# Is this a weaning issue?



## sharon_gurney (Jan 27, 2010)

Hi guys im after some advice again!

Ive 3 kittens which are now 10 weeks old and I just dont feel they are doing as good as they could.

they all have a pretty poor apetite and are looking thin and under weight. I have had other issues like getting them to use the litter tray which I seem to have conquered now.

They have been fine up to the last couple of weeks when mum seems to now have very little milk. she is still feeding them ocaisionally and im putting various foods down for them but they just dont seem to show much of an interest.

Ive got a vet apt booked for this afternoon to give them a check over to make sure there is nothing underlying and its just a weaning issue.

Any advice apreciated.


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## carly87 (Feb 11, 2011)

Have you made any attempts to force them to eat the food? I.e putting it on paws, faces, in mouths? What are you feeding? Are you warming it through, diluting with water, KMR etc?


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## sharon_gurney (Jan 27, 2010)

carly87 said:


> Have you made any attempts to force them to eat the food? I.e putting it on paws, faces, in mouths? What are you feeding? Are you warming it through, diluting with water, KMR etc?


yeah ive tried all that, various different tinned meats, mashed up, liquidized with water, without water, wiped on faces. Ive tried KMR, minced meats, raw and cooked

They will have a few mouthfulls then nothing. Ive checked mum this afternoon and there is no milk to speak of they must be starving!

Im at the vets in an hour will see what he thinks


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## wicket (Aug 22, 2012)

Mine werent keen on food at all to start with, I resorted to KMR mixed with Hills A/D as by that point mum didnt seem to have much milk - it really seemed to get their interest in food going - hope all goes well at the vets.


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## we love bsh's (Mar 28, 2011)

Maybe they are feeling full up with mums milk.Do you feed raw? if not i would try that as they dont ned to eat much of it to get the correct goodness to grow.


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## sharon_gurney (Jan 27, 2010)

we love bsh's said:


> Maybe they are feeling full up with mums milk.Do you feed raw? if not i would try that as they dont ned to eat much of it to get the correct goodness to grow.


mum looks like her milk has gone now. I mix between raw and tinned meat but they just dont show any interest in food, they are starting to look thin


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## sharon_gurney (Jan 27, 2010)

well we are back from the vets, who couldnt find anything obvious. Temps all ok and no signs of any infection.

He thinks it typical Siamese fussyness...
Well its not overly typical for my Siamese for being fussy

Ok I wont mention Vogue who used to drive me to distaction with her eating habits!


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

I wouldn't be diluting kitten milk etc. more than is recommended, as I feel you could be filling them up with water not the correct amount of nutrition. Liquidising with water seems to have the same problem to me.

Have you tried warming their food slightly? I take it they've been wormed.


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## we love bsh's (Mar 28, 2011)

Glad all went well with the check up well your feeding them ok i do that i also leave rc kitten 36 down all the time maybe try them with some of that.I know not every one is a fan of dry however.


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## sharon_gurney (Jan 27, 2010)

OrientalSlave said:


> I wouldn't be diluting kitten milk etc. more than is recommended, as I feel you could be filling them up with water not the correct amount of nutrition. Liquidising with water seems to have the same problem to me.
> 
> Have you tried warming their food slightly? I take it they've been wormed.


Will try with less water although I dont put lots in prob only a spoonful, have warmed it too and yes they have been wormed.

Ive got some food from the vet so will give that a go


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## sharon_gurney (Jan 27, 2010)

we love bsh's said:


> Glad all went well with the check up well your feeding them ok i do that i also leave rc kitten 36 down all the time maybe try them with some of that.I know not every one is a fan of dry however.


There is always some Royal Canin dry down as that what mum prefers but they dont even sniff at that!


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## we love bsh's (Mar 28, 2011)

sharon_gurney said:


> There is always some Royal Canin dry down as that what mum prefers but they dont even sniff at that!


Lol well your doing every thing i do then i hope they improve a little with age,only other thing im thinking is what i do is i feed little and often you know so that the foods smells strong/fresh.


