Just petite?

Okay, so first off, wasn't sure where to put this...nutrition or health. I feel it's more of a health concern, hence, placement here. Sorry in advance if it's in the incorrect place.

Tama, my non-black cat, is rather small. In fact, I don't think I've ever come across a smaller adult cat than her.

She can't weigh more than 5 pounds, at the most. She is very small. I'm concerned. She doesn't seem to act anemic, really. She moves around fine...She does seem to sit and watch more than actively participate in anything, but as she's 5-6 years old, I assume that's because she has no interest in playing with the other two. She does chase the laser toy, (as I found out while typing this post, SO CUTE ). She's very quiet, I never hear her meows, really..they're close to silent.

She does seem to drink a lot of water, but doesn't seem to strain or have issues at the box.

Any advice, insights, anything?

I have a very petite cat too, Holly Golightly (the orange cat). The vet techs tell me she is one of the smallest cats they have seen. In fact, I thought she was a kitten when I first found her. However, the vet said that she is perfectly healthy and is no different than a small stature person. She weighs about 10 pounds though, which is all muscle (not fat).

Originally Posted by adkubbie

You never know, it could be a trait from a breed that she inherited, there are several breeds of really small cats.

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Totally didn't think of that!

Cats come in all sizes, so long as she's healthy she's probably just a small cat.

If the Vet says she's healthy and sees no signs for concern, just enjoy her petite-ness. We had a 6 pound shorthair/persian mix named Gracie who never crossed the 7lb line. She was just small. And incredibly athletic and smart. We adopted her just shy of 4yrs age and had a good decade with her. She was only ever ill the last 2-3months of her life

I also have a very small adult cat. He is well built, not thin and healthy. I doubt he makes the 5 pound mark. His litter mate is tall and slender. Just a genetic thing. He a mixed DSH. Point markings and a latte' coffee color on his back with the softest fur I have ever felt.

If she has always been small and is healthy, no worries.

The question would be, has her health changed recently? You said she is drinking more and is inactive. If this is new then a vet check is needed. Excessive drinking can be a warning sign for diabetes and other health issues.

My little petite Felixia is only 6 pounds - she's tiny next to the other cats, but she's perfectly healthy, and she's 21 years old now. I'll echo the other posters in suggesting your vet check her out to make sure she's healthy, if you have any concerns. As long as the vet says she's OK I wouldn't worry about it. Cats vary widely in size just like people do.

Originally Posted by Skimble

I also have a very small adult cat. He is well built, not thin and healthy. I doubt he makes the 5 pound mark. His litter mate is tall and slender. Just a genetic thing. He a mixed DSH. Point markings and a latte' coffee color on his back with the softest fur I have ever felt.

If she has always been small and is healthy, no worries.

The question would be, has her health changed recently? You said she is drinking more and is inactive. If this is new then a vet check is needed. Excessive drinking can be a warning sign for diabetes and other health issues.

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She's only inactive in regards to play with the other cat(s). When I pull out certain toys and play with her, she romps around like a normal cat.

Last time she was checked, she was in good health...However, she just seems really small me and thought I'd post for opinions.

My ex had a kitty that weighed only 4 pounds.
She was close to 19 years old when she had to be PTS.

I don't think it's anything to get concerned over, but I'd certainly bring it up with the vet at next visit.

Our neigboring business had a very petite black cat, I dont think
she weighed more then 6 lbs., smallest cat I ever did see.
Everyone loved her in this building complex, she just passed away
last year at age 17 or 18. I should asked the business person to send me
her pic., he has some very nice pics. he showed me of her.
They told me they found her as a stray in the city park
when she was fairly young.
My aunt also has a pretty small cat, stray that ended in her
neighborhood, the vet told her that she was small and probably
did receive proper nutrition as a kitten, her poor cat also appeared to
have been kicked in the teeth. We believe it lived on table scraps as a kitten.

When I found my Kara outside, I thought she was a kitten. I took her to the vet and she said she was around 2 years old-- just petite, that's all.

She has really short stumpy legs and little feet. It's really noticeable when she's next to my Luke, who just turned 1 yr old-- he towers over her.