Hi!
I have three kittens, between 4.5-5 months old. They aren't littermates (long story), but we've had them since they were all about 8 weeks old, and aside from a brief initial adjustment period, I have never seen any indication that they do not view each other as siblings. They do everything together - eating, sleeping, grooming, playing - they basically just move about in a small furry flock.
My problem is this: one of the kittens is much smaller than the others. I'm not sure how much of this is due to her age (she's the youngest by a week), genetics, or the fact that she was ill when we first got her and didn't grow much in the first month. Anyway, despite her small stature, she is the biggest trouble maker of the bunch, and not only participates in, but also initiates most of the roughhousing between the kittens. However, I'm assuming due to her size, she takes more of a beating than the other kittens.
I've noticed lately that she has several small scabs on her ears, which I imagine were caused by bitten. I never observe the other kittens doing this. Because she's white, I can also see bruising inside her ears where the damage didn't break the skin, but still broke some blood vessels.
I haven't taken her to the vet for this, because it's not really a medical issue. The scabs are tiny, and I've cleaned them and put antibiotic ointment on them. That said, I have to admit I'm a bit vain, and would prefer that my cat not have raggedy ears. It's not the end of the world if she gets a few battle scars, but since her ears are still whole, I'd like to see if there's any preventative measures I can take.
I figured if anyone would know how to keep kittens from ripping up each other's ears, it would be breeders. I'm guessing that people who are willing to pay the price of a purebred cat probably care somewhat about looks too
I look forward to your suggestions!
I have three kittens, between 4.5-5 months old. They aren't littermates (long story), but we've had them since they were all about 8 weeks old, and aside from a brief initial adjustment period, I have never seen any indication that they do not view each other as siblings. They do everything together - eating, sleeping, grooming, playing - they basically just move about in a small furry flock.
My problem is this: one of the kittens is much smaller than the others. I'm not sure how much of this is due to her age (she's the youngest by a week), genetics, or the fact that she was ill when we first got her and didn't grow much in the first month. Anyway, despite her small stature, she is the biggest trouble maker of the bunch, and not only participates in, but also initiates most of the roughhousing between the kittens. However, I'm assuming due to her size, she takes more of a beating than the other kittens.
I've noticed lately that she has several small scabs on her ears, which I imagine were caused by bitten. I never observe the other kittens doing this. Because she's white, I can also see bruising inside her ears where the damage didn't break the skin, but still broke some blood vessels.
I haven't taken her to the vet for this, because it's not really a medical issue. The scabs are tiny, and I've cleaned them and put antibiotic ointment on them. That said, I have to admit I'm a bit vain, and would prefer that my cat not have raggedy ears. It's not the end of the world if she gets a few battle scars, but since her ears are still whole, I'd like to see if there's any preventative measures I can take.
I figured if anyone would know how to keep kittens from ripping up each other's ears, it would be breeders. I'm guessing that people who are willing to pay the price of a purebred cat probably care somewhat about looks too
I look forward to your suggestions!