Smallest Cat In The World

by Michael
(London, UK)

Bitsy - see details below

The title, 'smallest cat in the world' is a search phrase. This page answers the question as at April 2010. The search phrase implies that people want to know the current world's smallest cat. The Guinness World Records organisation (GWR) do not list such a record at 2010. This is probably to avoid people trying to get the record and abusing cats as a result. Also there is the difficulty with the age of the cat. This may be a newish policy change. In the past there was a record for the world's smallest cat run by GWR but it was probably stopped for the reasons stated.

Young cats are small. In scientific parlance, sub-adults are smaller than adults. And the world's smallest cat should apply to a fully grown adult cat. This might be hard to establish even by a qualified person. This casts doubt on the viability of running such a record.

Also please note that the absolute smallest cat is a wider record than the smallest cat breed.

Despite that rather negative opener, there are some websites that tell us which cat is the world's smallest.

Here are two examples:

CatWorld.com says that the Guinness Book of World Records awarded the title to Mr Peebles. This diminutive cat from Central Illinois in the USA was 2 years old when he weighed around 3 pounds. He is 6.1 inches long. His smallness was inherited apparently. This is around the weight of the smallest teacup and miniature cats.

I have no idea when this record occurred or if Mr Pebbles is still alive. It must have been around 2006. On another site (waleg.com) it says that Mr Pebbles had a tough early life because he was small (odd that don't you think?).

He was then adopted by Dr. Donna Sassman. The good doctor feed him four times daily to keep his weight up and she thought he had probably peaked on weight. That means though that he might not have peaked.

Hubpages.com say that a cat called, 'Bitsy' is or may be the smallest cat in the world and that it is verified by GWR. There is no date to the posting.

Bitsy allegedly weighs 1.5 pounds yet is one year old and 6 inches long. This is half the weight of Mr Pebbles. This is probably an unsustainable weight but I am no expert. The video shows him with a slight head wobble when crouched down. Personally, I don't like this video. It is insensitive to me.

There is a video. I hope it still works:

The world's smallest wild cat species is the rusty-spotted cat. This small wildcat has a weight range of between 0.8 and 1.6 kilograms. This is 1.76 pounds to 3.53 pounds. There may be an individual rusty-spotted cat that holds the informal and unrecognised record of the Smallest Cat In The World.

Here is a table showing some weight comparisons:

Characteristic	Measurement
Rusty-spotted cat - Length of head+body	35-48 centimetres (14-17 inches)
Rusty-spotted cat - Average weight (approximate)	1.5 kg (3.3 lbs)
Rusty-spotted cat - Average weight females	1 kg (2.2 lbs)
Average domestic cat weight – for comparison	8 lbs
Average weight of miniature domestic cat for comparison	3.5 lbs
Average weight of Black-footed Cat – for comparison	3.5 lb

Associated page:

Smallest breed of cat

World's Biggest Cat

Wild Cat Species by Size

Note: the picture or Mr Pebbles is presumed to be in the public domain. If not please tell me.

Smallest Cat In The World to Largest Domestic Cat Breed

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Smallest Cat In The World

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Sep 29, 2011

FIZZGIRL 2012 GWR shortest cat
by: Anonymous

www.flyingpaintranch.com to see vidoes from ANIMAL PLANET and GUINNESS on this amazing MINIMEW!

Dec 10, 2010

i own a small cat
by: C.L.Ritz

I have a cat named M&m thats 2 yrs old and he only weighs a little over a pound while his litterrmates are all normal in size but he acts nothing like the cat in the video and his vet said he's perfectly healty

Sep 28, 2010

Tiny Cat
by: Tobin

I have a very small cat. It's odd because her mother had 15 kittens [3 litters]. However, some are tiny and some are very large [over 10# by 2 yrs]. The mother was 6# herself just after giving birth all 3 times and the last litter had a small runt. That kitten [Darla] is now well over a year old and only 4 lbs. She has no tail at all [like her mother] and her sister is 8 lbs with a full tail. I do have to say though, she's spiny and spindly, but a GREAT hunter, eater, and fighter. I give her enough love to keep her home and safe every night.

Sep 07, 2010

So Sad
by: Gail (Boston, MA USA)

I had forgotten about this thread until the last posting. I feel so bad for that tiny kitten, especially when it felt so threatened by the large cat. The other thing that bugs me is how the human(s) lavish affection on the big cat and not the teeny one. People are so horrid sometimes.

