What Type of Cat Breed Stays Small Like a Kitten?
DWARF AND MIDGET CATS Dwarfism, miniature breeds, the various causes and the implications of keeping dwarf and midget cats are more fully discussed in Dwarf and Midget Cats Dwarfism and midgetism has been recorded in cats. Achondroplasia dwarfism affects the arm and leg bones giving a normal-sized body with short legs. Midgetism (pituitary dwarfism) produces a small individual with normal body proportions. Another form of dwarfism produces a compact cat with shorter than normal legs and a short body; the proportions of legs, body and head are visibly “wrong” but the cat is neither a Munchkin-type nor a midget. Other causes are metabolic disorders (lack of growth hormone) and congenital defects (birth defects) which cause the individual to stop growing. I have seen dwarf cats in severely inbred feral cat colonies. Some genuine feline dwarfs have weighed under 4 lb (under 2 kg) when fully-grown. A diminutive female shorthair called “Kitu” owned by Wanda Mitka of Laverton, Victoria, Austr
