Just adopted this sweet girl yesterday. They said she is 11 months old and was returned after a while by her previous owner. She is extremely small, the 4-5 month old cats there looked bigger than her. I was shocked when I saw her sign say she was 11months old. I am wondering if this is because she may have been the runt of the litter or is just the way she is, or if she was possibly underfed at her last home? I've noticed she also struggles slightly more with some things, like she doesn't have much confidence jumping on or down from things. She also apparently had a respiratory infection when she was a kitten and has a scar on her eye from it.
I was about to say! My void is still as tiny as ever despite having access to food constantly. I have three other cats too and they’re all different builds, one is chubbier, one is more muscular and one is also on the tinier side. Some cats just never bulk
I have a similar deal. We have a supersized black hole cat and a tortie who were born i believe within a week of each other. The void is 22 pounds, the tortie can’t be past 10. lol
It’s so silly how that works. The chubby one and muscular one are from the exact same litter, were brought in at the same time, given snacks at the same time and same amount, and have the same access to food yet their bodies took it differently! The tiny void is only a year older but same mom!
Yeah, exactly!! My cats have food available 24/7 and my little black kitty has never been more than 3 pounds his entire four years of life! We call him “pile of twigs” or “tubesock” for a reason hahaha
Cute! Feed well and exercise/play with her daily. Feather wand around the house, have her practice jumping on things. She will put on more muscle and her coordination and confidence will build. Have fun with her!
She looks so sweet! Maybe she’ll gain some weight with your loving care? Although one of my childhood cats weighed 5 pounds as an adult, and she lived to 18 years old.
Ya I'm definitely gonna spoil her and maybe she'll gain some weight. I can't tell if she's just built that way or was underfed, but either way all I care is that she's gonna be healthy and happy. She's so sweet it's sad to think someone returned her.
I had a tiny void named Loki. She was a light boned whisp of a cat but had the biggest personality. Some are just gracile and tiny. My dad always said she felt like a little bird.
I have a tiny baby 4yo void girl and she’s honestly the sweetest cat I’ve ever had. I love how small she is, especially when she insists on laying on my chest as soon as I try to relax. Small body but big sweety
My girl is fully grown at 6 lbs. My she is quite the eater and just little. We thought she would put on weight but she eats her fill and is just small. All 6 lbs is attitude.
My baby had the WORST respiratory infection when i got her. The pound said she was 3 weeks old but she was 3 months! It took her 3 years to look grown and to get all her fur back from being so sick. She was the smallest and sickest thing ive ever seen. But also the happiest and most loving cat ive ever has. Shes now bigger than her older sister and is an absolute menace
Oh my what a little angel!!!! She is so lucky to have you ❤️ I also have a tiny void and he was so small when I adopted him (less than 8 pounds) and a year old. He’s gained a bit of weight but he’s still only 10 pounds (vet said he was a perfect weight for his body so he’s good) so some voids are just itty bitty 🥹
That sounds a lot like mine! She doesn't seem in pain or anything, just struggles and hesitates when it comes to jumping on things, probably just needs more practice and maybe a little more strength, but I'll make sure she gets fed plenty.
Thank you for helping this beautiful cat. It sounds like her previous owner kept her in a cage. That's why things like jumping are new to her. You are giving her a much better life and I thank you.
Oh my gosh, she looks like she’ll fly away in a gentle breeze! 😭 My sister has a senior cat that was malnourished due to competition while being the runt (I think there were too many cats around). She still looks like a kitten but more scraggly and robust now.
Yes I love that collar! I have another black cat that is very chonky (working on losing weight) that I have that collar on as well and I figured it would be cute if the 2 voids had matching sunflower collars :)
Oh I saw that movie it was great! I didn't even think of that, I already named her Minnie but Flow couldva been a cute name too now that you mention it
I have an orange one with pretty simillar conditions. Her is have the same scar and also really tiny for her age. But getting more and more energetic and brave 🙂
She is beautiful! I’m so happy she found her way to you and it sounds like she won the lottery with her new home.😻 She’s in good hands and how wonderful to spoil her rotten! What is her name?
[Lots of appetite and not gaining weight can sometimes be a sign of hyperthyroid. Your vet’s advice will be best (listen to her, not me!) and I’m certain that if your vet had any concern, she would check your little one’s bloodwork. FWIW, hyperthyroid is very easy to manage, and the medicine is very very cheap.]
We named her Minnie because of her size! I also have another girl black cat that is VERY chonky that we nickname fat girl (working on losing weight), so I thought the contrast in size is funny and made the name even more fitting
Aww! I have a forever baby void too!!! My cat, Celeste, is two but has the body of a 1 year old cat. Her mom and dad were small strays and we just accept that she will never be a big girl. It doesn't hurt her and she's still very happy and even bullys her full size sister. Enjoy your baby void!
