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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / June 2006kittens that are runts
I had a cat for more than 20 years who never weighed more than 7 pounds. She was the best lap cat and extremely healthy. I write for a living and it was great to have a light weight lap cat while I worked. She died six weeks ago and now we're looking for a kitten. We really want another small cat. Should I assume the runts of a litter will grow up to be small? Do they have health problems or are they simply petite? The local animal shelter has three feral kittens that were found together. Two are labelled "three months old" and a third is labelled "two months." They think they might be from the same litter, but labelled the third one 2 months old becuase of his size. He seems sweet and cuddly and hasn't hissed or seemed skittish like you would think a feral cat would. Any opinions on whether this would be a good cat for us? If it matters, I live in a fairly large house. It's peaceful and very quiet since I work from home all day. The kitten would have plenty of company but I'm working so I can't play all day. Thanks, Betsy You cannot assume that a runt would grow up to be small. Your best bet is to adopt an adult small cat at a shelter. This way, you would know his/her size and his/her personality. GAil >I had a cat for more than 20 years who never weighed more than 7 > pounds. She was the best lap cat and extremely healthy. I write for a [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > > Thanks, Betsy Thanks for the great replies, everyone. I finalized adoption an hour ago. I tried to get an older cat, but none of the ones at the shelter were lap cats. The guy at the shelter recommended we needed to get a kitten and train it to be a lap cat. I hope that's the case... at any rate I'll love him even if he becomes 22 pounds. He'll just be a lap kitty that leaves me with a dented lap! Betsy Congratulations on your new baby!! Gail > Thanks for the great replies, everyone. I finalized adoption an hour > ago. I tried to get an older cat, but none of the ones at the shelter [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > Betsy > I had a cat for more than 20 years who never weighed more than 7 > pounds. She was the best lap cat and extremely healthy. I write for a [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > want another small cat. Should I assume the runts of a litter will grow > up to be small? Do they have health problems or are they simply petite? Betsy, the sweetest cat I have ever had is a seven-pound shelter cat I got when she was a year old. Why take a chance on a kitten? Adopt an adult that has already attained its full size and is small like you want. (If you also adopt an adult that has been at the shelter for a while, you can be pretty sure it has good bathroom habits etc. My Gracie had been at the shelter for four months. The first thing she did was stretttttttch and stretch, she was so grateful to get out of the small crowded space.) My condolences for the loss of your kitty. > Betsy, the sweetest cat I have ever had is a seven-pound shelter > cat I got when she was a year old. Why take a chance on a kitten? > Adopt an adult that has already attained its full size and is small like > you want. That's actually excellent advice if size is very important to you. There are tons of adult cats waiting in shelters and they make awesome pets. -L. That doesn't sound like a feral kitten. Maybe he has had human contact. If he is truly feral, be prepared for the chance of some hiding and skittish behavior when you get home. Just be sure you're willing to make the commitment and work with that if it does happen. As for being small or large, this is what happened in the one litter born here -- of the three largest kittens, one is a petite adult (6-7 lbs) and the other two are large adults. The smaller kitten stayed small and the runt died at 7 weeks. With cats, I've always just gone with the one that captured my heart or that I knew needed me. Sounds like you have a big home, how about getting more than one? :) Rhonda > The local animal shelter has three feral kittens that were found > together. Two are labelled "three months old" and a third is labelled [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Thanks, Betsy > I had a cat for more than 20 years who never weighed more than 7 > pounds. She was the best lap cat and extremely healthy. I write for a [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > want another small cat. Should I assume the runts of a litter will grow > up to be small? I have a 22 lb "runt". > Do they have health problems or are they simply petite? Depends on the cat. > The local animal shelter has three feral kittens that were found > together. Two are labelled "three months old" and a third is labelled [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > feral cat would. Any opinions on whether this would be a good cat for > us? Absolutley. It is possible the kitten was socialized prior to being replaced at the shelter. But don't expect him to stay petite - adult size is always a crap shoot when it comes to random-bred kittens. That being said, I am glad my petite kitten grew into a monster. :) You will love the kitty no matter how big he grows. -L. Should I assume the runts of a litter will grow > up to be small? Do they have health problems or are they simply petite?//// My *runt* (who was 8oz when I got him) has grown into a majestic 11lb cat. He certainly doesn't weigh like a runt when he jumps on me! Helen M |
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