Runt of the litter, Should I be worried?

Owain_Moneysaver

My puss was the runt of the litter but after a couple of weeks feeding he filled out and turned into a rabbit-hunting roof-jumping terrorist and had a long and happy life.

NotNormal

gstcbs wrote: »

We got two 12 week old Kittens three weeks ago, Brother and Sister. The girl was the runt of the litter and the size difference between her and her Brother is quite large. The reason I am posting this is because we have never owned a pet before, we waited a year before we got them to be sure, and we didn't want to rush into buying a pet.

First of all, congratulations on the addition to the family and thank you for being a smart and focused pet owner rather than impulse buying at Christmas. It's refreshing to see someone who has done their homework.

gstcbs wrote: »

The boy is everything you would expect a Kitten to be, into everything, jumping up, climbing the curtains, plays with the toys we got them, she on the other hand is completely different in as much as she will just sit there in her own little world, she does not play, she is not interested in anything at all, does not climb, will not jump down from anything, in the three weeks we have had them she has never once attempted to play with me even if I am down on the floor with them, she will literally just sit in a corner of a room and stare into space.

All pets have different personalities, I have owned/fostered/rehomed many cats over the years and I can honestly say that while there are similarities I've never had two exactly the same. She may still be finding her feet, she may be watching and learning or she may not have found what interests her yet. My two cats for example both love laser pointers but when it comes to other stuff they have different interests, he loves to jump where as she loves to climb. She runs around like a lunatic where as he would rather rub himself all over me or nap. Try and find stuff they both enjoy and encourage together play and find something she loves to encourage her to reach out on her own. Start slowly and focus on her letting you sit right next to her, then interact with her. Treats, toys and just take it one step at a time.

Think of her like a premature baby, there will be some developmental delays but they will vary individual to individual.

gstcbs wrote: »

We noticed when we fed them that he would wolf his food down in record time then rush over to hers and push her out of the way then he would eat hers too, after that we started feeding them in seperate rooms to be sure she is getting enough.

We have noticed him getting bigger, she hasn't changed size wise in the time we have had them.

You absolutely did the right thing by separating them to feed, I used to have to do the same but thankfully the being apart was enough of a "punishment" to stop them doing it after that. Much like yours they hate to be shut away from each other.

Equally I've found he's shot up in size where as she is still quite small. The important thing is does she have a belly to her or can you see her ribs? My boy is skinny and long, my girl has a little belly and is still a little shorter than him.

Weighing is more accurate. Note your weight alone and your weight with her (and again with him) and keep note of the difference, it won't be perfect but it will give a guideline.

gstcbs wrote: »

She eats her food fine, uses the litter box fine.

Because we have never owned Cats before I was wondering if a trip to the vet is needed to see if she is ok, or is it just a case of every cat is different and she will come out of her shell sometime?

If you ever think "maybe I should see a vet", you should see a vet. Also please please get online and organise insurance asap if not already done so. As once you see the vet anything detected won't be covered. And ultimate lifetime cover is the best to go for, better to pay for the best and not need it than the worst and not be covered

*Robin*

What did the vet say, OP?

Our neighbour took on a kitten who like yours, cried every time he was picked up.. It turned out that the teenage son of the family he came from had tripped and trodden on him just before he went to the new owners, but the lad hadn't told anyone at the time. Poor little kitten had broken ribs; sadly he did not survive, and must have suffered terribly during the few days it took for his new family to realise something wasn't right.