# Tiny undersized kittens



## Venusworld21

We've been working with a large colony (25-30 cats). The owners don't want most of them back, but they do want some. Three weeks ago we collected a bunch of them, but the owners didn't want to let us take the kittens at that time. Based on milestones, they were at least 5 weeks old, 3 weeks ago. They're at least 8-9 weeks now. Last night we collected the rest of the cats (non-feral, thank goodness) to be spayed/neutered, including the kittens. 

There are 5, and they've somehow all managed to make it to this age (thankfully). We weighed them last night....the largest one is 13 oz. The smallest (runt) is 10 oz. I wanted to cry. It would be adorable if they were 4 weeks old...but give their age, it's really just incredibly sad.  For those without a reference point, they are 1/3 the weight they should be for their age. They had an all out screaming match when we put food down for them. They've since gone through 6 cans of food in 24 hours and had to be separated to eat, otherwise they fought each other. I have a couple 4 month old, healthy kittens in the house right now and I took a picture of the two sets of kittens looking at each other through the glass door. They're only 6-7 weeks apart in age, but the size difference is just incredible. I hope they all make it. I'm going to try. 

Solid gray one is the runt, and the only male. No names yet.







I have tiny little hands. And they can easily cover the runty guy:


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## Jetlaya67

Oh, how sad! I hope the babies make it. They are so beautiful.


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## 10cats2dogs

WOW Venus! That's a lot of cats!
I'm so glad these wee ones are being taken care of by you! 
I know they're in good hands now, so they've all got a Great chance to make it and thrive! 
And they are all, so darn adorable!
Sharon


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## Venusworld21

Yeah, so much for clearing out. 17 cats in the house again, but 6 of them are being spayed/neutered on thursday (plus 2 more from the colony these kittens came from) and will then be either up for adoption, or going home to their family (I'm cat sitting two spares at the moment as well who are hitching a ride on the s/n express).


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## Venusworld21

Actually, my rescue buddy took 17 cats from the colony these kittens came from up to get spayed/neutered today.  I'm sending a total of 9 more on thursday. 26 cats between us in one week and five babies who have a shot. These last couple batches are really hard, so I'm trying to remind myself of the good things.


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## Marcia

So wonderful that you are able to help them! They will gain weight in NO time! Trust me. Frankie (the kitten that was all skin and bones when I got him) gained almost 11 ounces in just over a week! Kittens are resilient. Take advantage of their huge appetite to put l-lysine in their food and get that immune system charged up!


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## BotanyBlack

Venusworld21 kittens are resilient. Thankfully!! Gypsy was one of those. When I acquired her, She had both eyes gummed shut, A Severe URI, ear mites, fleas, worms... By milestones we estimated her at 11-12 weeks.. and when we weighed her she topped out at just over half a pound. and that was AFTER several feedings. You could trace her skull under all that fur :sad: I also had one of siblings (Bella) to foster at the time.. and she weighed in at just under a pound... 

Good luck with your little ones..

Bella has recently returned to my home and is a pretty staggering 10+ pounds now.. I admit a wee bit on the pudgy side (sigh). though the Vet insists she is normal ranges... I guess I am used to longer leaner genetics!!


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## Venusworld21

Lol, 10 lbs sounds light. My smallest resident kitty is 15 lbs and even the vet admits they're fat. 

Little gray guy is all bones...they all are, but him especially. I can even feel the bones in his tail. I've never had one that skinny before. But he's eating like crazy and really seems to want to live, so hopefully he does. Everyone has gained between 4-7 ounces just in the last 36 hours and I'm still feeding them pretty much whatever they want, so hopefully the gains continue.


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## Jenny bf

Ooh I am so glad the little ones came to you. So sad when they are so undernourished. Rooting for them to all pull through and have no long lasting issues


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## cat owner again

I am glad you are doing what needs to be done. If someone can't handle that many cats, they really need to get the help for the cats. Maybe that is where you came in thankfully.


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## BotanyBlack

Venusworld21 yeah I know!! But she LOOKs chunky... so it is a surprise when she is weighed. She looks overweight.. she is just a very cobby build compared to the long lean cats I am used too LOL..

Glad your little ones are gaining!! Look forward to seeing pics as they improve.


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## librarychick

Now that they're in with you getting everything they need they'll pork up in no time!

Since they're so young they'll probably overcome the difference too and end up 'average' sized cats.


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## Venusworld21

They're all so sweet and eating like champs. Little gray boy is the friendliest of the bunch (and my favorite, shhh! don't tell the others). I'll try to get a couple more pics this weekend. They've all got fat little bellies that look like they're going to explode (they've been wormed once), but are still incredibly thin. I can't wait to pet them and not sound like I'm playing a xylophone.


