A tiny kitten, who was born half the size of a normal newborn kitten, was rejected by her mum. She kept on fighting and now has a new dad.

Her name is Winifred and she is a micro kitten – how adorable.  Both Winifred and her brother were rejected by their mother because of their tiny size. Mother cats often do this when they sense that the kitten is smaller than the other kittens, especially in a large litter, she does this so she can save food and place for the other kittens and also give all her energy on raising the other babies.

Often the smallest babies develop in the middle of the womb and so are the furthest away from the mother’s blood supply, which means they don’t get as much nourishment as the other kittens. The smallest of the litter might have a very rough start to life but with proper care and lots of love, they can grow up completely fine and normal, with the same lifespan as all their siblings.

Winifred was only 1.3 ounces which is half the size of the normal newborn kitten (they normally weigh between 3-5 ounces) and so she and her brother were cared for by Ellen Carozza. Ellen would use a tube to feed the fragile kittens instead of the average bottle because they were just so small. Two weeks later, Winifred was the size of a newborn kitten.

Devastatingly, her brother did not make it, he passed away just two days after he was born, peacefully in his sleep, which is very common for kittens that are born so small.

Winifred, on the other hand, kept on fighting and although she was still quite behind with how big she was compared to the other cats, she was growing, which was a very positive sign. Normal cats gain about half an ounce every day.

Ellen took her home and her other cat, Benny, completely adored her the moment he met her. Benny is known for giving all the little kittens lots of love and affection and it was not any different with little Winifred. He grooms her, has naps with her and they even share some meals. Benny also sleeps next to Winifred’s incubator at night whether it be on his cat tree or on Ellen’s head.

Winifred is now 43 days old and weighs just eleven ounces, which is still very tiny, but definitely a big improvement. She has now started to show more affection and act like a normal cat which is all promising signs. She is getting bigger and stronger every single day and everybody is so proud of her.

She has been so lucky to have been cared for and loved by Ellen and her family. She has been treated like a tiny precious gemstone and she is just too adorable.

You can follow Ellen on Instagram to see all her cute little updates about little Winifred and all her furry friends. She also posts the most adorable cat updates you will ever see.