BTW, Michael - you may want to correct the spelling of Pebbles under the 'Catworld.com' 1st paragraph - it reads "Peebles" - goodness only knows who's lurking here just waiting to pounce again, LOL!

Sep 07, 2010

SO TRUE!!!!!!!!!!
by: Anonymous

No truer words have been said Rudolph. If this were and experiment by this sick human being and it looks and appears to be then I'd like to see he/she be used for and experiment and let him/her see what it feels like to be treated with such cruelty.

Apr 24, 2010

To Gail
by: Michael

Hi Gail, No the article made no mention of health problems (if they exist). I think we fool ourselves sometimes.

The domestic cat shouldn't be this small. Of course size varies naturally but within normal limits and a cat this light in weight has a greater chance of being unhealthy and has a shorter projected lifespan it seems to me.

We should not encourage the breeding of small cats therefore. The Guinness World Records people recognise this it seems.

Apr 24, 2010

Agreed
by: Michael

Hi Rudolph. I agree. Bitsy looks sad, uncomfortable and perhaps ill. I really don't think people should be trying to find or create the smallest cat.

Apr 21, 2010

Bitsy, the World's smallest cat.
by: Rudolph.A.Furtado

"Bitsy" looks a pathetic freak of nature in this video, seems slightly deformed in its movements and facial expressions. I hope that "Bitsy" is that rare "One Off" freak of nature, a biological accident rather than an "EXPERIMENTAL SUCCESS" by its human breeder
for producing the "TEA-CUP CAT". "Guiness Book f World Records" has done the right thing by discouraging the entry of "World's Smallest Cat" into its "Animal Record Books" as this would definitely encourage unscrupulous breeders in experimenting to produce more freak "Bitsy's", total unfits in the "Cat World".
I would always prefer viewing or possessing a healthy normal cat rather than a pathetic specimen bred solely for satisfying the human ego.

Rudolph avatar

Apr 21, 2010

Bitsy
by: Gail (Boston, MA USA)

I agree, that video on Bitsy is a tad disturbing.

Besides the head wobble, it appears as if the back legs are splayed when he/she was jumping at the other cat. Balance seems to be an issue. I wonder if it has some type of neurological disorder? Did the article say anything to that effect? (I wonder if inbreeding may be at play here as well.)

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Comments

Smallest Cat In The World — 4 Comments

Jan Griffiths on December 25, 2018 at 2:56 am said:
I had a small male Siamese when I was a kid. He weighed just over 4 pounds, and was a show cat; extremely typey. Most of the kittens he sired were on the small side as well, but all were healthy. He lived to be 18 years old. We raised Siamese cats and Pug dogs when I was a kid.
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I love my kitty on October 30, 2012 at 6:30 am said:
My cat had 3 kitten 2 months ago. She had 1 and it died, my cat peppers di not cry at labor, so i had no idea she had gave birth til she brought the dead kitten to me while I was in the kitchen. It wasn’t breathing it was dead. I stayed by her side all day because i thought she was going to have more kittens. I had already looked all around the house just to make sure there were no more kittens around, there wasn’t. 2 days passed and nothing so i fugured she only hade 1 kitten it happens I was told so that was that on the third day I woke up at 5 in the morning, to a crying kitten my cat had just giving birth to another kitten i was freaking out, because it was 3 days later.
I got the kitten and put her and her mom in a bed I had bought her, so she cleaned up her kitten but she wouldn’t feed her so i figured she was gonna have another kitten. so once again I waited about an hour later she was having another one. I waited til the kitten came out and notice that the 3 kitten was not even half the size of the first too, And once again the kitten was not breathing, so I cover the mouth and nose a gentle started givng him CPR after the 3 attemmp, the kiitten started gasping, so i laid it on the floor it kept gasping for air every gasp stronger than the next, the he was full on breathing, the finally crying the mom came running straight to him and started cleaning him right away. For the first 2 weeks i had to keep putting him on the moms tit the he started doing it by him self. The sister kitten is big now and he still is less than half her size, but he runs around and play with his sister.
Is he going to stay small?
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- Michael on October 30, 2012 at 10:11 am said:
  Hi, he may grow to be a small adult cat. You can’t really tell until he has grown up. If mom and dad were both small cats you’d pretty much be sure he would be a small cat but his sister is normal size. You’ll just have to wait and see I am afraid. Thanks for visiting and asking though.
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