Stunted growth?

[lulu1]

We are considering adopting a sweet tabby kitty who is approximately one years old.

She was taken from a kill shelter and fostered by a neglectful foster mom who did not feed her appropriately and did not take care of her medical needs. She was transferred to a different foster mom and given appropriate medical attention and good food. She gained weight and is around 6 pounds. She is very petite, and is full grown but, her size is almost that of a younger cat, almost a kitten. We were told that this is her full size and she will not get bigger. Most likely this is due to her malnutrition. Has anybody had a similar experience where their cat grew? Does anybody know if this affects any other aspects of her health? Could there be problems in the future?

 

[marmoset]

I haven't had malnourished cats but I did have a runt.  She was a little over 6 lbs most of her life.  It didn't cause any problems until she was 18 when she developed kidney issues.  She was hard to keep nourished.  A sturdier cat would have withstood the weight loss that went along with renal failure better.  Other than that I had a great 18 years with her.  From what I've read during my feral cat research cats recover from malnourishment pretty well.  I'd be more concerned if the cat was malnourished as a kitten before weaning due to being separated from the mother and not properly cared for.  Still if she's gained weight and a vet has given her health an OK I would go ahead and adopt.

 

[the3rdname]

There is absolutely more risk involved in adopting a runt.  Contrary to popular belief, runts are generally born stunted.  Poor nutrition doesn't "create" a runt.  It's a surprising fact I only learned of recently, and makes sense to me since both of my runts were well-fed as kittens. Not to say poor nutrition doesn't have the potential to adversely affect kittens, but if malnutrition stunted their growth, most ferals would be runts.  

I have one that's 14 and had to have all her teeth removed at 4 years of age, and she's struggled with a severe form of IBD the past several years.  She's been through surgery, has required medication, a special diet, and years of illness have weighed heavily on her.  My other runt is one year and in renal failure.  So I've adopted two runts and had very expensive and physically/emotionally taxing experiences caring for them.  I would say this is a decision not to be made lightly.  If you can afford potentially expensive veterinary care and are able and willing to take the gamble, it would be a wonderful thing to give this kitty a loving forever home.  

Proactive measures will be necessary.  Good food, immune-boosting supplements (at least a probiotic), and I would look into a good pet insurance policy, as well.  If you've got a big enough heart and aren't going to go bankrupt if kitty develops a serious problem, I say go for it. 

Best wishes to you.

 

[lulu1]

I should have mentioned that she is part of a litter of five cats that were all bought to the shelter. She is not a runt because all five are of same size, two of the females (both got adopted) were even smaller than her. So, I believe that all of them had their growth stunted due to the starvation/malnutrition. I am very concerned of the possible effects of such a deprivation while she was a kitten and future health problems that could be expected.

 

[the3rdname]

 
I should have mentioned that she is part of a litter of five cats that were all bought to the shelter. She is not a runt because all five are of same size, two of the females (both got adopted) were even smaller than her. So, I believe that all of them had their growth stunted due to the starvation/malnutrition. I am very concerned of the possible effects of such a deprivation while she was a kitten and future health problems that could be expected.

That makes a difference, for sure.  Maybe they're just small cats and malnutrition didn't stunt their growth.  Who knows?  I've seen scraggly ferals that never ate well gain weight and thrive once they were put on a healthy diet.

You've got to be a survivor to struggle and make it through that first year.  Don't discount the body's ability to adapt and heal.  

I've known people who spent $$$$ on a purebred from a faultless line, and then that animal went on to experience health problem after health problem.  There's no way to guarantee you'll end up with a healthy animal, so you may as well make the decision with your heart.  And invest in pet insurance or start a savings account for emergencies.  All you can do is hope for the best, prepare for the worst. 

 

[GooberYT]

i have a gray tabby that is below 6 lbs when his sister is about 3 or 4 times his weight because he had worms but he couldn't keep his worm medicine down so for a long time he was almost a literal skeleton, we feared for his life.
so we took him to the vet and they gave us meds he could keep down but even after he recovered he soooo tiny his sister is almost a fully grown size but at least hes more active.
he'll probably never reach six pounds unless he fat fat fat

 

[Jem]

Our newly adopted kitty is also an undersized rescue. She is 2 years old and only 6 lbs. She is not going to get any bigger but we are hoping the she will gain more muscle and lose her little belly in our care, so she could gain a bit more weight if that happens.
She does have a compromised immune system, but we have been battling a very stubborn URI that she got from the shelter she was in. When this URI has been eradicated, I'm not sure if her immune system will stay compromised or not but she is doing very well overall. My vet did not mention anything when it comes to long term issues we may have with her, being that she was malnourished and even had more life sucked out of her with the litter she had. And we specifically asked about her being so small and told her about her past.

 

[GalaxyGirl]

We are considering adopting a sweet tabby kitty who is approximately one years old.

She was taken from a kill shelter and fostered by a neglectful foster mom who did not feed her appropriately and did not take care of her medical needs. She was transferred to a different foster mom and given appropriate medical attention and good food. She gained weight and is around 6 pounds. She is very petite, and is full grown but, her size is almost that of a younger cat, almost a kitten. We were told that this is her full size and she will not get bigger. Most likely this is due to her malnutrition. Has anybody had a similar experience where their cat grew? Does anybody know if this affects any other aspects of her health? Could there be problems in the future?

My kittens are 13 months old. The bigger ones were less sick then the smaller one who is 7.5 pounds. She stoppped growing id day around 8 months. She’s been the same weight. She was also the sickest. Who ever abandoned these kittens didn’t take care of them so because she was the most ill we think it also stunted her growth.