Maine Coon Male Low Weight

[Count]

I am a bit concerned about my male maine coon kitten Count's weight. Any information I find online about the expected average weight of a maine coon has values over double his weight. And that's average weight, a male should be heavier. His father wasn't too big so I'm not expecting a massive cat anyway but I am not sure if these values are too low. My vet says he's healthy and growing which is nice, but she knows nothing about Maine Coons. She first heard of the breed when I took him there. Other vets in my area are no different, Maine Coons are not popular here. So I'm trying to find info online. What do you think?

11 weeks: 500 g / 1 lbs 2 oz
13 weeks: 700 g / 1 lbs 9 oz
16 weeks: 1300 g / 2 lbs 14 oz

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
As long as you are feeding him as much as he can consume, for example 4-5 meals of canned food daily plus some kibble --especially for overnight, and there's just a little left on the plate each time so you know you've fed him to he point he can't eat any more, this is what you need to, and should be, doing for the health and to support the incredible growth of, your kitten.

Sorry, that was a l-o-n-g sentence Other than that, you can't force your kitten to be larger.

 

[Count]

I feed mostly kibble but it's premium quality. He has access to food at all times and eats often, but I don't know if it's enough. I also feed him a can every few days, and it usually takes him 12 hours to a day to finish a 80g (3 oz)can.

 

[Furballsmom]

Since you're free feeding, he's eating as much as he's interested in.

You could try a different canned or pouch food, to see if there is a brand, or style (flaked vs pate for example) that he'd like more, possibly

 

[Count]

Since you're free feeding, he's eating as much as he's interested in.

You could try a different canned or pouch food, to see if there is a brand, or style (flaked vs pate for example) that he'd like more, possibly

Tried that already. I have 7 different types from 4 brands. It takes about the same time to eat. He loves to eat, so I'm sure he's eating as much as he can. I guess his stomach is not big enough yet.

 

[Willowy]

He is extremely small, even for a regular cat. A 12-week old kitten ought to be around 3 pounds (1.5 kg), around 4 pounds at 4 months. So he's barely half the expected size. I'm a bit concerned. Is he strong, muscular, and active? Or does he seem boney and weak? What kind of breeder did you get him from? Did their other cats seem well cared for?

Even if he had a bad start, he should catch up eventually. At least he seems to be gaining well. All you can do at this point is make sure he's well-fed and properly de-wormed. But if he loses weight or stops gaining, call the vet right away. He doesn't have any weight to spare.

 

[lutece]

Just as a comparison, I have 16 week old kittens at home and they are between 4.5 - 5.5 lbs each. They are eating both dry and wet food, and they can each eat most of a 3 oz can in a meal. I expect that these kittens will be "regular cat" size (not exceptionally large). I do think your guy is unusually small for his age. Is it possible that he may be younger than you think?

Can you try offering wet food more frequently than every few days? Maybe he isn't eating as much dry food as you think. My kittens tend to do better when they get 2-3 wet food meals per day.

 

[Count]

He is extremely small, even for a regular cat. A 12-week old kitten ought to be around 3 pounds (1.5 kg), around 4 pounds at 4 months. So he's barely half the expected size. I'm a bit concerned. Is he strong, muscular, and active? Or does he seem boney and weak? What kind of breeder did you get him from? Did their other cats seem well cared for?

Even if he had a bad start, he should catch up eventually. At least he seems to be gaining well. All you can do at this point is make sure he's well-fed and properly de-wormed. But if he loses weight or stops gaining, call the vet right away. He doesn't have any weight to spare.

He is strong and muscular enough. He is a hyperactive furball no problem there. The breeder is a wcf certified one and had many more litters before mine. He is the largest one in his litter. I talked to some of the previous customers and they were happy.

 

[Count]

Just as a comparison, I have 16 week old kittens at home and they are between 4.5 - 5.5 lbs each. They are eating both dry and wet food, and they can each eat most of a 3 oz can in a meal. I expect that these kittens will be "regular cat" size (not exceptionally large). I do think your guy is unusually small for his age. Is it possible that he may be younger than you think?

Can you try offering wet food more frequently than every few days? Maybe he isn't eating as much dry food as you think. My kittens tend to do better when they get 2-3 wet food meals per day.

I am sure of his age. He is eating often, but sure, I can increase the wet food amount. I don't think there is a problem with food though, as you can see he is growing fast, it's just he started at a low weight. Hopefully he will gain the difference.

