I noticed today one kitten is smaller then the others, there is actually two smaller then the others but im more concerned with the smallest. He looks for a nipple but i think the others beat him to it. I was wondering if I should guide him to one? Or should I wait? Im not sure if I should intervine with this little guy, I wish I could get a pic so I could show you the differnece, he doesnt look unhealthy just smaller, probly the runt.What should I do?
-
Too many ads? Join our community of cat lovers now to reduce ads by 90%! Click here to join for free!
What should I do?
- Thread starter sydney
- Start Date
Sydney...I would get your hands on a small scale so you can weigh them. Below is the recommended weight for kittens:
Kitten Weight
At birth, weight should be approx 3-3.4 ounces.
At age 1 week weight should be approx. 4 ounces.
At age 2 weeks, weight should be approx. 7 ounces.
At age 3 weeks, weight should be approx. 10 ounces.
At age 4 weeks weight should be approx. 13 ounces.
At age 5 weeks, weight should be approximately 1 pound.
By the end of the 8th week, kittens should weigh approximately 2.2 pounds.
If the runt isn't getting sufficient nutrition from mom, you may want to get some KMR and supplement the feedings.
Katie
Weight the babies then let us know. Maybe he is just slower
- Joined
- Mar 15, 2006
- Messages
- 673
- Purraise
- 1
If he seems healthy and eating, there is always a runt of the litter, the tricky part is to tell if they are healthy and just small, or there is a problem.
You didn't say how old the kittens are. That could help us give you some ideas.
Kittens often fight over nipples. I had two that did it from the moment they were born, they always fought over one nipple. These two little tiny nothings would screech at the top of their lungs and just lay there hitting each other until Mom got annoyed enough that she'd pick her head up and give them a stern meow, and that would shut them up and get them to each take a different nipple. It was so funny, and I ended up naming them Rocky and Apollo (Rocky had white cheeks, Apollo was all black).
However, I had two others (out of 5) that were smaller, and sometimes would have trouble finding a nipple that the other kittens wouldn't push them off of (even though most times it wasn't on purpose). What I would do, and it worked, would be once the big ones were settled in nursing, I'd gently move the others' heads over to an open nipple, making sure thier nose and lips moved over it. Once they feel that, they should grab on and start nursing.
As I said, you didn't say how old they were. Before their eyes open, this is the best way in my experience to do it. Eventually, in most cases they each sort of stake out their own nipple, and always return to the same one, so the problems subside. I did find with the 2 littler ones I had to "help" nudge them over for the first week or so. But once they had their nipple, they were fine.
I did also notice that sometimes when the big ones were fed and asleep, the little ones began to take that opportunity to sneak over and use the bigger ones' nipples. LOL
They are so much fun to watch.
Hope this helps.
You didn't say how old the kittens are. That could help us give you some ideas.
Kittens often fight over nipples. I had two that did it from the moment they were born, they always fought over one nipple. These two little tiny nothings would screech at the top of their lungs and just lay there hitting each other until Mom got annoyed enough that she'd pick her head up and give them a stern meow, and that would shut them up and get them to each take a different nipple. It was so funny, and I ended up naming them Rocky and Apollo (Rocky had white cheeks, Apollo was all black).
However, I had two others (out of 5) that were smaller, and sometimes would have trouble finding a nipple that the other kittens wouldn't push them off of (even though most times it wasn't on purpose). What I would do, and it worked, would be once the big ones were settled in nursing, I'd gently move the others' heads over to an open nipple, making sure thier nose and lips moved over it. Once they feel that, they should grab on and start nursing.
As I said, you didn't say how old they were. Before their eyes open, this is the best way in my experience to do it. Eventually, in most cases they each sort of stake out their own nipple, and always return to the same one, so the problems subside. I did find with the 2 littler ones I had to "help" nudge them over for the first week or so. But once they had their nipple, they were fine.
I did also notice that sometimes when the big ones were fed and asleep, the little ones began to take that opportunity to sneak over and use the bigger ones' nipples. LOL
They are so much fun to watch.
Hope this helps.
