# Healthy kitten weight, and other questions



## ccarriee (Sep 24, 2009)

I have two beautiful kittens, Johnny and Bettie, who are almost 11 weeks old. Johnny weighs 1.1kg and seems to be doing absolutely fine, but I'm concerned about Bettie who's only 800g. I've done a bit of research about average kitten weight but opinion seems to vary... Is she underweight? She looks very small next to her brother but she's not particularly skinny, her body is just smaller than his and she's growing slower.

Also, her third eyelid is often partially visible, especially when she is sleepy. I've read that this can be a sign of illness but it hasn't suddenly appeared - the kittens were brought home almost three weeks ago and I think I noticed it even then. Her eyes and nose aren't unusually mucky, and she's eating okay. Should I worry?

Both Johnny and Bettie are extremely friendly and playful. They came from a house with lots of animals and children so are really chilled out and not easily frightened. They eat Hill's Science Plan complete dry kitten food, which is what they have always been fed, and I make sure that their bowls are topped up throughout the day. Occassionally they have kitten milk or raw meat (no more than twice a week), and I reward them with kitten treats (probably about once a day) when they have been good, say responding to their names or allowing me to groom them without fuss. There is always have a bowl of fresh filtered water available. So you can see that there is no reason why Bettie ought to be poorly or underweight.

The only difficulty that I have encountered was after she had her vaccinations. They were both groggy when I brought them home, but Bettie took longer to return to her normal self and was clearly not with it, wandering around aimlessly. What was really worrying is that her pupils were dilated until the following morning, she was meowing constantly, and appeared to be in pain across her back for several days because she sat oddly and cried when I picked her up. She also avoided playing with her brother which was very noticeable because she is usually more dominant. Johnny did not even notice the injection but Bettie wriggled madly and at first I wondered if she might've torn something inside or caught a nerve. But when I checked online, I realised that she might be having a severe vaccine reaction and called the emergency vet straight away. They were busy and told me only to call back or bring her in if she got any worse. Obviously I will mention all of this to the vet when I take them back for their boosters at 12 weeks, but was her behaviour normal after vacs? Johnny dealt with the experience much better.

Sorry for the massive essay. I grew up surrounded by cats but these two are completely my own responsibility and I worry far too much!


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## kittykat (Nov 2, 2007)

Hiya, I have 2 kittens and the male is a good weight, looks healthy but the female is very tiny so although she is much thinner than my boy she is in good health for her size.

My 2 have just had their vaccinations this morning and are both fast asleep, I think its normal for them to be a little groggy but I would take her to the vet as soon as you can so they can check her over properly and make sure shes OK


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## ccarriee (Sep 24, 2009)

Thank you for your response kittycat.

Does anyone else have any thoughts? Is 800g particularly underweight at 11 weeks old? And what about her third eyelid showing?


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## Kalipha (Jul 15, 2009)

ccarriee said:


> Thank you for your response kittycat.
> 
> Does anyone else have any thoughts? Is 800g particularly underweight at 11 weeks old? And what about her third eyelid showing?


My girl was 1kg at 10 weeks and that was aparantly normal so I'd say a little underweight but not seriously.


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## Rraa (Apr 15, 2008)

Just had a quick look over my records of Suki's babies - she had four litters and at 9 weeks, her babies ranged from 940g to 1.2kg (the heaviest being a boy in her third litter). At ten weeks, they tended to all be well over the 1kg weight and at 12 weeks, they were around the 1.25kg to 1.7 kg weight mark. It does vary though and some of it depends on the breed and the line.


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## MerlinsMum (Aug 2, 2009)

At 6 weeks my moggy babies are 750g and one boy is 900g. Their shape & build varies as they are of mixed ancestry, and admittedly they have had a good start in life being raw fed... I wouldn't apply these weights as a standard for moggies from a rescue.

I think as long as your small one is eating well and showing no signs of any illness, it may just be that she is always going to be a small cat, as some often are. Trying to build up a naturally small-framed kitten will just give you a fat cat 

Has a vet examined her, to give an idea of her overall bodily condition and muscle development?

PS: my sister once had a moggy kitten from a farm, didn't have a very good start in life. Poppy was always very small, almost a miniature cat under her fur, but had a litter of very healthy kittens and lived to 20 years of age


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## ccarriee (Sep 24, 2009)

Yes, both kittens have been seen by a vet. They were weighed at 9 weeks old (back then Johnny was 800g, Bettie a little under 650g) and had a general check up before their vacs. The vet didn't comment on Bettie's weight but when I take them back for their boosters, I'll ask for his opinion.

They are supposedly moggies but do look rather unusual (black with grey flecks and faint tabby markings) and could be longhair but it's difficult to tell, so it's possible that they have mixed moggie-pedigree heritage or something and that could be affecting her weight.

Thanks everybody, perhaps Bettie is simply a small cat


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