Hi I have 2 bengals.. Luna is 1 on the 21/05 and pearl is 1 on the 21/09. I’ve recently had them both spayed. I’m getting worried about Luna she looks very skinny to me. The vet said she has good muscle tone and is probably naturally smaller than pearl. She doesn’t seem to be eating much either. I will try to post photos. I think she has been constipated and I’m trying to treat her with katalax which is working when I can get it down her. Hope someone can help me

It's helpful if you can post a picture taken from the top, and also try to quantify how skinny she is by a chart like this:



Also, once you suspect your cat is underweight, in addition to taking her to the vet, it's important to try to more carefully monitor how much she is eating, and try and see if there is something you can do about it on your end (i.e., is it a matter of feeding her a different food to get her eating?). One way you can sometimes get some insight is, what does she do when you feed "jackpot treats"? Does she gobble them down? Show a lot less interest than normal but eat them grudgingly? Turn away with no interest? Also, what is her activity level like?

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The little monsters 3

Your vet is the one to determine whether your bengal is underweight. Female weigh between 10 and 13 pounds generally. My 11 year-old bengal boy is now under 10 pounds. He is #3 on the info Brian posted. Your girls are still growing, however. They do make higher caloric food for underweight cats. And, as long as the muscle tone is good (mine has lost some of his), your girls are fine. Know, too, that bengals are lean and muscular -- they look nothing like your ordinary domestic cats. You may be worrying for nothing.

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The little monsters 3

It is really easier to tell whether a cat is overweight than underweight. Raiden at one time weighed over 14 pounds and I didn't consider him overweight at that point. Now he is under 10 pounds and I don't consider him overly skinny. My DSH is over 15 pounds and built solid as a rock. Compared to a DSH, a bengal is going to appear thin. That is just the way they are built.

Bengals should *not* be skinny - for instance the TICA breed standard states that the desired body shape for them is 'muscular'. I have 2 Bengals - an 8 month old boy and a 1 and a bit year old girl, both are muscular/athletic in build.

If yours are 'skinny', they have either been malnourished, or your breeder is producing faulty lines. I suspect the former.

Sorry, but that kinda means you are feeding them incorrectly, and they are not receiving sufficient nourishment - for instance you need to feed the kitten appropriate kitten food until about 12 months of age. Also cream, cheese (generally dairy) is to be avoided in Bengals (gives mine runny poos) which may be the cause of your cats weight problems.

I recommend discussing your cats weight and diet with your breeder and coming up with a more appropriate formulation for them.

Note that Bengals are more sensitive than standard cats with respect to diet and you can't just feed them anything and expect them to be ok.

Great thoughts jake! Thank you for sharing your ideas with us.

Turns out my beautiful Luna had FIP

NOT malnourished or fed incorrectly!

I came on here for advice as to why she could be rapidly losing weight not to be told I didn’t feed her properly. If that was the case I wouldn’t have been concerned enough to come on here in the first place.

I had to say goodbye to her on Friday that was the most hurrendous thing I’ve been through to date

Has anyone else had to deal with this heartbreaking condition?

Zoe
That is a heart-breaking tragedy indeed. I am so sorry for your loss. How old was Luna? Do you have any idea how she contracted FIP?

Weight loss is a symptom, and it it is hard to say what is the cause without a veterinary diagnosis.

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Weight loss was the first symptom followed by her been off her food and then her belly swelled up. I also noticed her coat going a bit rough. The vet seems to think she contracted it through her mother? I have contacted Luna’s breeder who retired her mum after that litter. I am suspicious this has maybe happened to one of her brothers or sisters which has forced them to retire her. They say she didn’t cope well when the kittens left and that’s why they retired her. I also wondered if she had caught it from pearl but pearl is ok so far and I’m rigorously clean with the litter boxes. I hope she didn’t catch it from pearl as I would feel so guilty for bringing her in and causing Luna’s death. I got pearl for Luna so she wasn’t on her own. I’m just so upset about it all.

She was coming up to 1 year old

I am so sorry to hear this. You never mentioned the abdominal swelling, which is a sign of FIP. It is a deadly disease that takes the kitty quickly. I'm guessing if the mom had it, she would have passed away already. Several members here have lost kitties to FIP. Basically, most cats have the corona virus which can become active and turn into FIP. They are doing research to find a vaccine as there is really no cure once it becomes active. I know it is heartbreaking, especially when your baby was still just a kitten. Sending [[[HUGS]]] your way.

Thankyou. Does anyone know how they get it? My vet said mum could carry the corona virus which is usually harmless but then passed it down and obviously in Luna and other cats it unfortunately mutates. I can’t see where else she could have caught this. I gave 2 litter trays and there’s never any poo left in there I clear it out straight away. X