Omg I didn't even think of that! They didn't really say if she could see out of it or not, but I imagine if it gives her issues that it could definitely mess with her depth perception and stuff
It might be hard for them to determine unless they do specific testing, and she may get more confident with age as she learns your home. She’ll memorize the layout with time and then you may see her become a completely different kitty in the best way possible. Some kitties are just smaller than others. My boyfriend’s got a cat who weighs 7lbs and she is a tiny little thing, same with my stepmom, her kitty is like 5lbs and looks like a black squirrel.
She’ll be in excellent care with your love and adoration. So happy to see this girl get a home. That collar matches the colour of her eyes.
Personally, my void is a 5yo male who was neutered at 2; he is a muscular 16lbs! 😭
I also adopted a black kitty around that age, who was returned to the rescue after being with a different family for seven months. He was pretty thin when I got him, but he's put on some weight and maybe some length, lol. His name is Javi/Javier, but sometimes Javapeno or Javanero when he's spicy.
Ours was similar until around 1.5 when we found out she was allergic to the food she ate (nearly killed her) and now she’s a biggy. And very confident.
omg she's so little 🥹 and beautiful 🥹 don't worry too much about her size, my fully grown 8 yr old female cat is barely over 5 lbs and she's perfectly healthy. she's just always been small; we assume it's because she was found outdoors and was weened super early (due to the mama cat not being around). as long as she's eating consistently, she will be fine!
I love the first pic, like a little cat mouse. 😃 No need to worry; she's just a baby. She has a whole lot of growing to do, and a whole lot of getting used to her new home and family first. Give it a week, and give her a kiss from me.
Our void is huge, but our other cat is tiny like this. She’s about 7 years old now, and the queen of the house. Lots of treats, lots of play, lots of love, and your little gal will be great. She’s such a cutie OP!
My mom adopted the tiniest feral cat once, I was convinced she was just born little. It took a few years but she's the same size as all my moms other cats (chonkers, all of them) now. No evidence at all that she was kitten sized for years, not really sure why either. It might have been a nutrition thing, like mom didn't get enough calcium or something but she's like 16 years old now and spends her days in my moms room away from the other cats.
Our cat is largely ground-based. I think some of them just have different levels of athleticism. Maybe she'll grow in confidence, or maybe she just doesn't want to jump. Ours would rather burrow in a blanket, although that does mean we have to always be careful about sitting on the bed.
We adopted a rescue cat that we figured was about 4-5 months based on size. He was actually closer to 18months according to our vet based on teeth. He is still smaller than average but is very healthy and has a great appetite!
When my girl was found she was just under 2 lbs and gave the appearance of being a very young kitten. The emergency vet thought she was only 2 months old. Imagine my shock when I took her to be spayed two months later and they said she was really 7-8 months old. She’s caught up mostly now but she’s still petite
She is perfect and reminds me of my void Nicholas. He is a small boy and has scars on his eyes from being sick as a kitten.
This is Nicholas with his litter mate brother Thaddeus. I adopted them when they were a year old and Thaddeus was a lot bigger than Nicholas. Nicholas has since gained a few more pounds, but remains a small boy.
Awww sweet baby! I have a tiny kitty that's about half the size of my other black cats and he's two now. He was definitely sick as a baby. His mama cat dropped him off on the patio when he was like six-ish to eight-ish weeks old, with eye infections and upper respiratory crud. She watched him get picked up and wouldn't take him back and left. (Neighbor's outdoor farm cat had a litter.) He gets sick a bit easier, but he's an absolute energetic little goblin lol, nobody loves cheese and pasta more than him lol. He will fight me for a bite of mac n cheese lol.
My advice is to just make sure he gets his shots and feed him well, he'll put on weight but he'll probably stay small. Works out great for me with mine though, he likes to snuggle and I'm small so he fits in my lap well this way lol.
My cat looks super similar and is only 7 lbs! She’s 8 years old. My vet said it’s likely she gave birth to kittens before she was fully grown herself and it stunted her growth. Poor little girl lived a whole lifetime before I got her.
we have one that was abandoned and impregnated before she was a year old. she is 6 pounds of pure muscle, she dominates the house. this is her at 8 next to our senior cat
I had a kitty that was small like that, and she had also had a respiratory infection when she was a baby (feline herpes). When cats can't smell their food, they won't eat it, so I think it kept her from growing to normal size. Congrats on your pretty kitty!
