Will kitten outgrow awkwardness?

Hi all,

I recently adopted a 5-1/2 month old kitten who by all accounts appears to be in perfect health. She's been vet checked, vaccinated and spayed. I am a bit concerned though because her back end seems to be a bit "off"--it's hard to describe but she is a bit clumsy. She has trouble running on the tile floor and it's really easy to push her over from the back end (not that I try to do that a lot). It's almost as if she's weaker back there. She was rescued from a shelter where I was told she spent "several months". Is it possible she hasn't had time to properly develop those muscles having been in a cage for so long? Her jumping seems to be getting better, when I brought her home 2 weeks ago she couldn't easily make it on to the bed but yesterday she jumped on to the kitchen table from the floor. I've never owned a kitten, all my cats have been adults so I'm not sure just how clumsy they are supposed to be! Her body is very long, almost awkwardly so and she weighs 7.4 lbs. I think she will be a big girl when she's done growing. Any input would be appreciated!

Sometimes caged cats/kittens develop poor muscle control. If she keeps improving slowly you probably don't have anything to worry about. If she still is having trouble at a year, you might want to look into the situation further.

I agree that if she's been caged she won't have had a chance to develop strong muscles in her hindquarters, as she seems to be improving and there are no other symptoms I wouldn't be too concerned, obviously if there's any deterioration or you're worried about it see a vet.

I've noticed with both my boys that I had as kittens, that they went through periods of ungainliness at that age, I think they just grow so fast that it takes them a while to adjust to their bigger size.

Good play sessions are excellent for improving muscle tone and balance, any games you can play with her that get her running and jumping are a good thing

ì totally agree!! playing sessions helps my girl grow so quickly. if you don't mind you cat being too naughty, you play with him with some toys that attract him to jump. my girl managed to climb up to the top of the cat tree when she was only 2.5 months old. she now 3.5 months and jumping up and down everywhere in my flat

. i think most kitties are gifted with great jumping and running skill!! well.... she is probably fine, just don't complain when you see your kitty being on the top shelf and still reaching for higher!!!

Thanks very much for the input, I'm cautiously optimistic that she will get better with time. It certainly hasn't slowed her down at all, she tears around the house without any trouble. I will never complain if she ends up on top of the bedroom armoire like her housemates!

Just an update on my kitten, she can now jump on the clothes dryer and the kitchen counter ( --even though I keep telling her to get down from there). She watched her housemates jump up with ease and she was determined to do it, it took her several attempts but now she's leaping with the rest of them. She has also managed to climb to the top of the floor-to-ceiling scratching post. Having other cats around to show her how to get into trouble has definitely sped up her progress

That's wonderful news. Thank you for updating us. Sounds like she's perfect.