Apr
In 2005, I had to state goodbye, to my best friend. She was full pedigree and recently, the people next door, got a persian, just like she was (grey, orange eyes, flat face) and it made me cry, as it reminded me.. of her.
I now, have a new cat.. who is one in May and he is extraordinary. He was a runt of the litter and he’s quite a small cat. Is there a chance, that he will run into more problems, when he is older?
I pray, that he will be with me, for a long time. Chelsea, only managed 7-8 years, which was quite young.. for me.
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I really don't think you should worry at all. When runts are produced they survive when the mom is able to feed them and die when she can't. Obviously, his mum was able to feed him properly and so he survived. Now his chances are as good as any other cat. Also, as he his not a full pedigree, there is much less chance of him suffering from genetic problems which are associated with all pedigree animals.
A nice, outbred cat is what you’ve and hopefully he will live to a ripe old age. Just get on and enjoy his company.
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My old girl was the 'runt' of the litter. She is quite small.
She’ll be 14 next month.
The only thing that gives her age away is 2 grey whiskers. She is perfectly healthy.She still likes to have mad moments, playing with her toys.
So I wouldn't worry too much.
He will certainly thrive on the love you’ll give him.
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no it should live just as long i have a cat named mini and she was the runt of the litter and shes really old now shes lost her eye sight but shes still alive but i feel so sorry for her she is so old and all of the other cats from her litter have died already its kinda sad if you consider it
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I'm not an expert in cats, but I did have a cat who was the runt of the litter and he lived longer than his brothers. I don't think you’ve anything to worry about. But a Cat Expert on here might have a superior answer. =)
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The runt of the litter can live just as long as the as the biggest kitten. My cat was the runt of the litter. She is 15 pounds now. More massive than her brothers (she was the ownly girl) now. He will be fine.
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Runts don’t typically stay runts their whole life. Once they are away from their greedy littermates they catch up very quickly when granted to eat and drink as much as they want. They often get even larger and stronger then their brothers and sisters.
don't worry about your kitty
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No, it doesn't mean she won't live longer.
We had the runt once, and he turned out the biggest, healthiest and lived the longest. It's all about their spirit.
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i had a cat that was the runt of the litter she out lived all her siblings and died this year having lived a long and happy life for the last 18 years!
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My dog was the runt of the litter and for the first 2 weeks of his life it was 60/40 against him surviving. The breeder worked hard to keep him alive. He lived to be 13yrs old wihich is good for a cocker spaniel.
I don't think you can garentee which one of a litter will have the most health problems or the shortest life span. All you can do is enjoy each day with your cat and not to consider anything that might be in the future.
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In my experiences the runts always end up doing really good most of the time they were smarter and healthier than the others. Same with dogs. Runt just means it was born @ a smaller size than the others. It isn’t a death sentence in no way. I wouldn't worry about it being a runt.
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Being the runt of the litter has nothing to do with how long he will live. One of my cats had a litter of kittens, i kept the runt as no one wanted her, she lived to the ripe old age of 19, she was always a smaller cat even though she was fed the same as my other cats, but she didnt ail a thing up until she was 18, so dont worry yours has the same chance in life as any other cat.
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Hi! I've kept Cats for my whole life (27yrs) and the runt of the littler shouldn't make any difference to the life span of the kitten in question (so my own personal experience has shown me). Keep in mind that age effects everything differently, just like people. Some people will be fit and healthy at 75… some wont make it that far. It's the same with our little furry friends. Some will move on early, some much later, but being the runt of the lot won't effect his life span. The last runt that left us lived to be 21 and had the most established personality of any animal I've ever known. Some of the others we have are just as crazy. You should have a lot of fun with this one
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Hi, we’ve 4 cats and one was really small when we got her. She was 5 months but the size of a 8 week old kitten (she was abandoned and we rescued her). Even with her slow start in life, she’s now 8 years old and absolutely healthy. The only issue we have had with her health-wise was that we’d to wait to get her spayed because she was slow to mature.
She was the smallest 5 month old kitten I have ever seen, but she is a really strong personality and takes crap from no one! Just because your kitten is small does not mean a shorter or unhealthier life. Have your vet give your kitten a good check to ease your mind, then enjoy your new kitty!
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my darling puss sprinks was the runt. she was also abandoned by her mother after a home fire @ 3 days old. she needed an awful lot of vetenary attention when we got her, but she was fine in the end. she is now nearly 5 years old and is showing no signs of giving up. my vet who breeds ragdoll cats says a runt can live as long as any other as long as they r well looked after. enjoy ur cat though. i luv both of mine and want more!!!
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My daughter had two cats - one was 'normal' and the other, his brother, had been the 'runt' of the litter. The first one was always the most playful, affectionate etc. but he died suddenly a month ago (from a brain haemmorhage?) aged about 3 years. Now the 'runt' has really come into his own and has 'come alive' after, it seems, having been the submissive one of the two. I guess this isn't really answering your question, except that even the cats who seem the healthiest can be struck down in their prime. After all, death comes to us all and we rarely know when. I wish you well with your new cat ………. just look after him and ENJOY him while he is with you!