Slow developement

[Bonkers Mad!!!]

she wasnt a breeder, she was the type who thinks it's a good idea to get a baby then pass it on when she gets bored (or when it becomes clear that the baby is ill and might cost some money).  the breeder is just another of those idiots who thinks its ok for her cat to pump out babies every 25 weeks and then palm them off while they're too young to leave their mother    pure thickos in other words.

Mouse sounds very much like yours.  apart from my Teddy who's just a bit of a retard  he is the most clingy cat i've ever known.  he sucks my finger all the time and if i turn my head away from him during the night he'll dig at my neck until i wake up and turn back to him.  Lupus, my eldest, sleeps on the pillow and gets really grumpy with Mouse and whacks him but Mouse will just crawl under my chin for protection and suckle on my earlobe  .  he's such a cutie and the depth of my love for him scares the hell out of me.   

[Pinkbear (Julie)]

One of my feral kittens from last year is exactly like that. He was rejected at birth and left to die by mum. We scooped him up and hand reared him.  Eventually he was adopted by the daughter of our welfare officer. He was nearly 8 months by the time his bits were big enough to come off, bless him. 

We realised, in our puds case, that mum must have known there was something wrong with him so that's why she left him. The vet thinks he may have pituitary gland problems. Whatever is the matter with him he's a happy little bunny, but very, very small and very, very clingy and won't leave his meowmy's side.  He must be nearly a year now and still acts like he's 12 weeks old. 

Maybe something like that happened to your pud and that's why his 'breeder' ditched him on a passer by? It's a lot of work feeding a 'special' kitten and giving them extra support. 

[Desley (booktigger)]

Glad that the vet has put your mind at rest, and fingers crossed he has developed enough in another month to be done.

[Bonkers Mad!!!]

ok we're back.

he's fine.  the vet can feel both testicles but said to wait another month to give them more to work with 

he agreed that his poor start in life could've (and probably has) stunted his developement and said that although he still has baby teeth he doesnt see any problems there.  he took about 5 minutes and didnt charge.

so he's booked in for the middle of May to be de-knackered 

[Debsymiller (Rufus' mum)]

Definitely agree that the vet will be able to help and reassure you 
My Layla was a cat who was removed from her mum way too young (the story was 3 weeks) and she never really grew very big at all but was an absoilute sweetheart. She always weighed about 2 kg, reaching 2.4 at her heaviest but was never skinny, just petite. She also had what looked like baby teeth, aged 2- nothing ever properly developed. The vet put her small size down and teeth down to being removed too early which meant stunted development.
Doesn't necessarily mean the same for your boy though, again he may be just a small pud and if he's healthy and lively I am sure the vet will be able to put your mind at rest. 

[Desley (booktigger)]

It sure does - I have had two cats neutered that have only had one testicle, they have to go in the groin to find the other - hopefully that wont be the case, as it is a lot more expensive to neuter them, and if neither have descended, it might be a lengthy job to find them (both mine were lucky, they were easy to discover) - it is important due to the cancer risk though. Glad he does have some adult teeth.

[Bonkers Mad!!!]

He could have an issue with undescended testicles, which would require surgery (they normally wait till 9 months though, just in case), as there is more risk of them turning cancerous.

i did wonder about that.  i know that can happen in humans but didnt know if it was something tha occurs in cats.

just had a quick look in his mouth and he does have some adult teeth  , that must have occured in the last week.

[Desley (booktigger)]

He could have an issue with undescended testicles, which would require surgery (they normally wait till 9 months though, just in case), as there is more risk of them turning cancerous.

[Bonkers Mad!!!]

   he's definitely a boy (i've seen his willy).  he has an "area" that would indicate "bits" but only the "bits" of a baby.  i want to start letting Merlin out into the garden but planned on doing it after Mouse has been "done".  it could be a while  

as i wasn't sure of his exact age i've been waiting for his bits to develope or his baby teeth to fall out.  it's probably his teeth that niggling at me.  i wouldve expected them to have been replaced by now.  i'll have a good look in his mouth in a bit, just to check.

[Desley (booktigger)]

I didn't think of that BC!! I would expect some sign of adult teeth too, and that might need intervention.

[blackcat]

It does sound like a vet matter to me - good on you for giving the little tyke a chance - but at 6 months I would have expected bits to put in an appearance - assuming it is a boy ... If it is a girl, then the only bits likely to appear would be kittens as she should be speyed by now. Small cats are not that unusual, but it depends on how small - Esther is very petite, but that is in comparison with Smidgen who is huge - Definitely a vet matter, if only to put your mind at ease ...

[Bonkers Mad!!!]

i'm going to pop in at the vets later today. 

apart from the fact that he's small for his age i don't have any health worries about him.  he behaves like a normal kitten although he shows no signs of wanting any independence.  he's happy just to curl up on me and suck my finger.  he plays with Merlin (who i estimate is about 4 weeks older), eats well, uses the tray and in every other aspect is what you'd call "normal".  it's absolutely not possible for him to be any younger than 7 months old but if i was introduced to him now i would not believe it.  i'd definitely put him at 16 weeks at the very most.

the only difference between Mouse and Merlin (apart from the size) is that Merlin is desperate to get out and explore his world.  Mouse will sit by the back door but has no interest in leaving the house and is still scared of outside (he wont be allowed out until he is neutered anyway).

i'm wondering if malnutrition at such an early age could be responsible for the fact that he's so tiny and late developing.

[Desley (booktigger)]

I would schedule a vet visit to be on the safe side.

[Bonkers Mad!!!]

I acquired my Little Mouse in the middle of October 2008.  the 11 year old daughter of a friend of mine had been given it (without her mothers knowledge or approval) as she'd passed a neighbours door. as far as my friend was aware (from what the neighbour had told her) the kitten was 6 weeks old and had been given to the neighbour a week earlier.  i was called in the middle of the night by my friend who was concerned that the kitten had a permenant leak from it's back end and was very listless.  my friend only has one cat which she got at 11 weeks and knows very little apart from what she's observed with her own cat.  i immediately knew that the kitten was less than 6 weeks old (blue eyes) and was very aneamic and obviously not ready for whatever he'd been being fed on. 

i took the baby away and to be honest i didnt really expect him to last the night.  i fed him very small amounts of plain chicken and spent the next few hours manually picking fleas off of him.  i removed around 60 fleas before spraying a small amount of frontline into my hands and stroking it onto his fur.  he improved dramatically over the next 24 hours and has turned into the most affectionate little boy. 

by my reckoning he must have been about 4 weeks old when i took him so that would make him 7 months old now.  however, he looks more like a 12/16 week old kitten, still has all his baby teeth and there are no signs of any "bits" developing yet.

is this stunted developement a normal occurence for kittens that have been removed from their mother at such a young age?