by Rone from Mouchois
(Klamath Falls, OR, USA)
Melvin Enjoying Yogurt - a still from the video below
I just wanted to update you on how Melvin was doing!
Melvin is now fully grown at 6 pounds (and overweight). As soon as the soft spot on his head closes, he will be going on a diet to reach the vet's recommended weight at 4 pounds.
Due to many many visits with the veterinarian, we have found MANY of the problems associated with small cat breeds like this. Mainly primordial dwarfs.
Some of Melvin's health problems include:
*Severe growth retardation, causing bone mass to be a bit softer than normal and also causing the muscles to depreciate if not kept very well supplemented.
*Neurological problems including blindness in one eye, seizures, and "twitches". Thankfully we've gotten the seizures down through close monitoring.
*Heart murmur and enlarged heart. His heart grows at a normal rate, causing it to be a bit larger than the rest of him. At this point we aren't sure if that will cause a shorter lifespan or not. It hasn't caused any real problems, yet.
*Bowed legs and malformed jaw.
*His nails also grow a lot faster than normal. Without daily trimming, he usually gets very uncomfortable.
*No reproductive organs. They just never grew. Neither did his adult teeth. He still has his baby set. This is causing some major breathe problems.
Besides all of those problems, he is happy and healthy. We just keep an eye on him and so far he is like every other cat, just a bit more expensive and a bit smaller!
He sees the vet regularly and has become quite the local celebrity.
I recommend to all of those looking for a teacup of their own to MAKE SURE to have the vet check the kitten out FIRST THING. This means ALL checks of the heart and bones. Also a quick check of the neurological system is a must.
This is my YouTube Channel where you can see lots more of little Melvin.
My email is:
mouchois at catlover.com
Substitute at for @ (it is written this way because some "bots" steal emails and use them for illegal purposes)
If you have any more questions! I'm more than happy to pass on any information!
Rone from Mouchois
Teacup Cat Health to Teacup cats
Hi..Rone from Mouchois..I have changed the title as the posting focuses on health. I thank you for that as it is a "reality check". I gave a link to your YouTube channel and embedded the video. Melvin deserves to be a bit of a star...Michael
Don’t worry about health issues. There are more possibilities for health issues in dwarf and teacup cats compared to moggies but I don’t think they should be of real concern. Enjoy and good luck with your new dwarf companion. I hope you make another visit to PoC and tell us more about you cat (with some pictures hopefully).
I’m getting a dwarf cat that is a little over a yr old in just a couple of hours…reading your site is worrying me about health issues now!! She comes free with food and previous “owners” have nothing negative to say about her, only that she is sweet!
I think the shirazi cats are persians. They are originally from Iran from a city called Shiraz. Then they became popular in Europ in the 19th c, in the era of queen Victoria