5 Reasons Why Your Siamese Cat Is So Small

Have you ever compared your Siamese to another person’s Siamese and then wondered, “Why is my Siamese cat so small?”

Why is my Siamese cat so small? The reasons as to why your Siamese cat is so small vary. It could be the natural size of your cat due to genetics, it could be due to lack of nutrients, or it could be your Siamese’s feeding mannerisms.

The factors about your cat’s stature will vary from kitty to kitty. Everybody is different. To learn why some Siamese are smaller than others, keep on reading.

1. The Cat’s Gender

The very vocal Siamese are a medium breed. A healthy adult male Siamese will weigh in about 9-14 lbs., and a female will weigh in about 7-11 lbs. The male will be about 16-20 inches tall and the female will be about 15 to 19 inches tall.

Of course, these are averages. Your cat may be bigger or smaller, and the first reason behind their size is their gender. Think about humans: by and large, we find that men are larger than women.

Now apply that to the animal kingdom. Even in big cats, there is a huge difference between male and female tigers, bobcats, lions, and cheetahs and even animals not even in the cat family! This could very well be the reason your cat is smaller than some others.

Environmental factors play a role also. One thing to consider is if your Siamese was a feral cat. If he or she was feral before having met you, there may not have been access to adequate food and water. This is a reason for stunted growth in cats.

2. Having Access to Food

As a pet owner, we know you are not withholding food from your Siamese. However, is there a factor preventing her from eating as she should be?

If there are other, more aggressive cats in the home that tend to block the food bowl or eat everything before others have a chance to get anything, this could the culprit behind her small size.

Or, she may not like the food that is being served and turn away from it, eating just enough to satisfy hunger and get away from it quickly.

Getting adequate nutrition is a big factor around your cat growing to her full adult size.

Food is the same for cats as it is to all creatures: it is the fuel from which nutrients and amino acids, fatty acids, and vitamins and minerals come from. It is also the way in which cats get the energy to play, grow up, build muscle and maintain body temp.

The three main nutrients cats need are fats, proteins and a small amount of carbs.

Most pet owners do a great job of making sure their cats get enough to eat. However, if your Siamese was adopted from a place where food was scarce, her growth could very well be stunted. Perhaps your Siamese did not get the correct amount of nutrients to grow.

Fats and oils are critical as they provide twice the energy of carbs and proteins. It helps food taste good, too. Cats should not be served a low-fat diet as it will likely give them trouble maintaining a healthy weight.

If your Siamese is very skinny or weak, it could be likely there is too little protein in the diet. Without enough protein, muscle wasting, and weakness are prevalent in cats.

While you cannot change where your Siamese came from, you can still monitor her food and water intake and make sure she is getting what she needs to fuel her day and feel healthy.

3. Water

Let’s examine water and its importance for Siamese cats.

It is common knowledge that every process in life revolves around water. The body of a cat is a lot like us humans’ in that it is made up of 70% water.

The prey that cats hunt in the wild also contain a high amount of water, too. Cats naturally have a low thirst drive, and on top of this, do not like to be in water for swimming or bathing.

Therefore, it is critical owners make sure their pets get the water they need for bodily function and growth.

After all, cat ancestors were desert creatures. They got most of their water from food.

In the present day, our cats eat lots of dry food and thus need to have some wet food and a water bowl nearby at all times for proper drinking. Wet food is a great source of water, but it is not adequate for all water intake.

Do not try and increase the moisture of dry food by wetting it. Instead, introduce your cat to some quality canned food with meat as the first ingredient and always make sure your Siamese has plenty of clean water nearby.

Even if she likes to lick the drips of water coming from the bath faucet, just make sure she drinks enough. It’s important for body function, including growing and maintaining a healthy body.

4. The Breed

Some cats are just small, and we can blame nothing but mother nature for this! The Siamese is just one of these smaller breeds of cats.

Siamese feature a slim, slender figure and also have a very fine coat. Their colors are distinct too, the most famous image of a Siamese cat being the tan body and brown face with beautiful blue eyes.

The Siamese is known for being small but having a big voice. These cats are naturally chatty and love to talk. The reason for their small stature, says one expert by the name of Hope Gonano of the Cat Fanciers Association, is because of too much inbreeding.

The Oriental is another relative to the Siamese known to be rather small. They are very similar to their Siamese relatives and tend to feature the same body type, just on a smaller scale.

Orientals differ in that they feature more than 300 color and pattern types and are not as chatty as the Siamese. They love to play with their owners and are known for their flexibility.

Whether it is genetics or the breeder your cat came from, you as the owner have to do your homework. This is especially important for those of you seeking to buy a Siamese for the first time.

Talk to a breeder and hear what they say about the cats they breed before you choose to buy one to ensure they are given the best care. Visit these cats before you buy, also. For most Siamese, females will weigh in at about 7-11 pounds and males about 9-14 pounds.

5. Lack of Mom

We already discussed that cats who were of a feral upbringing may be lacking in nutrients thanks to not having access to adequate food.

Some breeders may also drop the ball on proper feeding, selling cats to owners that did not get the chance to eat and drink as they should. And sometimes the problem lies in having to fight with other cats in the household for food.

Some kittens become separated from their mothers, and we all know that mothers provide the greatest food of all-breast milk loaded with nutrients designed to help them grow into strong and capable kittens and cats they are.

Kittens need nothing but their mothers for the first four weeks of their life, and then the weaning process begins to take place.

After this it is okay to feed kittens quality kitten food where they can grow from the nutrients in that, plus supply them with plenty of clean, fresh water for drinking.

But weaning a kitten before they are ready results in unfavorable consequences-they miss out on vital nutrients because this milk is all they need for those first four weeks.

If a kitten loses her mother during this critical time, care should be taken to get her to a foster mom cat or give her kitten milk replacement to promote development and proper growth.

Related Questions

Why Does My Siamese Cat Bite Me?  

The Siamese cat bites due to overstimulation, sensitivity when touched on parts of the body like the back or belly, and generally feeling uncomfortable. Even if owners pet gently, they may still bite.

Are Siamese Cats Intelligent?

Siamese are highly intelligent. They are always getting into something around the house and are naturally very curious. They want to explore everything and are very smart-some owners even teach them tricks.

What Age Do Siamese Cats Stop Growing? 

On average, the growth process stops around 10 to 12 months of age. They might become heavier and gain a bit of height after that, but largely, these cats reach maturity at age 1.

Conclusion

The reasons as to why your Siamese cat is so small is due to many different factors, many of which are just the result of the circumstances under which they grew up. Be the best parent you can for your cat, regardless of their stature, and you will soon see that size doesn’t matter!