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## havoc (Dec 8, 2008)

Do they just look scrawny or are they actually underweight for age?


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## dancemagicdance (Sep 27, 2012)

Have you tried baby food/kitten glop? I had 1 kitten that was really reluctant to wean so I made a kind of kitten glop with mainly chicken baby food, a bit of evaporated milk, a bit of dry food and gelatin all blended together, worked a treat for getting her to wean, and all the other kittens and mummy cat loved it too!


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## Ang2 (Jun 15, 2012)

Try boiled chicken, then put in a food processor/chopper so it looks like minced chicken. Serve it to them warm. It usually works.


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## MollyMilo (Feb 16, 2012)

I'm not a breeder but my friend breeds fussy siamese 

She takes some Whiskas kitten chicken ( tinned)and some evaporated milk, mushes it all together and puts it in the microwave.

Dishes it out onto big dinner plates and everyone from 3 weeks to 9 years tucks in!


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## sharon_gurney (Jan 27, 2010)

havoc said:


> Do they just look scrawny or are they actually underweight for age?


they are certainly the thinnest kittens ive had at this age, the vet weighed them and 2 of them have lost weight since last fri


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## gskinner123 (Mar 10, 2010)

Were they vaccinated at 9 weeks?


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## sharon_gurney (Jan 27, 2010)

gskinner123 said:


> Were they vaccinated at 9 weeks?


yes last friday


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## gskinner123 (Mar 10, 2010)

sharon_gurney said:


> yes last friday


I wonder if it's partially related to that. Just occasionally my own kittens will go ever so slightly off colour after their first vaccinations, sometimes just enough to knock their appetite back a little. I had this with a litter earlier this year. For some reason they were very reluctant to eat from the off at around 5 weeks and they picked at this and that but never really tucked into anything. By 9 weeks they still weren't eating well and then vaccinations seemed to make things a little worse and they really were nowhere near the weight I'd have wanted them to be. It'll be little consolation to you until you see your own eating well (and I'm sure they will) but mine just seemed to 'take off' past around 10 weeks and by the time they left at 13/14 weeks were little porkers. But they drove me insane in the interim!


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## sharon_gurney (Jan 27, 2010)

gskinner123 said:


> I wonder if it's partially related to that. Just occasionally my own kittens will go ever so slightly off colour after their first vaccinations, sometimes just enough to knock their appetite back a little. I had this with a litter earlier this year. For some reason they were very reluctant to eat from the off at around 5 weeks and they picked at this and that but never really tucked into anything. By 9 weeks they still weren't eating well and then vaccinations seemed to make things a little worse and they really were nowhere near the weight I'd have wanted them to be. It'll be little consolation to you until you see your own eating well (and I'm sure they will) but mine just seemed to 'take off' past around 10 weeks and by the time they left at 13/14 weeks were little porkers. But they drove me insane in the interim!


This does sound familiar but I think its been more noticable as mums milk has dried up. My other girl who I previously bred with always had more milk than she knew what to do with so kittens were always little fatties. This is Lilly's first litter and she may have been a little overwhelmed by the whole motherhood thing. Im just glad that I had Vogue who is my ex breeding girl who was a fantastic mum and turned out to be a great aunty to these babies even if she hasnt been able to feed them I think shes more of a comfort than their mother


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## deedeedee (Apr 2, 2008)

We had a litter like this once, mum had no milk after 6 weeks, they were the lightest in weight litter we had ever had.. 

We discovered they loved feline fayre chicken and duck (black tins)- they used to 'scream' with excitement when I gave them it. I tried everything and found that food to be the only 'wet' food they would eat with any interest.  May be worth a try? I also used to feed them one by one so I knew how much of it they were eating.

They are all fine with food in their homes now they are older too.  

x


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## spotty cats (Jul 24, 2012)

I'd be putting them on Hills AD for several days, that stuff is magic - and is made for syringing so if they won't eat alone you can easily suck it up a syringe and force feed. Along with a drop of Nutri Drops in each kittens mouth.


