Why is my 15-month-old cat so small and underweight at 3.5 lbs?

She doesn't seem very small to me from looking at the pictures, but pictures can be misleading, so I'd have to see her in-person to really tell. Stunted growth essentially happens for four different reasons: 1) Hormone deficiency - would be a very small cat (almost kitten-sized). 2) Genetics 3) Disease - such a liver shunt, or high parasite load 4) Lack of proper nutrition at a young age In the pictures, Diamond Nilo appears to be well proportioned, has a good coat and is generally not sickly appearing. This information actually goes a long way to saying that it's likely just genetics -- she is just a smaller breed. If she had any of the other conditions, then it would be more obvious by now, because she would have deformities, or continually showing signs of illness. Without knowing her whole history, it's difficult to know how healthy she is, but if you are not noticing any other problems with her, then I would not worry about getting bad news at the vet's office. I hope that helps and all is well with Diamond Nilo.

Some cats can have a smaller frame than an average size cat and still be completely healthy. Other causes of being smaller than other cats could include congenital malformations, decreased nutrition, intestinal parasites, or other medical illness. Without a medical examination, we won't be able to tell you whether you should be worried or not. When you get the availability, I would have her looked at by a vet.

If there is a tag on her collar I would call her owners to see if perhaps she has any medical conditions which account for her small size. It could also be that she is not fully grown, so appears small. A very possible explanation as well is that she could have a parasite infection such as worms which are making weight gain difficult. If she has an owner I would not advise giving her any medications, even over the counter. As you do not know if her owners have also wormed her recently. I hope this was a helpful answer!

Noushmc might just be a small cat! If she eats a correct portion of food for her weight and age and if she continues to grow, even if slowly, if her appetite is good, the urination and defecation is normal and she is happy and playful, I wouldn't be worried at the moment. I recommend to record her weight every week to monitor the increase. Please post again on the forum if you would like to discuss it further. I hope my answer was helpful.

Poor Shadow! This could just be her normal. Cats can actually have multiple dads from the same litter so it is possible that her dad was a more petite cat. There is also the possibility that she has a genetic issue that prevents her from growing normally like poor absorption of nutrients or a liver shunt. If she is completely normal, then I wouldn’t be overly concerned. If you are concerned or if she doesn’t act like the others, then I would talk to your vet. Your vet can do some blood work, fecal and possibly even X-rays, an ultrasound and specific GI bloodwork if needed to see what could be causing the poor growth. I hope this helps!

Most cats gain about a pound a month, so at 3 months old Chichi should be around 3 pounds. I would be concerned about intestinal parasites or potentially a bacterial or viral infection. There also could be a congenital problem going on since she is so young. I would also make sure she is on good quality kitten food and offer her both canned and dry. Sometimes I will heat the canned food in the microwave to make it smell more pungent and hopefully entice the kitten to eat more. I do think having her evaluated by your vet, dewormed and potentially have some further testing is the next best step. Good luck with her!

A 3 pound weight loss is indeed significant and not normal. There could be many reasons for this, and there is just no way to pinpoint the cause without a hands-on exam and possibly blood work. I suggest you take your kitty to a veterinarian for a wellness exam.