Peanut was just half of the size of his brother when they found him. No one expected him to live pass the first few weeks, but this tiny ball of fur is nothing short of a miracle.
Peanut was born with a cleft palette (inside his mouth), which means he was unable to nurse from his mama or a bottle because of his birth defect. At 9 days old, he was hanging in strong, even though he only weighed 79 grams.
They had to feed him through a tube around the clock until they could have his cleft palette corrected so he could eat on his own. "It was a challenge tube feeding a kitten no bigger than a mouse, but he began to grow," said Gina Tucker.
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He was so tiny but started gaining weight every day with help from his human parents who went through many sleepless nights to make sure this little buddy got enough nutrition for his tiny body to grow.
"He is almost 4 weeks old, still have trouble with the milk getting in his nose even though I'm tube feeding, it's a battle for both of us," Gina shared updates on Facebook.
At 41 days old, Peanut finally started to play with objects.
"With cleft palette babies, Pneumonia is an issue, We went through two rounds of pneumonia, but his vets brought him through it."
Peanut cuddling with human dad. He never stopped fighting even though some days were tough.
"Peanut was a little behind on his learning because of the cleft palate, kind of like a preemie baby, at 49 days old he is catching up, he has started making biscuits, running and jumping with an arched back, follows me around the house, is very vocal and likes to play fight and bite. He stays out of his play pen all day now and only goes in it at night," Gina wrote on Facebook.
Finally Peanut reached two pounds and was ready to have his cleft palette corrected.
"He has come a long way and the vets are quite surprised... He is a spoiled little kitten and very loved."
"Peanut is such a Daddy's boy, always gets up by his neck and snuggles, then he wants to play fight with me."
Little Peanut supervising his humans while they do the dishes! :)
"This little guy is truly a miracle kitty, No one expected him to live anymore than a few weeks and here he is giving the doctors a hard time. My heart is filled with so much admiration for this tiny kitten that has so much will to live."
All grown up now!
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