Kitten Won't Grow

Hi there!

I’m fostering a kitten for my local animal shelter named Boo. I received her, 3 other kittens (boys) and their mama. After 2 weeks, the 3 boys weighed enough to be adopted (1.5 pounds); so the 3 boys and mama went back to the shelter, leaving Boo with me still. She had gained 2.5 ounces in 2 weeks, as the others gained 6-10.

Boo is suspected to be 6-8 weeks old, but with a body of a 2-3 week old and her body isn’t getting any bigger. Her stomach is getting fatter, but her body isn’t getting any longer/bigger. We have the shelter vet involved, keeping a close eye with frequent rechecks. We have her on Nutri-Cal 3x a day, and she’s been tested for everything: FIP, FIV, FeLV, Giardia, etc.

I’m curious to know if anyone has experienced this? She is currently 6-8 weeks old and not quite a pound yet, but she is quite plump (since her body is so small). Any insight would be very helpful!

Thanks!
~Sara

I got my kitten when she was 5 months old but she was so small that the vet said she looked no more than 3 months old, she's a year old now and still looks like a kitten. your kitten might just be the runt of the family and will need time to grow into herself or she may just be small like my cat is. just keep giving her as much food as she wants to eat and give her time, she might turn out to be a big kitty one day

Welcome! It sounds like you are doing a great job and I would just keep in constant communication with the shelter and the vet there. You should post in the pregnant cat and kitten care for more information on caring for kittens and growth. 

Hello, i have a kitten which sounds exactly like Boo. What happened??

Thanks, Jess

jdono3 said:

 
Hello, i have a kitten which sounds exactly like Boo. What happened??

Thanks, Jess

Click to expand...

Hi Jess and welcome to the forum!

Boo's person was on this forum only once and made only that one post above - and, that was back in August.....I would say that there's little chance you're going to find out what happened to her.

The very best thing for you to do is to start a new thread yourself and tell us your kitten's story.....pictures would help, too!

(just so you know, I have one cat that is smaller than many year-old kittens.....cats are like people, they come in different sizes too)

Many many years ago my family had a kitty we called Butterscotch.  Orange, of course.  I've always had strange fortune with orange cats.  Butterscotch grew to a certain small size and stayed there his whole life which was a long one.  He was a sweet kitty as are most orange kitties.  But he was small and healthy.  We never knew why.  But hey, he was orange, and like I said, I have strange fortune with orange cats.

Hi there! 

Boo was diagnosed with Congenital Hypothyroidism. We are currently giving her a thyroid supplement daily and she is doing well! She has grown some (not much) but she is now 3 lbs and 5 months old. 

-Sara

Wow, poor kitty, Hypothyroidism is quite rare in kitties, I think in all my 20+ years of working for a vet I have only seen 1 case of it. 

My cat Babby was the runt of the family, she was abandoned on the side of a road we saved her, now she's a year old in a kittens body.