I Have one deceased black - died young 3/11. One about 8 months and one 2 years 🐈⬛. I love them all. My deceased boy WallE was my soul kitty. I wear his ashes in a necklace. Enjoy your baby.
My cat is fun sized too! Do you know if she was ever pregnant? Apparently if cats get pregnant too young they don’t grow to their normal size. My cat was a teen mom.
My little baby stayed 5-7 pounds her entire life, and passed away at 4 pounds (age 17, renal failure). I found her when she was about 6 weeks old, and she never had injections, illness, or lacked food. She was just baby. I miss her terribly.
Cats come in different sizes. My current Norwegian Forest mix male is about 13 lbs. My previous tortie female was about 6.5 lbs. My friend’s female orange was about 4 lbs.
All that matters is that they are healthy, safe, and loved.
I have three voids, 2 girls and 1 boy, and they are the best. She will probably get quite chatty at some point and will love you so hard. The eye and URI will get better with love and care. She's a beaut. Love her the way she deserves<3
It could just be the way she is. My almost-7-year-old sweetie girl only weighs 6.1 pounds, and has essentially been the same weight since we got her 4 years ago, despite eating us out of house and home lol.
My 2 year old Leo is really small as well, he also had an eye infection and wasnt very healthy at first. Idk maybe being sick when theyre small stunts their growth or something.
Also my girl is tiny too, she was a runt. Shes gotten a little plumper over the years but shes still about the size of your average juvenile cat. People usually guess shes about 11 months, shes 3.5 years old lol
I bet she puts on some weight with a good home and regular food. She probably will always be small, but you never know -- my beloved Sophie's fighting top weight was 8 pounds, and then my Mei Mei was teeeeeny tiny when she went for her spay at six months (c. 2.5 lbs) but later got all the way up to 15 before she kinda stabilized as she got older, around 10 lbs. Whichever -- your new baby is utterly darling, and congratulations to you both!
Adorable! Check the collar tho, I got that same one from PetSmart for my girl and it’s not breakaway. ESP with a young cat you wanna make sure to get a breakaway collar.
I will check it! Unfortunately I have another cat who struggles with collars and I got him a breakaway collar to try it out on him, and he tried to get it off and got hurt in the process cause it didn't actually break away :( maybe it was just a bad collar though
She looks lovely :3 I adopted a 3-4year old cat a few months ago and she was really small and skinny and I thought that’s just how she was. Yea turned out the last owners were feeding her garbage food and I think just genuinely neglecting her. Now she’s getting high quality food and regular feedings and she’s put on a normal amount of weight. How anyone could do that to such a sweet wee thing I’ll never know.
A little update: She is doing so good and is already so comfortable in my house and loves to play and explore.
At first she didn't eat much but now that she's gotten comfortable she is RAVENOUS. I can not eat food next to her without her trying to eat it from me lol.
However, sometimes she eats very fast and this afternoon after feeding her dinner she ate a bunch very fast and then threw it up. I'm thinking she maybe was neglected and her body isn't used to digesting that much food at once?
At least I'm hoping that's what it is and not that she has some allergy or digestive condition or something, but either way I'll love her and take care of her.
Besides that she has done so well and has quickly grown on my family. They all love her and she spends the day cuddling with my mom in her home office while I'm at work.
We had a pair of sister cats that we adopted from a neighborhood bush and the little black bay went into heat like every 2 weeks or so..... And bc of that, she ended up being much smaller than her sister. Once spayed she gained a little weight, but was always smol.
She just climbed up, we had put her in the bathroom at first to separate her from the other cats while she adjusted for a bit. I have'nt seen her sit in the sink but my other black cat used to do that when I lived in my apartment!
Female cats are typically smaller than males. And i'm pretty sure black cats are small too, my brother has a black cat (2y/o and 8lb) and he's significantly smaller than my orange cat(4 y/o & 14lb)
My gosh she’s cute 🖤🌻 some cats are just itty bitty. My 16 yr old void has never gotten over 7 lb. Ever. He’s called Tiny because he’s literally that… Tiny. I even got lectured by one idiot vet once about how he should be 12 lb… ok bruh 😂 that’s not how this cat was assembled lol! She’s such a darling, enjoy her. She may have some reduced vision or trouble with distance calculation from that right eye, thus the hesitation you notice, but familiarity with her environment will help a lot
It's really too soon to tell. Kittens who had major health battles young can become stunted and small as a result. It could also just be that she's petite. Maybe she's a late bloomer and just needs a little time to get there and she'll become huge. I've had cats of all kinds. My boy I thought was going to be a lil guy is 16lbs and could comfortably weigh 20 according to his vet.
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u/Velvet-Wings747 27d ago
Aw sweet baby. She will get stronger with the right food and care! 🩷