 

[Willowy]

Huh, I really don't see how a healthy, well-cared-for kitten could be that undersized, and especially since MC are supposed to be even larger than domestic kitties.

But yep, he's growing now and that's all that matters!

 

[Count]

Huh, I really don't see how a healthy, well-cared-for kitten could be that undersized, and especially since MC are supposed to be even larger than domestic kitties.

But yep, he's growing now and that's all that matters!

I am confident that I'm taking good care of him. And that's the reason I'm asking. He either has some sickness or he wasn't taken good care of by the breeder. I'm trying to figure out what to do.

 

[Willowy]

I would say that, since he's growing well now, and was the largest in his litter (despite being 1/3 the proper size at 11 weeks) that it probably isn't an underlying sickness. Something must have gone wrong at the breeder's place. I hope it's a one-off and not their normal cat care practices :/.

But that's not your fault! Enjoy the little guy, and we'll all hope for him to grow up to be 20 pounds .

 

[Count]

I would say that, since he's growing well now, and was the largest in his litter (despite being 1/3 the proper size at 11 weeks) that it probably isn't an underlying sickness. Something must have gone wrong at the breeder's place. I hope it's a one-off and not their normal cat care practices :/.

But that's not your fault! Enjoy the little guy, and we'll all hope for him to grow up to be 20 pounds .

I don't if any kittens are supposed to die after birth normally, but I've noticed that the breeder only sold 4 of the kittens from the litter. In his birth picture there are 6 kittens. I never saw the other two, and only saw the pictures of the four before purchase. Maybe they got sick at a early age, and some died, and others suffered growth problems? Of course it could also be that the breeder kept the other two to herself.

 

[ArchyCat]

If possible, you should feeding him kitten grade food, both dry and tinned. But you may not be able to find that in Turkey. Main Coons take several years to reach full growth. I've read between three and four/\.

 

[Count]

If possible, you should feeding him kitten grade food, both dry and tinned. But you may not be able to find that in Turkey. Main Coons take several years to reach full growth. I've read between three and four/\.

The food is kitten grade. I'm using orijen cat & kitten as the main food and most of the cans are Nutri brand grain free kitten food. I occasionally give adult N&D cans though. For variety.

 

[Count]

I will talk to the breeder to understand the situation. Meanwhile I just have one question left in my mind, will he grow up to a size of a normal cat or will he end up being a miniature cat? I know it's impossible to tell for sure, I just want to know how much of a chance he has.

 

[Kieka]

He's young and he is gaining at a good speed now. He has a chance to make up for the start, assuming that it was something at the breeders that caused him to be smaller. If he hadn't gained as much between 11 and 16 weeks I'd be a little more concerned. He might not end up the regular Maine Coon size but I wouldn't think he would be minature.

 

[Count]

I still couldn't talk to the breeder yet mainly due to my odd hours (I don't want to disturb anybody in the middle of the night), but I will talk soon. Meanwhile on a different forum a vet answered with this:

Since Maine Coon cats can have a genetic disposition for a heart condition called HCM, I would take Count to a veterinarian for an exam and possible referral to a cardiologist. HCM or another heritable disease can inhibit growth.

I wanted to add that HCM usually shows up in middle aged cats, however you never know, exceptions state the rule. There are other congenital problems possible regardless of breed, such as a hepatic shunt or blood vessel abnormalities that can stunt growth. Again I recommend a thorough exam by your veterinarian.

I already have an appointment with the vet on tuesday for a different reason, but I will ask this while I'm there. Not sure if I will hear anything useful though, since she seems to be the lazy, says everything is OK without proper examination type. (My cousins cat had an illness, which the symptoms were there, she said the cat was ok, sent him home, couple days later, they went again with worse symptoms, she said the cat is very sick, and they should have brought him there earlier. He's fine now but this shows how bad of a vet she is.)

 

[Count]

Just an update on the weight, He's now 17 1/2 weeks old (exactly 4 months) and 1600g. I think he's gaining fast even though he is sick atm. That's about 900g a month. He may be able to catch up. Also an update on the diet, since I have to crush pills and mix it with wet food twice a day for his sickness, he will eat two cans a day for at least two weeks. It is going to be really expensive but at least it may help him grow.

 

[mightyboosh]

This may be of use.

Maine Coon Growth And Weights - Maine Coon Fancy