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## 10cats2dogs

Venus,
Before you know it, you'll have little "Tank" kitties running around!
Sharon


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## spirite

Oh my goodness that is a LOT of kitties!! Did the owner say why they didn't want you to take the kittens at first? It's just so sad that you could have been taking good care of them for 3 weeks already.  

I can't believe how small the little gray guy is. But they're all adorable, and hopefully they'll all come through ok with your TLC. 

Goodness. The amount of work this must entail...!


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## Greenport ferals

spirite said:


> Oh my goodness that is a LOT of kitties!! Did the owner say why they didn't want you to take the kittens at first? It's just so sad that you could have been taking good care of them for 3 weeks already.


I thought the same thing. It's hard to understand some people. 
Thank goodness though they finally did agree to give them up. Those poor little kittens have been through a lot, but now they have a real chance at a great life. Thank you for saving them.


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## Venusworld21

Owner (18 year old daughter) wanted to keep some and "they'll be fine." Parents didn't care. Property owner (father) doesn't really like the cats and is allergic so they were outdoor only and it's been getting colder here. We couldn't jeopardize the entire colony by insisting on these five kittens, though we tried each time we were out there.  Owner still wants some of them back (and technically is still the owner), but it'll take at least a month to fatten them up and then another week to recover from surgeries, so perhaps we have time to change some minds, or at least educate...


ETA: When I say we couldn't jeopardize the rest of the colony...we pulled 20 adult (5 months plus, sexually mature) cats off that property and s/n them. The owners wanted a few back (4 or 5) and paid for the surgeries. We are rehoming the rest. That's 20 lives bettered and 15 lives transformed, plus the hundreds of kittens that will no longer be being born. As much as I love these five tiny guys, we had to consider the greater good. These guys were in danger of dying, not breeding, and for the colony, breeding is the greater danger. As it turned out, we got everyone and so far are all still alive. I'm hoping it stays that way and I do love the little buggers to pieces. It just wasn't an issue that could be forced, at the time, unfortunately.


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## Venusworld21

Update:
Intake was 10-27-14.


Gray and white female #1: Intake: 12 oz. --- 11-1-14: 1 lb, 4 oz (20 oz)
Gray and white female #2: Intake: 13 oz. --- 11-1-14: 1 lb, 7 oz (23 oz)
Black and white female: Intake: 12 oz. --- 11-1-14: 1 lb, 7 oz. (23 oz)
White female: Intake: 13 oz. --- 11-1-14: 1 lb, 7 oz. (23 oz)
Gray male (runt): Intake: 10 oz. --- 11-1-14: 1 lb, 2 oz. (18 oz)

They've all almost doubled their weight in less than a week.


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## 10cats2dogs

YAY!! That's Awesome News!!:thumbup::thumbup:


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## Venusworld21

Update #2. In not quite two weeks:

Gray and white female #1: Intake: 12 oz. --- 11-8-14: 1 lb, 8 oz (24 oz)
Gray and white female #2: Intake: 13 oz. --- 11-8-14: 1 lb, 13 oz (29 oz)
Black and white female: Intake: 12 oz. --- 11-8-14: 1 lb, 14 oz. (30 oz)
White female: Intake: 13 oz. --- 11-8-14: 1 lb, 13 oz. (29 oz)
Gray male (runt): Intake: 10 oz. --- 11-8-14: 1 lb, 10 oz. (26 oz)

So the black and white one is very close to having tripled her weight in two weeks. Little gray runty guy has also nearly tripled. The one gray and white one, Pink Nose (I've dubbed them pink nose and gray nose to be able to tell them apart for now) actually lost an ounce in the last few days, so I'm keeping a close eye on her. But everyone is doing very well and they're just about ready to come out of the laundry room into the house.


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## Marcia

I went through this with my M batch. 8 weeks + later they are fat and sassy and SO adorable! the one we thought we'd lose is no smaller than the others. They are losing some of the baby fat they gained because they are so much more active now. I just took this of Marty tonight, one of the sweetest of the bunch!

View attachment 75089


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## cat owner again

When I see such a cutey, I can't imagine how there are more kittens than people who want them. That is one cute face and he looks very healthy.


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## spirite

Aw, I'm so glad the little runt is gaining weight as quickly as the others!

Oh! I didn't phrase what I said very well. I wasn't questioning your decision to take the other cats and leave the kittens. I meant that if she had let you take them to begin with, they wouldn't have needed to suffer. My apologies if I upset you.  

