The "Runt" of the Litter

by Alla Zinatullina
(Scranton, PA, USA)

I got my cat, Shmoo, from a friend. The mamma cat refused to feed Shmoo; maybe because he was the runt of the litter or maybe because she simply did not like him. Shmoo was 4 weeks old and fit in my palm.

Shmoo was the first pet I ever owned. Not knowing what kittens eat, I bottle fed Shmoo milk and blended kitten food. Over time Shmoo grew and prospered, growing slightly larger than I expected.

Shmoo is now 2 years old. I'd like to state, for the record, that he is NOT fat.

According to the vet, Shmoo is very healthy and well built.

My runt is now 19 pounds, about 34 inches long (including the tail), and 17 inches around.

Alla

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Hi Alla.. Shmoo certainly is not fat as you say. He looks a good size. 19 pounds I think is a good size for a cat and certainly above average.

The average weight for a domestic cat is meant to be around 8 - 10 pounds.

I am finding, though, that the domestic cats in America are bigger, judging by a poll on the largest domestic cat breed page.

In that poll the most voted for weight is: Biggish - 12 to 18 lbs (5.4 kg to 8.16 kg). And most visitors to this site are from the USA.

Thanks for sharing Alla. If you have some more pictures just upload them on the form and I will add them to the page.

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