8-week old Siamese

Question
I just got a Siamese kitten who is 8-weeks old from a breeder who never had a 'runt' before and wasn't sure what to do with her.  She is about a third the size of her siblings.  She eats, drinks, and goes to the bathroom just fine (except the litter sides are too tall for her to climb into by herself!), but she has some trouble walking.  Her back legs seem to not cooperate, and she falls over a lot.  I'm wondering if this is very common, and if it has to do with being a runt, if it is something that she might outgrow, or if it is just probably nerve damage or some such thing and she will learn to deal with it in her own way.  

She also cries a lot when I put her down, and wants to be held and sleep in my arms most of the day, though I do make her get down and get a little exercise.  Behaviorally, I'm not sure if I'm doing the right thing by cuddling her a lot?  I don't want to foster too much dependence, but I don't want her to feel lonely either.  She is the only cat in my house, and my chihuahua doesn't know what to do with her, so she mostly ignores her.

Answer
Hi Meg, Has the kitten had her 8 week old vaccine yet? It would be a good opportunity to get a vet to have a look at her. Traditionally a runt would only be about 10% smaller than her littermates. It sounds like something has gone wrong with this little girl if she is that much smaller! Perhaps she has a virus.. hopefully not one that is fatal... or she could have an immunity or thyroid problem that is slowing her down. Don't worry about cuddling her and it is ok at 8 weeks to be dependent on you as that is a very young age to be taken from her mom. Your best bet at this point is to see a vet and get some basic blood work done to see if you can determine the problem as that will give you an idea if she will eventually catch up or not. Teresa