7 Month Old Kitten Doesn't Gain Weight Anymore

[Richard2121]

So a little backstory: I have 4 kittens (one newly adopted 8 week old and 3 kittens around 6-7 months old). Otis, Koda, Richard Parker, and Daniel. They are all healthy and up to date on their vaccinations. They all play well with each other and I interact with them and play with them pretty regularly. They have been dewormed numerous times and don't seem to have any parasites based on litter box activity. I feed them wet food only 3 times per day. The food I stick with is Fancy Feast (kitten formula) because it is a happy medium between price, quality, low carb content, high protein content AND the cats like it. I feed them as much as they will eat in a feeding session 3 times per day. Usually about 3-4 cans (3 oz) per kitten per day, except for Daniel the littlest one because he cannot guzzle down as much food but he is growing by the day.

Otis is the oldest of the bunch (7 months or maybe closer to 8). He is still stuck around 6.8-7 pounds. Now I would be more worried if he seemed unhealthy in other ways, but he is very active and playful. He eats plenty at each meal as well. I am just a little concerned because he has been around 6.5-7 pounds for the past 2 months and everyone else has caught up or passed him. Koda is a month younger and he is already 8 pounds. I can tell he is going to be a BIG boy. But he also plays and seems very healthy. Richard Parker is a Bengal/Siamese mix and he is working his way up to 7 pounds already and he is slightly younger than Koda and 2 months younger than Otis. But Richard has a lot of Bengal in him. He is very lean and his long body hides his weight.

I am SO sorry for rambling on but if anyone could give me advice that would be great! Is it normal for a kitten to stop gaining weight as easily after a certain point? Are certain kittens more apt to stay smaller regardless of gender? All of my kitties are males so I know they tend to be larger than females. I have talked to my vet about this as well but sometimes their answers can be "educated guesses" at best, especially since she hasn't seen Otis since his Rabies shot over 2 months ago.

 

[Richard2121]

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

Lovely photos of handsome kitties!

From what I've experienced, kittens can go through some growth spurts - starting and seeming to stop growing, then boom! they grow again. It's possible Otis might do that, or else he could just turn out a bit smaller than the other kitties.

 

[Father of furbabies]

Just like kids, furbabies come in different shapes and weight. He might not hit a growth spurt for a while then the next thing you know, bam, he is a bottomless pit as he puts on the weight and size. As long as he has a healthy appetite, is active, and has a clean bill of health from his doc (from his normal visits) then I would not worry.

He might turn out to be smaller of the group which is fine or he might hit a growth spurt and catch up or surpass his siblings. Which ever, just love them and enjoy their kittyhood as it will pass by in a blink of an eye.

 

[amethyst]

A few things to consider, as said just like kids cats don't all grow at the same rate. Most cats are close to full size by the time they are around 6 months, but other breeds don't reach full size until around 6 years, and then everything in between. So long as he is active, acting normal, and not losing weight I wouldn't worry too much about it.

 

[tarasgirl06]

So a little backstory: I have 4 kittens (one newly adopted 8 week old and 3 kittens around 6-7 months old). Otis, Koda, Richard Parker, and Daniel. They are all healthy and up to date on their vaccinations. They all play well with each other and I interact with them and play with them pretty regularly. They have been dewormed numerous times and don't seem to have any parasites based on litter box activity. I feed them wet food only 3 times per day. The food I stick with is Fancy Feast (kitten formula) because it is a happy medium between price, quality, low carb content, high protein content AND the cats like it. I feed them as much as they will eat in a feeding session 3 times per day. Usually about 3-4 cans (3 oz) per kitten per day, except for Daniel the littlest one because he cannot guzzle down as much food but he is growing by the day.

Otis is the oldest of the bunch (7 months or maybe closer to 8). He is still stuck around 6.8-7 pounds. Now I would be more worried if he seemed unhealthy in other ways, but he is very active and playful. He eats plenty at each meal as well. I am just a little concerned because he has been around 6.5-7 pounds for the past 2 months and everyone else has caught up or passed him. Koda is a month younger and he is already 8 pounds. I can tell he is going to be a BIG boy. But he also plays and seems very healthy. Richard Parker is a Bengal/Siamese mix and he is working his way up to 7 pounds already and he is slightly younger than Koda and 2 months younger than Otis. But Richard has a lot of Bengal in him. He is very lean and his long body hides his weight.

I am SO sorry for rambling on but if anyone could give me advice that would be great! Is it normal for a kitten to stop gaining weight as easily after a certain point? Are certain kittens more apt to stay smaller regardless of gender? All of my kitties are males so I know they tend to be larger than females. I have talked to my vet about this as well but sometimes their answers can be "educated guesses" at best, especially since she hasn't seen Otis since his Rabies shot over 2 months ago.

Hello and welcome to TCS, Richard2121 , Otis, Koda, Richard Parker (LOVE that name!), and Daniel! What fine kittens you have/are! I'm assuming Otis is the golden stripesider on top? Well, as long as he's healthy, playful, eating/drinking/eliminating well, I wouldn't worry. Other posters' thoughts are good ones -- kittens, like kids, do hit growth spurts and then seem to stay as they are for awhile. Or, Otis could just end up being the smallest of the four, even if he is the eldest. When does he have his next kitten checkup? Has he had his full kitten pak of innoculations? As long as he's doing well, my feeling would be "if it ain't broke, don't fix it!"

 

[1 bruce 1]

Most of our cats are around the same height, but they differ in weight. Queen Bee is this little fine boned thing, tiny little feet, personality of a Tiger, and her weight is tiny compared to a similar sized cat that has tree trunks for legs, a big head, and is just built "heavier" than she is.
I'm unfamiliar with cat breeds but if I took a dog breed like a Labrador Retriever or an Australian Shepherd, you can see the differences if you start google image-ing. Some of the dogs are leaner build, fine boned, and their weight is much less than the stockier, heavier boned lines. People vary too, some people are build much more fine boned, naturally leaner, where others are heavier boned, stockier, etc. I imagine cats are the same.
I'm not sure how reliable these things are, but if a body condition score chart would help here's an example.
Body Condition Score for Cats - Operation TransPAWmation at Petmania
Just get a good look at him from above and the side, put your hands on him and go from there. If you're concerned, a vet visit isn't a bad idea.

 

[GalaxyGirl]

I have 3 kittens from the same litter. They are 9 months old. My smallest finally hit 7.2 pounds after being 6.6 for 2.5 months. I let her eat as much as she wants and i feed her brother more. Her other sister is food obsessed so I'll have to keep my eye on her as she's about is 1.8 over her ideal. I wont start worrying until she is one. So the smallest girl is 7.2 pounds, while the bigger ones are 9.2. I'm trying to put more on my male as he'll eat more and has a larger bone structor than both girls. Ideally my human food obsessed super inquisitive girl who is 9.2 will gown and fill out. She's has a lot fat in her pad while the others have a nice tuck. The vet and agreed that we'll start tapering off her calories once she's closer to one year of age. Both females get 4oz wet, while the male gets 6. They get 1 cup of Dr. Elsey's cleanprotein which last the entire day. Thats about 350-400 foer the girls calories and about 400-500 for the male ideally I'd like to see him at 12 pounds at one year. They are thriving. They have IBD so wet/raw and some canned specially foods like Feline Natural, Caru, Koha, and some non gum/thickener brands.