# Runts = more affection?



## rketto (Aug 22, 2010)

I adopted a brother and sister kitten. The female was the runt of the litter, very small compared to her siblings. Her brother is still bigger than her although she eats very well and plays very rough with him (though they love each other )

One thing I noticed is the little girl is VERY cuddly, starts purring the second I get near her or even look at her. She sleeps under my covers or on top of my bed every night as close to me as she can. She is always up for petting sessions and purrs almost all the time. She even "grooms" my face sometimes with her tongue, it kind of hurts. Her brother is not as cuddly, he likes to be petted and such on his own terms. I wonder if maybe the female is like this because of how she was treated by her mother as a runt? Almost like she is appreciative that someone took her in. Just something I wonder about. It's very cute even if that's not it


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## teasha (Aug 15, 2010)

I think it has to do with the different personalities of the kittens, not who was the runt. The personalities can vary greatly in a litter. But I could be wrong about the runt theory.


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## Susan (Mar 29, 2010)

Both Muffin and Abby were the runts of their litters. Abby is affectionate, but only when she feels like it! Muffs is affectionate in her own way, but she hates to be held and refuses to sit on my lap (or anyone's lap). So, I wouldn't say that being the runt of the litter results in a cat being overly cuddly! In the case of your kitten, that's likely just her personality.


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## Vivid Dawn (May 31, 2010)

Not that way with my kitties. The two runts of a feral litter I rescued are the wildest. The brother tamed practically overnight... the two little sisters took nearly a month to even _start_ to be comfortable with me.
There is one other sister still on the loose. Not quite sure what her personality is... she'll sit at the door and meow as if she wants to be let in, but when I get to the door she runs off back to the thicket.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

You may find in a couple months that your little boy will become cuddly and your girl will be more aloof for a while. My girls' personalities change all the time, sometimes it's the weather, sometimes for no reason at all. 

One thing you can count on with a cat is that they keep you guessing. :grin:


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## NRD (Mar 31, 2010)

My Little Hersh was seriously undersized and undernourished when I adopted him at four months. He was abandoned and brought to a shelter at 12 days old, bottle fed. I don't know if he was the runt of his litter, but he is "runt-like" as a result. Totally good-natured, he nonetheless emits little growls the entire time he inhales every one of his meals, even after 2-1/2 months with me, finishes first and then growls his way to eat what remains in the dishes of his new brothers and sister, unless I stop him. I keep waiting for it to dawn on him that he has a full tummy most of the time, but I'm sure that behavior got hard-wired from his earliest days and will only change down the road. He's still small, at seven months.

I'm giving Hersh Leba III plaque remover now, just a few drops once a day, but he struggles like heck to avoid the dropper. Thank goodness he DOES forgive me a minute later, as if nothing has just happened! I think those initial instincts from being on the street and being nursed to health are never far from the surface.


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