As for the 18-year-old owner and her bad decision...well, at least she did ultimately let you take them. Keeping my fingers crossed that Pink Nose bounces right back!


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## Venusworld21

No I wasn't upset. It was just a tough situation and we were extremely frustrated to have to stand by and watch the babies suffer while we helped the others. It looks like it's turning out fine, but I still wish they hadn't had to go through that. My bitterness is directed at owner, not you. 

Plus my post seems really cold ("the babies were in danger of dying, not breeding") and I hate that it sounds that way. I recently attended a TNR workshop and one of the first things they said was in rescue, you have to make a lot of judgement calls. Don't get me wrong, in the same circumstances, I would make the same decisions again, but I do recognize it as a judgement call, and that others might have tried to do things differently.


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## Venusworld21

Pink nose girl is down to 1 lb 6 oz this morning. They've now been wormed for tapes and she's going to be force fed for the next day or two to see if we can get her gaining again. Possible vet trip in order if we can't figure this out fast.


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## 10cats2dogs

Hope Pink Nose bounces back quick...
All Paws Crossed! 
Sharon


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## Venusworld21

Down to 1 lb 5 oz this morning and she threw up a bit yesterday. I force fed her a bit less this morning. If she doesn't keep it down, we're going to the vet.


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## spirite

Oh no! I'm sorry to hear that and will keep my fingers crossed that this is just a little blip that this little girl will get through. Poor thing. 

Yeah, it has to be very hard to be put in the position of having to make such decisions - and frustrating to come up against an owner who might mean well but just isn't doing the right thing. 

I hope the daughter learns something from this at least!


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## Venusworld21

Down to 1 lb 4.5 oz this morning, but she's keeping things down. I put her in the steamy bathroom last night for a while because she had a crusty nose, and I force fed her again today. She's up to 1 lb 5.7 oz now, and slightly more interested in food, but still not eating on her own. Going to do another steam treatment tonight and another force feeding before bed.


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## Venusworld21

They're in the steamy bathroom right now and pink nose chowed down on the gravy part of her dinner. I think she is getting better, but haven't weighed her yet tonight. I also put lysine on their food as everyone is starting to look a little crusty now.


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## Venusworld21

Pink nose girl is up to 1 lb 10 oz now, which is bigger than she was before she started losing weight. She's also eating on her own reliably again, though I am still giving her chicken baby food 2-3 times per day.

Their S/N appointments are on Friday. I am hoping everyone makes weight in time. We shall see.

They also finally got names!

Black and white: Rain
Solid Gray: Rambo
Pink nose gray and white: Rogue
Gray nose gray and white: Ricochet
White fluff ball: Raja


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## spirite

Oh I'm glad to hear it! Whew. They need to reach 2 lbs., right? Come on, little Rogue! GREAT name! Actually, I love all the names.  But now the pics are aaaaaalllll the way back somewhere in this thread. Gee, it would be nice to see the faces that go with these names...


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## Venusworld21

Yep, they have to reach 2 lbs. 

Raja and Ricochet are already there. Rain is 1 lb 15.5 oz, so she should make it no problem. Rambo boy, who was originally the runt, is at 1 lb 14 oz, so he should also make it in time. Little Rogue is at 1 lb 10 oz (as of this morning, I haven't weighed her tonight) so it'll be a tall order for her to put on 6 oz in 6 days (they usually gain 4 oz per week), but not impossible. If she doesn't make it, she will still be spayed, I'll just have to reschedule the appointment for a later date. I'm hoping to get them all done at once though.

I'll try to snap some pics of them. They're enormous now compared to how they were...they look like healthy 8 week olds at least (even though they're now 3 months...still, progress). Everyone also got their first pokes today. I have a friend who can do shots, so they all go their first FVRCP today. They're too little for rabies (4 months), but they can get their second combo shot and rabies at the same time, in a month, hopefully with their new families by then.


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## Venusworld21

I haven't updated on these guys in a while as I have a bit of frustrating news.

They all went up for surgery a week before Thanksgiving. 4 of them had surgery, but Rogue was declined as she was underweight. The owners had said all along that they wanted the white and the gray ones (Raja and Rambo) back. We tried and tried to talk them out of it, but legally we had no leg to stand on and ended up having to give those two kittens back (spayed and neutered, at least!). They went back on Thanksgiving. We convinced the owners to let them stay in the garage for a while and I also sent them back with wet food so hopefully they would continue to be fed. I have had one update since then, about a week ago, that both kittens are still alive and well. Hopefully that remains the case.

