Predicting Maine Coon Size In Kittens

[MistyDawn]

So my baby Alaska is around 4lbs, 6oz at 10 weeks. How old is old enough to gauge adult size?

Any guesses on how big this means he will be in adulthood? I know he's pretty big now.

 

[EggSandwich]

I'd say that an average adult cat would weigh double it did when it was 4-5 months old.

 

[MistyDawn]

Okay, so I won't really know until he's older? I hope he stays on course for growth then.

 

[EggSandwich]

Okay, so I won't really know until he's older? I hope he stays on course for growth then.

He should as long as he gets a healthy diet. The best one you can provide him with. It's alright if you can't give him the best of the best diet, of course.

I'm sure he is a handsome boy, regardless of size.

 

[1CatOverTheLine]

He should as long as he gets a healthy diet. The best one you can provide him with. It's alright if you can't give him the best of the best diet, of course.

I'm sure he is a handsome boy, regardless of size.

EggSandwich - You're exactly right, Doug. Like Bob always says, "size doesn't matter."

 

[sabian]

I've had breeders tell me that it can be hard to tell sometimes. A runt that has trouble gaining weight as a kitten may turn out to be just as big as any other in the litter. I've also been told that you don't want to have them fixed until about 8 months as it may stunt their growth. Having said that. Sometimes I get a lot of conflicting information depending on who I talk to! It may be something you want to check into. Maybe 1CatOverTheLine or abyeb could chime in on that with more info.

 

[abyeb]

So my baby Alaska is around 4lbs, 6oz at 10 weeks. How old is old enough to gauge adult size?

Any guesses on how big this means he will be in adulthood? I know he's pretty big now.

The average weight for a 10-week-old kitten is 1.8 to 3.1 pounds. Since Alaska is larger than that (and since he's a Maine Coon), I'd say there's a good chance he could grow larger than 15 lbs. Maine Coons can continue growing for four years.

 

[Ardina]

I found this growth chart for Maine Coons that you might find interesting: Maine Coon Growth And Weights - Maine Coon Fancy. They've kept track of the growth of several Maine Coons, both male and female. You can compare Alaska's growth to some of the charts on the site to get an idea of how big he might turn out to be. You could even contribute some data to their project!

 

[GoldyCat]

Do you know how big the dam and sire are? That can give you a ballpark figure, but it's not a sure thing.

I checked the vet records from my kittens. Keep in mind that these are DSH kittens, not Maine Coons. The two I still have as adults were 2.6# and 2.7# at 9 weeks and ended up at about 11# as adults. These are kittens from a stray mama who weighs in under 6#, so I'm thinking the daddy was one big boy.

Assuming a similar rate of growth for your boy, he could get to 16-18# at a year old. Growth will be slower after that, but Maine Coons continue to grow and mature for 2-5 years. Pure guess on my part, but I expect you're going to end up with a really big beautiful (handsome) boy.