posted
Within the span of one week I heard this one twice:
Cats born in autumn grow up to be smaller and skinnier than cats born in spring. There´s even a German word, Herbstkatze or Herbschtkatz as the Swabians pronounce it, for a cat born in Autumn.
Anecdotal evidence: My mother´s cat Peachy was born on Halloween, and is skinny as can be. Her other cat, Pretty, was born in March, and is really fat for a Siamese. These two fit the theory even though they were both born indoors and did not have to hunt for food. Could it have something to do with sunlight, if not with nutrition?
Hacker "Herbstkatz in human form" Barbie
Posts: 2351 | From: Germany | Registered: Aug 2000
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We have two cats, one an enormous gray tub of lard who was born on Mother's Day. The other is a wee little bitty thing, both tiny and slim, who we found as an abandoned kitten on the verge of starvation. I THINK it was late summer when we found her, can't remember. I often wondered if she was the runt of the litter or if being malnourished for a time so young made her small. She seems to have a Siamese body type which perhaps explains her lithe, girlish figure even at 3 years old, as opposed to the gray kitty who had a layer of fat on her tummy even as a teenaged cat.
So there's some sketchy and certainly anecdotal, sort of supportive, evidence for your theory for you.
-------------------- "Wolves, dragons and vampires, man. Draw the nut-bars like big ol' nut-bar magnets." ~evilrabbit
(snurched because one of my nutbar family members is all about wolves and another one is all about dragons...)(with apologies to surfcitydogdad) Posts: 2397 | From: Texarkana, TX | Registered: Mar 2006
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posted
Sorry to burst the bubble - we have a brown tabby born in November who is so fat we call her "The Pudge". We worry about her health but the two skinny cats we have - one born in May, the other probably around January or February - are too thin and too picky for us to do meal/food limitation. So we try to "make" her exercise. I can't find a pic of her at the moment, but she is a tub. Cute, very cuddly, and very heavy when she lays on you!!
-------------------- "What is sin? I think sin is failure to grow." -Lauren Slater, "Prozac Diary" Posts: 172 | From: Denver, Colorado | Registered: Apr 2006
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posted
Chewbacca born in September, 23ish pounds. Arwen, born in late October. 23-25 pounds.Tiger, born in late May/early June. She's all of 9 pounds.
So, It must just be a wive's tale or something. Our two fattest cats are Autumn kitties.
-------------------- "Is it ME? Am I a MAGNET for these idiots?"~Pearl Forrester MST3K Die-Hard Engineers, Big Red One my Dad's website "Must be a 'snopes' thing..." ~my entire family when I try to explain something. Posts: 4524 | From: South of Madison, Wisconsin | Registered: May 2005
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posted
I've never heard this and it definatly doesn't follow for either of my cats. Both were born in October. The younger one weighs over 20 pounds, and the older one is smaller but has never been skinny, but not quite over weight either. She's probably around 13 pounds now.
-------------------- I am the snake. Bite, bite, bite. Posts: 247 | From: Winnipeg, Canada | Registered: Oct 2002
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posted
If the mother is feral/semi-feral and has been breeding since spring and the autumn litter is her 2nd or 3rd litter of the year, the kittens may be born small. Because prey is waning they may get less nutrition and the older kittens from pervious litters will out-compete them.
Some of the autumn kittens will be the first litter of a cat born in spring (just reached sexual maturity) and may be small as a result of this and a result of her inexperience as a mother.
Among domestic cats born in a home and given kitten food, it makes no difference just so long as the mother cat is well nourished.
posted
I'm going to second Llewtrah's opinion. I wonder if this belief didn't originate when most cats were working animals, living in barns and having to hunt for much of their food.
By the time Mama cat got around to throwing that autumn litter, she probably didn't have much left to give them.
So it is possible that this wife's tale may have been true at one time, but not anymore - at least not for 21st Century suburban kitties.
Posts: 1651 | From: Columbus, Ohio | Registered: Aug 2004
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I can't find a pic of her at the moment, but she is a tub. Cute, very cuddly, and very heavy when she lays on you!!
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