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## sharon_gurney (Jan 27, 2010)

spotty cats said:


> I'd be putting them on Hills AD for several days, that stuff is magic - and is made for syringing so if they won't eat alone you can easily suck it up a syringe and force feed. Along with a drop of Nutri Drops in each kittens mouth.


Hi

Im already now syringe feeding Hills to the boy as he is now making absolutely no effort.

1 girl is small but ok, the other girl is underweight but very bright and does pick at food and I resorted to bottle feeding this morning and she took that really well.

the boy on the other hand, shows no interest in food or milk and the only intake is what im force feeding. Ive cried my eyes out this morning as I just dont think hes going to make it. Hes very quiet and subduded, but I will keep trying.


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## wicket (Aug 22, 2012)

sharon_gurney said:


> Hi
> 
> Im already now syringe feeding Hills to the boy as he is now making absolutely no effort.
> 
> ...


Im so sorry to read this but please dont despair - I know you saw you vet only recently and he couldnt find anything wrong? Its not that long after their first vaccinations and I posted not long ago because I had one boy who hardly ate for over a week after his first vaccination then not much for a week after that but then gained in leaps and bounds - I know it must be awful to have to force feed and I will be thinking of you and keeping my fingers crossed x


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## Joy84 (Nov 21, 2012)

sharon_gurney said:


> Hi
> 
> Im already now syringe feeding Hills to the boy as he is now making absolutely no effort.
> 
> ...


Sorry to hear about your struggle 
I have absolutely no experience, so can't offer much advice.
Someone mentioned Feline Fayre before, did you try it?
You can easily get it from asda or home bargains stores.
It might not be the best food out there, but if the kittens are really bad, then better something than nothing ...
I've never had much problems with Phoebe, she'll eat pretty much everything, but Feline Fayre seems to be her favourite- winning with Bozita, Animonda and Grau!
She gets the fish variety occasionally as it's not complete, but the meat ones are!
Worth a try 
Good luck and hope to hear some good news soon!


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## sharon_gurney (Jan 27, 2010)

Just a quick update, ive just got home with some prawns and chicken and all the cats have come runing along with the little boy..weve named him Rudolf.

He cried for some food and he has ate small sliver of raw chicken without being forced, the other little girls had a few prawns.

I have everything crossed, I know its a tiny step but hopefully its in the right direction.


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## we love bsh's (Mar 28, 2011)

sharon_gurney said:


> Hi
> 
> Im already now syringe feeding Hills to the boy as he is now making absolutely no effort.
> 
> ...


Sharon have you wormed with panacur at all?


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## sharon_gurney (Jan 27, 2010)

we love bsh's said:


> Sharon have you wormed with panacur at all?


No I purposely didnt this time as the last lot of kittens one was ill after worming with panacur. I followed the thread that was on at the time as I had a kitten with the same symptoms that others had had.

Ive wormed with Milbemax this time, and the kitten hasnt had the white slimey poos like the last one. I think this is completely unrelated, if anything it must be down to the reluctance to wean combined and mum having virtually no milk left and vaccinations.

Just hoping I can keep him going until hes feeding for himself properly. this morning he was just wrapped up in a towel while i tried to bottle feed and he wouldnt even swallow, it was heart breaking. He seems to have picked up a little since this morning as he has eaten a tiny amount of chicken.


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## we love bsh's (Mar 28, 2011)

sharon_gurney said:


> No I purposely didnt this time as the last lot of kittens one was ill after worming with panacur. I followed the thread that was on at the time as I had a kitten with the same symptoms that others had had.
> 
> Ive wormed with Milbemax this time, and the kitten hasnt had the white slimey poos like the last one. I think this is completely unrelated, if anything it must be down to the reluctance to wean combined and mum having virtually no milk left and vaccinations.
> 
> Just hoping I can keep him going until hes feeding for himself properly. this morning he was just wrapped up in a towel while i tried to bottle feed and he wouldnt even swallow, it was heart breaking. He seems to have picked up a little since this morning as he has eaten a tiny amount of chicken.


Ah right i see,no iv not used panacur since.Try syring him some sugar water get his energy back up that mafy be just the boost he needs.


