my mystery girl

[kittymama216]

I adopted two lovely little girls from the local shelter about 6 months ago, Abigail and Alice. While Abby has grown quite a bit, little Alice has hardly grown at all! She's still the size of a kitten. The vet says she is perfectly, but can't explain her lack of growth. I don't know her breed, but I wonder if maybe she is just a small breed. She has longer white hair and bright blue eyes (and no, she's not deaf). She is VERY smart and affectionate. She tries to mimic other animals she sees (barking, chirping, growling...) I will attach a picture. Any ideas on what breed she is and why she is so small would be helpful. Thanks!

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• kittymama216
• Apr 7, 2014

 

[callista]

Sometimes rescued cats who've had a rough infancy stay small because their bodies had to conserve energy and couldn't grow very much when they were younger. If she is energetic and eats well and the vet says she is fine, she probably is fine.

She doesn't remind me of any particular breed. There are some small cat breeds, but they're mostly very new ones not recognized in most places yet, and mostly involve cats with particularly short legs (think Dachshund).

The smallest female adult cats generally weigh around 5 pounds. The average is around 9-11, but there's some variety.

 

[kittymama216]

Thanks Callista! That makes a lot of sense,especially since they told us she was the runt of her litter. I didn't know they stayed small when having a rough infancy, I thought they grew once they had good care and a stable home. I thought her lack of growth meant I was failing her in some way. I feel so much better now! Thank you!

 

[callista]

Some catch up, some don't--the important thing is that they're healthy! I think whether they catch up or not is more down to genetics than treatment. I have two rescued cats: Tiny I found as a semi-feral in my neighborhood; Christy I found huddled in a closet at a no-kill shelter. Both were skinny when they came to me; Tiny grew big, and Christy stayed small. They've had the same food and the same medical care, and they're both healthy--but Tiny outweighs his "sister" by about four pounds.

 

[kittymama216]

Sounds like my Abby and Alice. I got them the same day, and at the time they were both the same size. Abby was maybe a week younger than Alice, but she has grown much bigger than Alice. They eat the same and play the same. They are practically attached at the hip. I think if we had a bigger litter box they would even potty together! The vet did say she's healthy, which is very good, because she wasn't when we adopted her. I guess she'll always just be our bitty baby :-)

 

[nycats]

Your baby is so adorable! And she is very portable!

 

[di and bob]

Some cats, especially females, are just naturally 'tiny', like people. I was 1/2 the size in height and weight as my little sister when we were growing up, although I'm 5 foot 4 now. (she ended up 5 foot 10!) Many females are at that 5lb. range.As long as she runs around and seems healthy she'll be fine. Good luck!