Their sister Ricochet was adopted 2 weeks ago by a great family. I have had updates since then and she is doing really well in her new home.

Rogue was re-scheduled for surgery a week ago and this time she weighed in at 3 lbs. She had one of the best recoveries I've ever seen.  Her and her sister Rain were adopted today, together. 

The other cats we rescued stayed with my friends. Of the other 15 cats pulled off the property (20 were spayed/neutered, 5 were returned), 14 of them have been adopted into new, loving homes. The 15th has someone coming to meet him tomorrow. 

One of the adult females who was black and white with white ears has ear cancer from repeated sunburns and no shelter. She also has no nipples and lots of burn scars on her belly. We think they were burned off when she was sleeping in a car engine. She has been out there having litters for the last few years and all her kittens invariably died, as it turns out because she was unable to nurse them. She is going to be adopted by her rescuers and will require ear amputation after the holidays to hopefully remove the cancer. 


It's been extremely bittersweet, but I think we can still count this as a success. It didn't turn out exactly the way we wanted, but I think it turned out as good as it could have.


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## Venusworld21

I had a message today from the family that adopted Ricochet. She has been such a great addition to their lives that they want to adopt a second kitty friend for her.  Repeat adoptions is the highest compliment I can get, as a rescuer and the best indication of a successful adoption.

I've requested an update on Raja and Rambo, but communication with the owners is a bit sporadic, so I haven't had an answer yet.


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## spirite

Oh, I missed your earlier post. Aw, that poor little kitty trying to be a mama but not being able to nurse, and having to have her ear amputated due to cancer.  It is really a tough life for them out there - she's an incredible survivor, and I'm glad she's going to have a home! Great news about Ricochet - your efforts are going to give a home to TWO kitties now! 

You really did an amazing job trapping all those kitties and getting them spayed/neutered, and then finding homes for 14 out of 15!! Did the other little guy find a home?

I'll keep my fingers crossed that you get an update on Raja and Rambo and that you learn that the owners are taking good care of them, which unfortunately does not seem to be a given in this case...


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## 10cats2dogs

Oh that poor little female with the burns, and no nipples to feed her kits...as horrible as it sounds, I only hope the burns came from a hot car engine...thinking of other...possibilities...sickens me...
I'm glad she's going to have a chance now...
Sharon


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## Venusworld21

All the cats at that property seemed to "only" be suffering from neglect. None had any obvious signs of abuse. I'm reasonably confident that this was accident related, rather than deliberate cruelty. 

The fifteenth kitty did get a home, about two weeks after I originally updated on him, so EVERYONE from that property that we could is placed, and the rest are still around as far as I know (still waiting for an update from the owners). I also need to get an update on ear-cancer kitty. The last few weeks have been a bit crazy and I haven't had an opportunity to check in on her yet (she's in the best possible home with her rescuers, so I'm not worried about her, just want to check in on her).


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## spirite

Venusworld21 said:


> The fifteenth kitty did get a home, about two weeks after I originally updated on him, so EVERYONE from that property that we could is placed


:worship

That's amazing. 

Is this the family where it's the daughter of the owners of the property who wanted the kittens back? If so, maybe she's learned what NOT to do by seeing what happened and will be more responsible than her parents.


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## Venusworld21

Yeah, this is the family where the daughter was taking care of them all. In this situation, it seems like one particular family member (not the daughter) is a bit off balance about things, and the rest of them seem to recognize it, but no one says anything, so that's how the situation happened in the first place. Now that we've fixed things (haha) and had some strong words with them, hopefully the other family members will keep this situation from happening again.


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## Venusworld21

I finally heard on Raja and Rambo, the two kittens I had to send back to this property. They are alive and well as of a few days ago. They are now at least 7 months old, so they should have a pretty good handle on how to stay alive on their own at this point. It's not an ideal home or situation for them, but they've made it through the dangerous stage of being babies in a big world. At least now they've got as good a chance as any of the other kitties out there (who were all 5 mos-5 years at the time we did this spay/neuter project).

Also, the sweet girl who needed her ears amputated got her surgery and is doing very well in her new life. They didn't end up needing to take the whole ears, so she's not quite as disfigured as we thought she would end up. She appears to be cancer free at this point and hopefully has a long and happy life ahead of her as a spoiled little princess.


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## Jenny bf

That must be a relief to hear they are OK. You and your other rescuers are amazing, strong people. I would be hopeless. I just don't understand humans who behave like this family at all.
Also very happy to hear the little Princess is well and looking forward to a happy life


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