what makes one of the babies a runt ? and why does the poor thing not seem to matter to mum ? My friends cat seems to be rejecting a kitten , the runt apparently , last born ?
2007-03-22 09:09:34 · 13 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Other - Pets
In the wild, the smallest of the litter often doesn't survive. The mom knows this and instead of wasting milk on it, she puts her time and energy into her healthy offspring to make sure they live. Often in the wild a mom can't take care of all of them.
If you have a baby being rejected by its mom, you can simply bottle feed. Keep it seperate from the mom though, she may actually kill it
2007-03-22 09:13:18 · answer #1 · answered by allyalexmch 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
The runt is the one that doesn't have enough space in the mothers womb The runt will be last born because its at the back of the womb But it doesn't always mean the mother will reject it but it will be the least developed and the weakest one of the litter often needing special attention to ensure it feeds as the stronger ones will push it a way from the mother. If the mother appears to be rejecting it call your vet out as there mite be a problem with its health
2007-03-22 10:52:24 · answer #2 · answered by fisherman 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Like everyone else has said it's the one that's least likely to survive. In the wild it would most definitely die. The runt isn't necessarily always the last born, it can be the first born.That's why litters are born so that there's a greater chance of at least one surviving and carrying on the genes of the parents.
My dog was a runt and only had a 50/50 chance of living but he was a fighter and he lived to be 13yrs old.
2007-03-22 09:22:26 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The runt is the least assertive and gets pushed out by the others. It's kind of a natural survival thing...where in the wild only the strong get to make it.
We have a grown up runt cat....she was so tiny and cried a lot...she is still very small but very loving.
2007-03-22 09:13:57 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's natural selection. The mother knows best, she realises that the runt is unlikely to survive and she needs to ensure the strongest have all the chances possible. The runt may have underlying problems which don't seem obvious to us. I once owned a dog which had been rejected by his mother at 3 weeks old, he was a nasty piece of work, he had rage syndrome! However we kept him till he died (11 years!). We still loved him.
2007-03-22 09:21:50 · answer #5 · answered by Princess415 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
its where the were in the womb tucked in a tight corner with no room to grow.the mum usually ignores them as the other larger offspring will have a far better survival rate and plus the strength to keep pushing the runt aside.You can nurse the runt and bring it on with a rich baby formula which i have done but its an around the clock job xx
2007-03-22 09:15:50 · answer #6 · answered by nendlin 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
All the puppies or kittens are not conceived at the same time. One may be several days younger than it's siblings. When they are born the "runt" may actually be premature and have a hard time surviving.
2007-03-22 09:19:40 · answer #7 · answered by SabrinaD 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
its the smallest and the last born my dog was the runt of the litter and he turned out to be the biggest of them when he got older and the most lovable just get your friend to keep an eye on it make sure its feeding properly and the mother cat does not try to kill it by rolling on it
2007-03-22 10:52:50 · answer #8 · answered by nicola s 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Runts happen, b/c its siblings "took control" while in the womb. They took most of the food, leaving the one kitten with not much to eat, o it didn't grow as much as the others. So thy are bullying it, so to say. In the animal kingdom, the mother knows if there's "something" wrong with a baby and won't take care of it if she thinks it won't survive. It sad, but true. MY dog had 10 puppies and always tried to kill the runt, we had to put it elsewhere, when we weren't around.
2007-03-22 09:17:14 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 1⤋
i not sure why it happens and why the mother rejects it but it has something to do with it being the weakest the others get to the milk frist and basically it gets the leftovers tell your friend to go to the vets and by some subtitute milk and get some advice on how to feed it and keep it warm cos sometimes the mothers kill the runt of the litter and yes it does happen cos its happened to my mother-in-law when her dogs and cats have had litters
2007-03-22 10:43:26 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