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## spotty cats (Jul 24, 2012)

Could have a slight infection, and need a small dose of antibiotics.


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## lisajjl1 (Jun 23, 2010)

I agree that antibiotics may help, but vet will be able to advise.

I had had two litters, actually from the same mum, and each time several of the kittens in each litter lost appetite at 9 weeks after first vaccinations.....both times they went downhill really fast but didnt have temperatures or any signs of infection etc just wouldnt eat at all, the vet intervened both times with a course of Synulox drops as a precaution and I rehydrated them by sryinge feeding Cimicat and boiled water then on about the second day of AB's they just picked up again and ate for England - both times this worked exactly the same.

Obviously wasnt conclusive as the kittens may have picked up on their own but I would definitly want to go this route again if in same situation.

Hope your kittens are doing better today.


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## PetloverJo (Nov 4, 2011)

I hope your kittens are ok. It must be very worrying for you. x


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## Ang2 (Jun 15, 2012)

Just hoping for a good update. Try bottle feeding with carnation and boiled water - which is very good for helping fatten them up. Also golden syrup diluted with boiled water will give them a boost.

At this point I would think about starting from scratch. Try get them back to being bottle fed and slowly add a/d to the mixture and increase it. You really must take them to the vet for a broad spectrum antiobiotic shot which would work wonders.


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## sharon_gurney (Jan 27, 2010)

Hi all

thanks for your words of wisdom and well wishes.

he still isnt good and back to nothing but syringed food. Im going back to the vets in about 3/4 of an hour. 

im weighing him daily and I cant even keept the weight he has got consistant, hes just a bag of bones now, I cant tell you how worried I am:sad:


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## MollyMilo (Feb 16, 2012)

Have everything crossed for this litte guy xx


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## Ang2 (Jun 15, 2012)

Sharon what are you syringing - and is it a syringe or is he feeding from a bottle?


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## sharon_gurney (Jan 27, 2010)

Ang2 said:


> Sharon what are you syringing - and is it a syringe or is he feeding from a bottle?


im syringe feeding Royal Cannin Recovery from the vets, have also tried bottle feeding KRM but with not much success


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## sharon_gurney (Jan 27, 2010)

Im back from the vets who gave he a good looking at.

His temp is a little low which she said could be due to his inactivity and loss of body mass. His eyes are also a little red.

Hes had an antibiotic injection and some Synolux drops to see if there is any improvement he has also got some eye drops.

The vet has mentioned blood tests but has said it could be down to failing kitten syndrome where the kitten just fails to thrive in which case I think we are out of options and time to call it a day with him.

Im heart broken but holding out for the best possible outcome.


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## deedeedee (Apr 2, 2008)

The synulox may do wonders for him, hopefully you will see an improvement even by the morning. Is he pooping and weeing still ok?

Fingers crossed for your little man xxx


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## Ang2 (Jun 15, 2012)

Sharon please please try the carnation with a little boiled water and also golden syrup with a little boiled water to keep hydrated. It works wonders. Keep him wrapped up and warm and bottle feed small amounts every half hour.


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## sharon_gurney (Jan 27, 2010)

deedeedee said:


> The synulox may do wonders for him, hopefully you will see an improvement even by the morning. Is he pooping and weeing still ok?
> 
> Fingers crossed for your little man xxx


yeah he still keeps taking himself off to the litter tray and everything seems fine there.

Im hoping the antibiotics show some improvement


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## carly87 (Feb 11, 2011)

Please don't just give up just because they say he's got fading kitten syndrome. That's just a polite term for them to tell you they haven't a clue what's going on. Twice I've been told by vets, my own vet that I trust, a lady who is very, very knowledgeable, that a particular kitten has failure to thrive and I should just give up. However, I always start immediately the stop eating, with sugar water, manuka honey and force feeding if I ened to. Please do this for your little boy, Sharon. Put him on a heat pad to keep him warm, or carry him around down your top. Boobs make great kitten warmers, and keep them at the perfect temperature.

Good luck.


