At six days old, this kitten was just half the size of a newborn. Despite being so tiny, she had the spirit of a warrior.
A little palm-sized kitten was transferred to Nova Cat Clinic in Arlington, Virginia when staff at Arlington Welfare League noticed she needed specialized care. The micro kitten weighed only 50 grams at almost one week old.
Despite being smaller than a kitten-sized bottle, she was very brave. Ellen Carozza, Feline Licensed Veterinary Technician at Nova Cat Clinic, took her into their charity program, Chris Griffey Memorial Feline Fund, which aims to help kittens in critical condition.
She was named Magrat, and from day one, she proved to be a fighter.
She would latch onto the bottle and eat as much as her tummy could possibly fit. Ellen and her team worked on fixing her GI issues and infection.
"While there was weight gain, we were lacking muscle gain. This is a problem with neonates," Ellen said.
To help keep Magrat warm, she was kept in an incubator during nap time to help regulate her body temperature.
A week later, the micro kitten finally started to gain some padding over the hips and tail.
She was given her very own kitten-sized sweaters to help her stay warm and cozy.
By the time she was 16 days old, she reached the size of a normal week-old kitten at 143 grams.
Neonatal kittens like Magrat, lack antibodies found naturally in the mother's milk and are especially susceptible to infections.
Magrat contracted a bacterial pneumonia and spent 10 days in an oxygen tent. The little fighter was always in good spirits during treatment.
"She was nebulized multiple times per day, on antibiotics and antivirals," Ellen told Love Meow.
"We were lucky she recovered."
Now at two months old, Magrat is still pocket-sized.
She is eating well and growing steadily every day.
"Other than being unusually small for her age, she acts like a normal kitten," Ellen said.
"Her most favorite thing to do is play hide and seek. She loves to run out and scare you and run away."
The little panther kitty is determined to out-grow Ellen's scrub pocket one day.
And she's not letting anything hold her back.
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