9.1 lbs 6.5 month old kitten

ScratchedUpPapa · **Joined:** Mon Jun 01, 2015 11:40 am **Posts:** 4

So I just got back from the vet, just a follow-up regarding a ringworm infection from a month ago (kitty is doing fine).
As soon as I took kitty out of his carrier the vet was surprised about how big kitty looks since the previous visit 2 weeks ago. His reaction was "this ain't the same cat!"
I asked what he meant, he replied that he's grown a lot in two weeks. I guess when you see a cat everyday, you don't really notice it.
He got weighed and he came out to be 9.1 pounds. The vet said he rarely see kittens weighing this much, especially at such age. (not too many bengals in my region)
I knew he was going to be big, judging from his littermates, but didn't think he would be "huge".

He was neutered about 6-7 weeks ago. Could that be the reason.
Also from your experience, is this normal for a bengal? What weight would he settle into when he's an adult?

Thanks in advance

Edit: Kitty eats a raw diet using Alnutrin

Kyenta1 · **Posted:** Sun Jul 26, 2015 7:47 am

Your kitty has just reached a time of growth spurt. Quasar is my only Bengal experience. He went from 2 lbs to 12 in from 13 wks to about 10 months at the rate of about 1-2 lbs/month, free fed. After that he grew in length and musculature but not really in weight. Because Bengal cats have been bred using many different breeds and bloodlines, there is great variation in size at maturity, at least this is my theory. :confused:

Quasar is now 3 1/2 years old and still 12 lbs, give or take.
He has been fed a raw diet from weaning at the breeders and was neutered at about 10 weeks of age.
I would think that if kitty weighs as much as he does at 6.5 months, he could very well turn out to be a large cat.

rcolman18 · **Joined:** Sun Jun 17, 2012 7:18 am **Posts:** 142

That's definitely on the big side for a kitten that age, but it's just really, really tough to know how big the kitten will be as an adult.

For example, two of my cats are about 3 years old now and each weighs about 15-16 pounds. Raj is super long and lean, which has been the case since he was a kitten. Renny on the other hand was a tiny kitten, weighing under 6 pounds at 6 months but then he kept growing and is now extremely muscular and stocky. My third cat, Ragnar, was on the average to big side as a kitten but then he basically stopped growing and is now just about 10 pounds at 2 years old. Very average cat size.

Sherry · **Joined:** Thu May 23, 2013 2:21 pm **Posts:** 9217

That's a heavyweight kitty. How is his structure? He should be lean and muscular! Of course, he's still growing, but Raiden is only 12.4 pounds and he's 8 years old.

Donna741 · **Joined:** Wed Feb 05, 2014 9:03 pm **Posts:** 1048

Diesel was just a little smaller than that at that age, but he was growing like crazy. He slowed down dramatically at 10 months old. He's now a healthy 14 lbs. You would never guess he was that heavy by looking at him but he's very solid.

The important thing is to keep an eye on his shape to make sure he's not getting overweight, but with kittens they will bulk up then have a growth spurt and become lean again.

CMYKjill · **Joined:** Tue Sep 23, 2014 6:38 pm **Posts:** 1838

Both my kitties could stand to be a pound lighter, each. I would say they are between a 3 and 4. They are almost 16 months old and very active. They eat a good quality cat food and do not get any human food. Grace was big at a young age like your kitten. Now she is about 13 pounds. She has a large head, front paws and arms, and a very long body. I am not too worried about them. They are still growing and changing constantly. They had a full vet exam a week ago when they got their shots, and the vet thinks they are doing great and being fed the right amount. Grace is narrow in her hips and her shoulders and back are very lean. Both my cats have round bellies and large primordial pouches. I guess that's what makes them look overweight compared to other cats I have owned. They just have a different body type.

Sherry · **Joined:** Thu May 23, 2013 2:21 pm **Posts:** 9217

That's a great chart, Donna. Was there not one for the bengal cat? They are more muscular than your regular moggie. I just did a quick Google search and didn't find it and not sure I saved anything to my computer! Not a chubby babies grow up to be chubby kids, so hopefully, this chubby kitty will turn it all into muscle and be a lean machine!

CMYKjill · **Joined:** Tue Sep 23, 2014 6:38 pm **Posts:** 1838

I agree, there should be one for various breeds. My past cats were all Siamese and had totally different physiques and were less than half my current cats weight.

brianj12 · **Posted:** Mon Jul 27, 2015 7:29 pm

To answer your question, male bengals often get to be 15lbs-ish (big cats! but not quite Maine Coon-big). So 9lbs at 6.5 months doesn't sound like a huge outlier. But like the other posts mention, whether or not a particular kitty is overweight is dependent on body shape, not weight (just like a 6' human would probably be quite skinny at 160lbs, but a 5' human might be quite overweight).

brianj12 · **Posted:** Mon Jul 27, 2015 7:36 pm

Sherry · **Joined:** Thu May 23, 2013 2:21 pm **Posts:** 9217

Bengals don't have much fat on them. They are so energetic that they burn off a lot of calories. I know there are different "charts" out there than the one that Donna posted. The vet seemed to be concerned at the growth of this cat in just a couple of weeks. Adult male bengals weigh between 12 and 15 pounds, but there are some who go higher. You may have one of those.

Donna741 · **Joined:** Wed Feb 05, 2014 9:03 pm **Posts:** 1048

There are tons of different charts, I picked that one because I thought it had the best pictures to help judge healthy weight vs over weight. I'm a big believer in appearance over what the scale says because not all animals are built the same way.

And kittens always bulk up before a growth spurt, so if they're looking a little chunky just keep an eye on them if they don't lean back out with a growth spurt then you may want to consider cutting back a little on food.

Gotty · **Joined:** Sat Apr 11, 2015 9:50 pm **Posts:** 6

My boys who are brothers are 9'4 and just coming up to six months old. They are very lean

Sherry · **Joined:** Thu May 23, 2013 2:21 pm **Posts:** 9217

I guess the kittens grow super fast the first six months and then slow down the last six months.

hennrywel · **Joined:** Mon Jul 27, 2015 7:56 am **Posts:** 40

The important thing is to keep an eye on his shape to make sure he's not getting overweight, but with kittens they will bulk up then have a growth spurt and become lean again.Bengal cats have been bred using many different breeds and bloodlines.

9.1 lbs 6.5 month old kitten

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