Average weight?

[mammacat9404]

Hello! I have 2, 15week old kitties! Tommie and polly! (sisters) they are both tabbys, polly long haired and Tommie short haired! My question is, how much should they weigh? Pollys weight seems very healthy! But Tommie is a chubby girl!! She's very active and everything..but it concerns me that she won't fill out when she's older..we do a food schedule for them, 8am/1pm/6pm, they both get 2 tablespoons! So I'm not sure why shes heavier..I can't find out what an average weight would be at this age, also they are both built veryy different! So I wasn't sure if that's just the way she will be? Please answer!!
-MamaCat9404

 

[denice]

Cats have different builds some long and thin and some have what is called a cobby build, kind of like the short but larger build in people.  Given that one has long hair and the other short hair their genes are different so their build may be different.

The average weight for a 15 week old kitten would be about 3 1/2 to 4 pounds but again every kitten is different.

 

[lilin]

Agree with the above. Overall size affects weight too, obviously. My Pia cat is "cobby," but still only weighs 8.5 pounds, simply because she's little, kind of like a perma-kitten. I fostered a cat with the exact same build, but much bigger -- her healthy weight was 13 pounds! They both looked about the same, weight and build-wise, if you were to see them in a picture without any context of their overall size. One was just much bigger than the other!

You can ask your vet to assess their ideal weight and food needs of course, but one way to get a general idea is to look at them while they're standing, from above. A healthy weight cat should have a slightly visible waist. Not quite as dramatic as a dog, but there.

This might be a bit harder to see on the longhair kitty, but with the shorthair it should be visible. You can try feeling on the longhair, and see if the waist seems similar to the shorter hair cat. You should be able to feel the ribs as a unit by feeling around gently, but not individual bones unless you pressed in.

If they have a tummy that protrudes from bellow, feel that. If it's mostly just skin, that's normal -- a lot of cats have a "flap" on their tummy. If it feels full, like a pot belly, they might be too heavy.

Cats also differ in their calorie needs. My last cat was also small -- about 8 pounds. But Pearl was very "lithe" and athletic. She ate a LOT more, because she just burned through a lot more calories than Pia does. Pia is lazy. She probably also just generally has a slower metabolism due to her build.

 

[mammacat9404]

i felt their sides, and I can feel the ribs slightly.. not too much though. my short haired (Tommie) she has a "flap" its not full like pot bellied, very soft hangs there sort of.. my long haired (Polly) has a little bit of a waist not much, and Tommie...nothing. just chubby. when she sits regular her tummy pugges out on the sides. height wise Tommie is shorter, short legs, and Polly complete opposite. but weighs less..

 

[lilin]

 
i felt their sides, and I can feel the ribs slightly.. not too much though. my short haired (Tommie) she has a "flap" its not full like pot bellied, very soft hangs there sort of.. my long haired (Polly) has a little bit of a waist not much, and Tommie...nothing. just chubby. when she sits regular her tummy pugges out on the sides. height wise Tommie is shorter, short legs, and Polly complete opposite. but weighs less..

Tommie might have a thicker general build than Polly, but may possibly be getting a smidge chubby. Sounds borderline, if he's overweight at all. Check with a vet to be sure, because as a kitten, he's still growing, so you want to be certain before you cut their calories so as not to stunt their growth. If he is a bit too heavy, cut the amount of food per meal slightly and/or try to set aside extra play time for him.

As long as you catch it pretty quick, trimming down your kitty if need be shouldn't be too difficult. It's good to check to be sure if you start to suspect they're putting on too much.

 

[mammacat9404]

thank you I didn't think about that I certainty don't want to stunt their growth!!! I take them next week to the vet so hopefully everything goes well!!! thank you so much!!! 

 

 

[raina21]

mammacat9404

It really does depend on the genetics of the cat. One of our cats, Tesla (he is a suspected Norwegian Forest Cat or Norwegian Forest Cat mix) is exceptionally large for his age (but he isn't fat/overweight). He was almost 2lbs at 6 weeks old. And now he is over 13 pounds at 8 months old. He's just got a large build. He's already bigger than our other 2 female cats and he's not even done growing yet!

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• raina21
• Jul 3, 2016

Tesla is the super fluffy black and white one!

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• raina21
• Jul 3, 2016