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## lisajjl1 (Jun 23, 2010)

I have fingers crossed for him.....obviously keeping him hydrated is the priority, I know how hard it is when they will only take in a couple of drops of fluid at a time but even so little very, very often adds up and I never give up on a kitten no matter how poor the prognosis is, Siamese and Orientals always look shocking from just a day or two of not eating and I have had to point this out to one or two vets in twenty years who judge the kitten on looks alone but if they do turn the corner its amazing how quickly they can recover if its meant to be....I once had a vet take photos of a kitten who had been in 3 days before and the vet had wanted to keep her in she looked so emancipated - she didnt think her other colleague who had also consulted would believe it was the same kitten.


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## sharon_gurney (Jan 27, 2010)

another quick update,

My husband slept with him on the sofa last night so that I could get some sleep and that he could feed him in the night. ( my husband deserves a medal) 

The Little boy was syringe fed at 1am and by 3.30am I was woke up by him crying...TO BE FED!!!:thumbup:

He has had a small amount of raw chicken breast in the early hours and again this morning.

Fingers crossed everyone.


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## Ang2 (Jun 15, 2012)

Oh Sharon this is wonderful news. I almost darent open this thread when I saw your early update.

If he is eating chicken, get one of those ready cooked chickens from the supermarket and feed him the warm juicy bits. Dont forget syrup and water which boosts their appetite.


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## carly87 (Feb 11, 2011)

Oh, what fab news! Keep going iwth the syrup or sugar water, whichever you're using, despite the fact that he's eating. It will keep his apetite on tip top form.


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## lisajjl1 (Jun 23, 2010)

Brilliant news!!!! Sound like he has turned the corner.


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## polishrose (Oct 26, 2011)

Hope he keeps getting better.Please keep us updated


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## polishrose (Oct 26, 2011)

Deleted-posted twice somehow


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## wicket (Aug 22, 2012)

So so pleased to read the latest update put a smile on my face in an otherwise rubbish day - you are doing a fantastic job and Im keeping all my fingers crossed for you and your special boy x


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## we love bsh's (Mar 28, 2011)

Great news sharon i bet xmas day he has a nice porky tum with all the meats on the go..


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## oliviarussian (Sep 2, 2010)

Everything crossed for you xx


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## sharon_gurney (Jan 27, 2010)

thank you to everyone your support means a lot to me.

im going to carry on with the synolux tonight so hopefully he will go from strength to strength.

hes been syringe fed again this eve, helped the kittens with some kitten food and just polished off some cooked chicken


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## spotty cats (Jul 24, 2012)

Wonderful update, and well done to hubby staying up with the little one - not many like that around it seems.


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## Ang2 (Jun 15, 2012)

Any update? Hope its more good news!


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## sharonbee (Aug 3, 2011)

Only just read this as I haven't managed to come on the forum for a few weeks, pleased to hear your baby is getting better and feeding now.
I had to separate my last litter as Mia was really hurting them and puncturing their necks so for their own safety and with the vets advise we separated them at 3 weeks old, this meant us having to wean them, it was difficult but with perseverance after 5 days they were all eating well. 
We sat with them for about 1 hour each feeding time trying to rub a little wet kitten food on their mouths, then once they licked their lips we held the saucer of food upwards because when Mum feeds her young their heads are not held downwards but on an angle as they suckle so we decided to hold the saucer at an angle too, as they licked the food from their lips they got a taste of it on the saucer and began to eat from it, we gradually moved the saucer until it was flat and their heads were lowered, after a few days they were eating from their saucers on the floor.
After a couple of weeks they were enjoying Royal canin babycat dry as well.
Hope this helps and doesn't sound like a load of gobble di ****...not very good at explaining lol.


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## sharon_gurney (Jan 27, 2010)

Ang2 said:


> Any update? Hope its more good news!


yeah its good news. He is back to normall, gained all the weight he lost and is a robust little boy again. The husband calls him his boy...I suppose I cant take away the fact that he spent a few nights on the sofa nursing him when he was at his sickest and does deserve a lot of the credit.

Im hoping to take him to his first show at some point in the new year, so feel free to pop over and say hello to our little miracle.


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