How small can females get?

Nblearchangel · **Joined:** Thu Sep 26, 2013 5:41 am **Posts:** 86

My girl is only 5 pounds at 3 years old. I asked for the runt of the litter, and I made sure to get a girl on top of it all. I feel like I got what I bargained for. However, I've been told by a lot of people that she's undersized, and I don't have a frame of reference for how big/ small Bengals can get so I can't say. I hear the low end for girls is around 6 pounds but she's even smaller than that by a fair margin (a full pound). She has food available 24/7, and she gets a healthy amount of treats (recently freeze dried salmon, a fatty fish) so it's not like I'm starving her.

Does anybody have a particularly small cat that's perfectly healthy and never exhibited any health issues?

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

I think you are worried for nothing. If your vet thought your girl was too small or too skinny, they would have said something to you. The runt of the litter is just that -- the smallest cat. A female bengal is usually around 8 pounds -- but just as people are different sizes, so are cats! Don't be too concerned with the "norm" and appreciate your kitty for who she is and the size she is. You have posted pictures -- she seems fine to me.

brianj12 · **Posted:** Tue Jan 19, 2016 7:57 pm

I'm not going to lie... a 5 lb adult cat is a very very small (well, more accurately "light") cat. I've mostly had female cats, and I don't think I've ever had one that was under 9lbs or so at that age. I'm not saying that something is really wrong with her, just that she is a real outlier imo in terms of size/weight.

That is certainly an interesting approach, requesting the runt of the litter. What was your rationale for doing that? I find it a little odd, looking for that specifically, and THEN worrying about her size.

DeputyMP24 · **Joined:** Fri Sep 18, 2015 1:31 pm **Posts:** 212

While 5 lbs for an adult cat IS pretty petite, it doesnt mean there is something lacking from her diet, that she will have any health issues or anything. And, at her age, there is nothing that could be done to further stimulate any physical growth. My Suri girl is also the runt of her litter. Her litter mates were easily double her size. She has a super lean build, and very small bone structure. Now, at almost 7 months, she doesnt even weigh a full 5 lbs. I dont think she will weigh over 7 lbs at maturity. Shes just super petite!

Nblearchangel · **Joined:** Thu Sep 26, 2013 5:41 am **Posts:** 86

Nblearchangel · **Joined:** Thu Sep 26, 2013 5:41 am **Posts:** 86

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

As long as your little girl is healthy -- that's all that matters. Why are some humans less than 5 feet tall and some are nearly 7 feet tall? Humans are thin, average, obese. We don't question that -- that's just the way people are. And while most cats do fit into an "average," many kitties do not. Your little lady is eating, is not excessively thin, is tiny and may remain tiny the rest of her life.

ttl · **Joined:** Sat Jan 09, 2016 10:24 pm **Posts:** 148

We just came back from the vet and Lily weighs just over 2.4kg (about 5.4 lbs) at 3.5 months of age :biggrin:

. Guess there's still a lot to come... Her brother a little over 2.6kg (so 5.8 lbs).

How small can females get?

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