File :-(, x, )
Anonymous
/an/ I have recently adopted a kitten who is 8 weeks, but he isn't very outgoing at all. He's really tiny, only about 11 ounces, and his spine and ribs are easily detected by the stroke of a finger. He also likes to just sit around on my shoulders all the time. And he cries when somebody is in reach but doesn't pick him up.

Is there something wrong with my cat?
>> The English Major
He's just scrawny and craves attention. Some cats are just attention hungry like that.
>> Anonymous
Do you think I should put him on a certain diet? Because he seems a bit malnourished.
>> Anonymous
>>244220
Or just hungry.
>> BitterAnon !!WJLRQ1cwCyZ
Um OP are you sure your cat is 8 weeks old? Because if OP cat is your cat.. that looks like 5-6 weeks. That is fucking tiny. The behavior you're describing (clinging, neediness) and physical attributes (very tiny and underweight) are all signs that something is wrong.

It could be he has some kind of growth deformity or hormone deficiency, resulting in his small size (snailcat is almost two and she weighs only 4lbs while her sons are about 14ish) or stunted growth. It sounds like your cat is a bit smaller than a "runt" would normally be.

He could also have worms, which would keep him from gaining weight (and he might be a needy kitten, hence the attention begging). Does he drop "sesame seeds" or have stringy things in his poop? Have you tried offering him really smelly yummy canned kitten food, and he still doesn't gain weight?

Either way, this isn't an emergency, but I would still recommend you take him to a vet.
>> Anonymous
most babies don't like to be left alone, he just wants love. :) also, feed him more.
>> Anonymous
in b4 the kitten dies because "it just wanted attention"
>> fuD
cute cat needs milk and a trip to the vet.
>> Anonymous
OP here. The cat is actually very small but I'm positive it's eight weeks old. The shelter I went to doesn't allow them to be adopted unless they are.

He only weighs about 11 ounces. I think the woman at the shelter may have said something about inbreeding. And I know that sounds like it's instantly bad, but she assured us that it is common and it would turn out fine.
Did that woman lie to me!? :(

As for the food situation, he wasn't eating a lot but then I tried hand feeding him with a little silver spoon and he finally ate some. Then I put him in front of a plate of wet canned food and he ate some more.
>> Anonymous
heh, he's a runt. Should still take him to a real vet, though, just so you have a medical baseline to work from in case he really does get sick
>> Anonymous
>>244388
My cat's inbred once. the ones that were inbred died while still kittens, and the one that wasn't got hit by a car when it was 5 months old... ;_;

MR. KITTEN I MISS YOU BAWWWWWWW
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
My cat is like that too. Got it from a friend. His name is Capri, after this scrawny little girl at work who looks like him.

Friend: Oh he's 3-4 months old at least.

Vet: You cat is fucking 6 weeks old. Bring him back in 4 weeks so we can treat him.

I'm thinking that my little guy might have worms too, but I'm not sure. Still counting down. He meows everytime he uses the box and he's pretty skinny. He'll eat until his belly is round but doesn't seem to be bulking up any. I thought it might just be because he's growing so fast. The diet I'm giving him is far better than what he was getting previously. He's also got bad ear mites and gave them to one of my other cats. Been tending to him regularly though. Time will tell, I guess. =\
>> Anonymous
>>244396
Friend of mine has cats that have been inbreeding for generations now. They're all black & white.
>> Anonymous
My cat's 18, and she weighs somewhere between 4 and 5 pounds. She was the runt of her litter, too. She's skinny and ratty looking, and every time we take her in to the vet, they say it'll be her last visit to them. They're amazed she's still alive, really.
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
Mah boi was inbred as well, He turned out to be very healthy and normal, just give it some time.
pic: my cat Chewy
>> Anonymous
What does him being a "runt" mean?
And the litter I got him from was all like that, so he wasn't THE runt of his litter, his litter was full of runts.
>> Anonymous
OP here guys. For anyone that is interested on the status of my kitten, I just got back from the vet and here's the news:

He's dehydrated and underweight by 2 pounds.
He's got worms (but they said that all kittens are born with worms so it's not a big deal)
He's got some sort of intestinal blockage (something about his intestines telescoping [forgot the name])
He's anemic.

:[

They tested him for Leukemia but it came back negative, but after that he said that even though it's negative doesn't mean that he's not positive. Just because he's so little.
>> Anonymous
>>244727
You might want to consider investing in a new cat.
>> Anonymous
>>244734
Yeah, I know. It makes me sick to think that though.
I just got done with a huge ordeal with my last cat who was only 9 1/2 and he got cancer.

This shit sucks! I can't help but feel way worse when an animal dies than when a human dies. And don't immediately push that off as horrible, because just thinking that cats never even really had a developed thought process once they die, I just feel like shit.
>> Anonymous
>>244740
So put for the effort to ensure that your kitten will see a full year.
>> Anonymous
>>244754
I will. The vet said that there is about a 50% chance of survival for him, and once we got this special food and gel to feed him and he started to perk up, the vet said it was looking like it was leaning toward the better end of that 50%.
>> Anonymous
>>244727

I've brought home animals worse than that.

Your little guy will make it!
>> Anonymous
>>244898
:\
I'm afraid he might not. I'm lying in bed with him and he's just sprawled out barely holding on. I have a horrible feeling he may not even make it through the night. God I feel sick.
>> Anonymous
>>244901

Oh, anon! ;_; Have some faith in the little guy. He may perk up.

