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Tell me about runts (kittens)cats)2007-11-25 12:25:38

I am curious why mother cats kick out runts?

How can they tell if a kitten is a runt when all the kittens are close to same size, all being small and all.

Does a runt stay small all it's life?

Is it true runts have a short life span? If so, why?

Answers:

Mothers can tell by instinct. The runt is generally not as healthy as the others and she is sticking to the survival of the fittest rule. Runts can and often do overcome their compromised beginnings. Your job is to watch and intervene with extra care for the kitten if the mother is shunning it. If she shows signs of aggression towards it, you may need to remove it from her as she might kill it. She's not mean, she's just following her natural instincts.

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My cat is a 'runt' and he gets sick a lot. I think they stay small, as he is half the weight/size of all the other cats I know.

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I agree with cc228. This is normal. It is how the animal world works. I would watch over it and even take it away from the mom if need be. You would have to become its mom. They do stay small. I have read that a runt smells different and the mother can smell it.

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Runts are usually the smallest of the litter. The ones who are left behind, always the one fighting to get through the others to feed etc. Because they have a hard start to life, runts can suffer from more health problems then stronger cats.They need special care and possibly can not grow as strong as a healthy cat.

Jerry was the runt in my litter,and he never grew to a healthy size. He was sick with rhinitis and used to vomit nearly every day. It got so bad that the kindest thing to do was to put him to sleep. Its a cruel world, but thats nature for us.