When Winifred "Winnie" Sanderson — named after the Hocus Pocus character — was born on September 17, 2016, the kitten only weighed 1 oz. Her mom rejected her because of her small size — she was half the size of a normal newborn kitten.
That's when Ellen, a licensed veterinary technician, and her sister Nina were asked to rescue her.
"Momma cat decided they were not worth her energy and the kitten was transferred to my sister, Ellen at her clinic due to her ability to work with complicated neonates," Nina told LittheThings. With lots of love and around-the-clock care, Winnie grew and grew — both in size and strength."
Keep scrolling to see Winnie's amazing transformation throughout her first year!
[H/T: Love Meow]
Ellen became Winnie's surrogate mom after her birth mother rejected her because of her size.
As a vet tech, Ellen is knowledgeable and skilled in helping kittens — so Winnie was in luck!
Both Ellen and Nina fell in love with Winnie and made sure she'd survive. "I instantly fell in love with her but knew that she had a lot to get through yet so tried not to get too attached," Nina told LittleThings. "It is always touch and go."
Before the kitten could even feed through a bottle, as she is here, Winnie was fed through a tube because a bottle was too big for her tiny mouth.
About the kitten's progress, Ellen documented her journey online and shared this post early on:
Winifred is 19 days old!! Can you believe she is still the size of a 1 week old kitten?
She is starting to interact more, be affectionate, purrs, and can see and hear fully now!
Along with feeding came weigh-ins to see how the micro kitten was progressing week by week.
"Kittens usually weigh in about 100-125 grams at birth," Nina told LittleThings. "Winifred weighed in a bit over 30 grams."
At 3 weeks old, Winni weighed only 5.9 oz.
According to Feral Cat, kittens should weigh 10 oz. at that age.
Thankfully for Winnie, although she was small, she was still like every other kitten. Ellen wrote she is "all there, mentally."
With Ellen's continued help, Winnie kept growing!
"She does not let her small size hold her back," Nina said. "She has always been a little go-getter and fit right in with everyone since day one."
This side-by-side comparison shows Winnie at only 3 days old and later at 3 months old!
It's amazing to see just how far this little kitten has come!
If you look closely, you'll see in the newer photo that Winnie's tongue is peeking out a bit. Ellen calls this a "blep," and it is something she's noticed Winnie loves to do.
Here is Winnie on May 23, 2017 — doesn't she look like a totally normal cat? You'd never know she nearly didn't make it!
The precious kitten is even cuter when she sticks her tongue out, and her owner is amazed by how much progress she's made.
Even when she was smaller, it didn't stop her from wanting to play with the larger cats in the house. "I was more worried about her getting lost in the house," Nina told LittleThings. "She was so tiny, she could easily sneak into a small opening. However, she was great from the start and fit right in."
Winnie used to be so small that she could hang out in Ellen's scrub pocket while she worked. Here, she was only 1 pound and 15 oz.
"You could tell all she wanted was love and to feel a beating heart," Nina said.
After one whole year and a long journey, Winnie has made an impressive transformation.
Ellen's sister, Nina, now takes care of her. When Winnie turned 1, Nina wrote:
Winifred Sanderson is one today. Compared to the photo on the left when she was barely old enough to open her eyes – to today. She’s come a long way. Congrats mini Winnie. We love you.
One thing is for sure, little Winnie may be small, but she's one tough kitty!
If you're proud of Winnie's strength after being so small when she was born, please SHARE this post on Facebook with family and friends!
