb, and of course food and feeding bottle :D

    Thanks, JCat.. For all your advice :)

    Posted 8 months ago by Ochy #

19. 

    You're very welcome, Ochy. We love people who love kitties :D They look to be the same thing from the same company, though the packaging might be different: I found the orange packaging and the white and the white says:
    Vetoquinol Tomlyn Nutri-cal
    So pick whatever size and price is best. I'd maybe tend to go for the cats one first, because cats have such complex nutritional needs, but it doesn't really matter, so it comes down to price and size and preference, and whether you know any hungry puppies as well.

    To be honest, most of these slight differences are aimed more at the customer than the animal... :-)

    Posted 8 months ago by jcat #

20. 

    Ah, really? Well I should have checked better then :D Tomorrow I'm picking the girl up as well as the cat NutriCal :) The price was the same anyway.

    Will post the updates! ^^

    Posted 8 months ago by Ochy #

21. 

    Please keep us informed! She looks like a real sweetie. Hope the vet check goes okay, and that her smaller size is nothing to worry about. She will surely benefit from having lots of attention and all the high-quality food she cares to eat.

    Posted 8 months ago by anncetera2 #

22. 

    she might only need time and lots of good food. my "runt" is now 11.5 pounds and she is 18 months old...

    Posted 8 months ago by CSBM #

23. 

    Awwww! She looks so sweet!!!! I LOVE the runts. Maiya was a runt. Everyone scooped up her 3 sisters, but nobody wanted her. Their loss! She is the sweetest and smartest cat! As for her "runtness" she now eats more than her brother and sister. She still has a teeny head, but her body has really filled out... a little TOO much. ;)

    Posted 8 months ago by KerrBear #

24. 

    Congrats, Ochy! Good luck with the vet visit too. I'm sure the wee one will fill out soon enough...just keep thinking positive thoughts!

    Posted 8 months ago by roxysmommy #

25. 

    The girl is home :)
    Not stressed, happy, in fact she's very curious and active. Lovely, and so small!
    She ate some of her RC Babycat wet, drank enough, and played a lot.

    Only, she ate the litter at her litter box!
    HELP!

    Posted 8 months ago by Ochy #

26. 

    Kittens always eat the litter in their litter box. Just make sure it's not clumping litter, you don't want it to clump in her little tummy. Apart from that, she sounds fine :)

    Posted 8 months ago by jcat #

27. 

    Ochy, congratulations on finally getting her home.

    Posted 8 months ago by Moonshadow_NZ #

28. 

    Ouchy....I agree w/Jcat. If she didn't eat alot of litter,she should be fine. If your using clumping litter,you'll have to change it. Have you thought of a name for the gleeming little happy girl yet? :)

    Posted 8 months ago by feral #

29. 

    Ochy, congrats on your new addition ~ she's so precious! The wee ones are the most loveable ♥ Do you have a name for her yet? How about a Catster page so we can all share in her progress?

    Posted 8 months ago by kittymom #

30. 

    Oh gosh, she is adorable!

    Ochy, my Willow was the runt of her litter and had a broken leg to boot. She's four now and she will, at the drop of a hat, try to beat the snot out of her sister, Windi, who is easily over twice Willow's size. What she lacks in pounds she has in attitude!

    Posted 8 months ago by WillowandWindismom #

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