Development delay: 10-week-old kitten

Jazz · **Joined:** Tue Aug 02, 2016 8:13 pm **Posts:** 1

Hi everyone,
I just got a new kitten, named Jazz, he is a 10 week old male snow bengal and his weight is 2.05 pounds (barely 930gr)
Took him to the vet for his first check-up and he told me that he looks younger than 10 weeks, (I saw both sire and dam, and they looked well sized) he was born on May 21st, according to the breeder, so I am a bit concerned about him having a delayed development... also, one of his testicles has not descended yet, the vet could feel one of them but not the other, does anyone know how long it usually takes to have their testicles descended? :confused:

He drinks enough water, and some wet (Tiki Cat) and dry food (Orijen) not to much, though. It's been only 3 days that I have him and he is still kind of scared and shy.

Could you please post some pictures of your cats when they were 9-10 week old? I will try to post a few pics of Jazz so you guys can tell if you see a difference.

Any answer will be appreciated,

Warmly,
Jazz.

Seraph · **Joined:** Wed Feb 10, 2016 4:24 pm **Posts:** 308

Hey,

Most people don't get Bengal kittens until they are a minimum of 12 weeks old so I'm not sure how many photos you're going to be able to get. Did you see his other litter mates? Was he the runt (smallest)? Is there a chance he's younger than you've been told he is? Im guessing he doesn't have paperwork considering he was sold to you under 12 weeks. How many meals are you giving him per day?

If he's eating and drinking well that's good, I recommend that if he is on the small side to get in some high calorie vitamin paste such as nutrical or vetcal to try and get some extra vitamins into him. The undescended testicle could be an issue if it doesn't drop by 4 months of age. I would take him back to the vet at that age and ask for advice as an undecended testicle will need to be taken out to avoid cancer issues etc, if he is very small you may have to delay neutering him a bit but usually it's done around 5 months of age.

I have a very small girl who is 13 weeks (she looks more like a 6 week old to me) and a normal sized boy who is 14 weeks. Male bengals in general are quite a bit larger than females anyway, does your boy have large or small paws as that can be an indicator as to if he's going to eventually have a growth spurt or not. A small kitten doesn't always mean a small cat it's all down to how well they where fed when they where still with the breeder and how good a start they had but it can be rectified with good nutrician and additional vitamin supplements and regular feeding.

brianj12 · **Posted:** Thu Aug 04, 2016 2:03 am

Saraph is right about the age thing. But fortunately some members post pictures while waiting for developing kittens. Check out the thread on "Nevada" under choosing for pictures of an 8 week old kitten progressing in age.

I'd be a bit worried about appetite and activity level if that doesn't pick up dramatically within, say, the next couple of days. Whether 8 weeks or 10 weeks, once comfortable he should be sucking down a lot of food and running around like a madman.

Seraph · **Joined:** Wed Feb 10, 2016 4:24 pm **Posts:** 308

I do have some photos of my boy Griffith when he was at the breeders and 10 weeks old if that helps.

He's a pretty good sized boy he's 14 weeks now if you look at photos in the gallery of him, I have also posted some photos of him at 13 weeks somewhere.

Not sure if those would help but I agree with Brian check out the photos of Nevada as there's a progression of him growing and he's a good sized boy.

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

heres a vid of my guys when they were 9.5 wks old.

https://youtu.be/zl9uGpZAOQg

and in the attached pic at 12.5 wks, the day after I got them.

At that point Lily was as big (if not slightly bigger) as her brother. Today she's clearly smaller and weighs almost 50% less

Kyenta1 · **Posted:** Thu Aug 04, 2016 2:50 pm

We got Quasar at 13 weeks. He was only about 2 lbs. He was healthy and grew into a 12-13 lb cat. Seems pretty average to me.

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

If your breeder was reputable, you would have gotten your kitty when he was at least 12 weeks old. Now you have a vet doubting the kitten is even 10 weeks old. A backyard breeder will attempt to get rid of the kittens ASAP. That being said, you have the kitty now. It's natural for him to be frightened and scared. First of all, he doesn't have the socialization skills of a normal kitty since he was taken from the mother too early and he may not have been handled by humans much. You simply have to give him time and space and you need to be patient. It can take a few days for him to become comfortable or it can take months. Depends on the cat and how you're approaching the situation. Do not try to over handle him. If he's frightened, simply sit near him and talk with him. Let him approach you. Try to engage in play with wand toys.

Know, too, that pictures can be deceiving unless they are posted next to an item you can tell the size of (like a dollar bill). Hopefully, your little one will continue to grow and develop into a healthy boy. Congratulations!

Development delay: 10-week-old kitten

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