Normal runt weight gain or something wrong?

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  • #861998
    Julie
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    We have a family friend that had a stray momma cat birth a big litter of kittens in her shed, and then at 4 weeks gave the runt and her sister the boot and we ended up taking both babies in and hand rearing them. When we brought the girls home they were both severely malnourished and less than half the size of their littermates so I think mom quit caring for them sooner than we thought. I weighed each on a kitchen scale the day we brought them home (We took the runt first and then a couple days later got a call to come get her sister, who ended up being even smaller and more malnourished). Peanut (our runt) was 7.4oz at 4 weeks and jellybean was 6.2oz at almost 5 weeks (Peanut weighed in at 8.6oz that day). Both have been steadily gaining weight up until a couple weeks ago and at their weigh in today(12 weeks) jellybean was a whole 2 lbs and peanut is only 1 lb 6oz and has only gained 5oz in two weeks. I’m not the least worried about jellybean since she is gaining so beautifully and went from being so malnourished we didn’t think she would make it a night to a big healthy ball of fur but peanuts slow in growth worries me some… i should mention we suspect a touch of brain damage with peanut as well as being a runt… her second night with uswe thought we were going to lose her to a massive concussion after she escaped the kennel we were keeping her in and found one of our kids blankets that had been left on the floor and got stepped on by daddy! After all the time and dedication we have put into bringing both girls back to health they have deff found a permanent place in our hearts 🙂 everything about peanut other than size is the perfect picture of health, no parasites, good food intake,healthy normal bowel movements,high energy etc… just wondering who’s had experience hand raising runts and if it’s normal for them to slow their growth around this age? I am also still giving them a little kitten formula in the morning mixed with their dry food for extra nutrients…jellybean will be completely off the formula probably this week since she is caught up for the most part but I’m a little reluctant to wean peanut just yet.

    #862005
    Kittyzee
    Participant

    Yes, I’ve raised a few runt kittens over the years, and they need the extra nutrition. Congratulations on getting them this far, it’s no small feat! I would keep giving them formula even if it’s not in a bottle, just mix it up and feed it in a bowl, or I have poured a little over their wet food and they get extra liquid that way plus the nutrition. Goat’s milk is a great alternative and full of probiotics for their gut..plus it’s a lot cheaper. I like the powdered because you can mix up what you want and use it up. The canned which is concentrated and you mix water 1 to 1–you mix the whole can and have to use it up before it goes bad..which takes a while but I like the convenience of the powder. Plus there is the fresh in the refrigerated milk section. You can find the powdered and concentrate in the baking aisle of most grocery stores.

    I don’t think your runt is slowing her growth down, but if you are concerned, I would take them for a first checkup to your vet. They will need to be checked anyway and it would give you peace of mind.

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