If not... well... at least be content with the knowledge that you did all you could for him and made his life comfortable.
>> Anonymous
this thread sucks. yall need to quit posting pics of cute kitties, saying they are slowly dieing


depressing as HELL
>> Anonymous
>>244930
If anyone fucking posts Zippocat....
>> Anonymous
>>244727
Good to hear OP, now you can fix everything. Just makesure the little guy pulls through!
>> BitterAnon !!WJLRQ1cwCyZ
>>244901
Last ditch kitten survival method: SUGAR.

Fo serious. That shit saves lives. Heat up some honey so that it is a bit runny but not hot enough to burn (test it by putting some on your gums), then put just a tiny amount in his mouth. I'm talking, the size of a grean pea. Spread it around in his mouth, on his gums and under his tongue but be careful you don't choke him or force it down his throat. It should give him enough energy to hold out a bit longer. (This works for puppies, kittens, babies, just about any small creature. Sugar syrup or karo syrup can be substituted if honey is not available)

Not all kittens are born with worms, but if their mother has worms then yes, the kitten will likely have them too.

It sounds like this is a hopeless case though, so just keep holding him and make sure he knows you love him right up until the end.

Call the "shelter" you got him from and tell them to take better care of the animals. There is no way any respectable shelter would have let an animal go home with worms. If they have the other kittens they should get them to a good vet asap.
>> Anonymous
Of course he won't die. Just get rid of the worms, feed him, give him love and attention. Your kitty will be fine.
>> Anonymous
>>245119
i was told to only use sugar water or karo syrup, since honey has some bacteria or whatever that kills babies, and it affects young animals as well
>> BitterAnon !!WJLRQ1cwCyZ
>>245133
I've given animals warmed honey with no problems after having it recommended by a vet with my first foster. Snailcat is one of these (for the record, I did give Escargot, the kitten that died, some honey to keep her alive on the ride to the vet, but she was later euthanized).

Cursory checking on the intertubes indicates that yes, unpasteurized honey is bad for human babies. Though some site botulism, many are contradictory, leading me to believe that this is more tradition and the chances of a few drops of honey harming a child or small animal is slim to none. I've always used good quality, fairly fresh, tulip poplar honey, so that may have something to do with me not having any problems (I imagine something flash frozen and shipped around inside a plastic bear can't be good for you anyway).

I can't find a whole lot of info regarding nonhuman infants and honey, and mixing 3 parts warm water to 1 part honey is recommended by at least two websites. The others say "its bad for humans so obviously its bad for cats", though these are the same kind of websites that suggest vegetarian only diets for cats and have recipes for dog treats that include onions.

I guess I will retract my suggestion to give weak animals honey, and say to give them karo or sugar syrup in small doses, just to be on the safe side.
>> Anonymous
>>245148

Yeah, it's botulism you have to worry about. Babies tummies aren't acidic enough to kill it.

My mom breeds cats, used to breed dogs, and we use karo syrup if they're too weak or they just got through having babies. If they're dehydrated, we give them a syringe of water/karo.
>> Anonymous
Hi all, OP here for the last time.
I woke up this morning and walked downstairs and I'm deeply sad to say that the little guy was gone.
:(

He was such a little guy, he didn't even know what was going on. I hope there's a cat heaven. :\
rest in peace little man
>> Anonymous
>>244218
>>244397

pics made me AAAAWWWWWW
>> Anonymous
>>245198
I'm so sorry, anon... but I'm glad you gave the little guy so much love and care in his last few days.
>> Anonymous
>>245198

That really sucks anon.
>> Anonymous
>>245198
At least he probably died happy knowing that someone was caring for him and trying to make him feel better.

I'm really sorry though. ._.
>> Anonymous
Damn...at least you kept him warm and loved. ;_; that kitten deserves some manly tears.
>> Anonymous
I think the whole inbreeding = mutant thing is just a little wives tale to prevent incest. Granted, over several generations it causes the genetic diversity to take a hit, but I've yet to see any mutant inbreed babies.

Either way, cute kitten. My gramps keeps kittens as well, and their insanely skinny compared to the house cats I'm used to seeing.
This anon recommends the vet.
>> Anonymous
>>245296
i lol'd
>> Anonymous
>>245296
I love when it's painfully obvious that someone read the first post, hit reply, and puked up some words without even so much as skimming the rest of the thread.

Or maybe you're a troll. Who can tell these days.
>> Anonymous
>>245198
I'm sure he knew you cared about him. At least you tried to keep him company and make him comfortable. That's really all you can do sometimes.
>> Anonymous
Thanks for all of the reassurance, anons.
:)
>> BitterAnon !!WJLRQ1cwCyZ
>>245198
>>245697
Viking funeral!
>> Anonymous
     File :-(, x)
This thread is now 90% more manly.
>> Anonymous
>>245198
So sorry. It takes a very caring person to make so much effort for a tiny thing.
>> Anonymous
>>245296
a cat my familly owned was inbread and had an extra toe on its front right paw, which I supose counts as a mutant.

The cat did live to 26 and would have no doubt lived longer had my evil step mother not taken it to a vet to have it put down as it had just got a bit incontinent.

The cat was old, yes, but it was not in pain or discomfort, I didn't speak to my step mother much after that.
>> Anonymous
>>246498
>a cat my familly owned was inbread

Good lord! Was it put in after, or was it baked right in with the dough?
>> Anonymous
i know how to help put a ball of lead into his right ear, best done with some sort of shooting object eg a gun