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How Big Do Bengal Cats Get? With Weight & Growth Chart

Brooke Billingsley

By Brooke Billingsley

bengal cat walking on plank outdoor

Bengal cats are becoming more and more popular as more people find out information about this beautiful, active cat breed. If you’re new to learning about Bengals, you may have wondered how big these athletic cats can get. How fast do they grow, especially compared to other domestic cat breeds? Let’s talk about the sporty Bengal cat’s size and growth rate. You can expect a grown Bengal cat to be 13–18 inches tall and weigh 15 pounds.

How Big Do Bengal Cats Get?

Bengal cats are considered to be medium to large-sized cats. They can weigh anywhere between 8–15 pounds, with males often weighing much more than females. Males tend to exceed 12–15 pounds, while females tend to be closer to the 8–10 pound range. Some Bengal cats may even exceed 20 pounds in size.

They can stand anywhere between 13–18 inches tall, with males tending to be larger than females. Females tend to have a more lithe and athletic body type, while males are more likely to be more muscular and stocky.

How Fast Do Bengal Cats Grow?

Bengal kittens grow around the same rate as other kittens, often gaining approximately 1 pound per month for the first few months of life. They typically grow until they are between 18 months and 2 years of age, though, so they do quite a bit of growing beyond the first few months of kittenhood.

By 6 months of age, most Bengal kittens will weigh around 6 pounds, but some may weigh as much as 12 pounds at this point. By 9 months, they can be anywhere between 8–15 pounds. Smaller Bengals may not grow at all beyond this point; instead, they might just fill out more. Larger Bengals will continue to grow, though, reaching 10–15 pounds or more by 1 year of age.

Typically, they do not gain much weight past 1 year of age, assuming they are kept at a healthy weight. Between 1–2 years, most cats will fill out, gaining muscle and losing their “baby fat” as they mature.

bengal kitten
Image Credit: Irina_kukuts, Pixabay

Do Bengals Grow More Slowly Than Other Cats?

Like other medium- and large-breed cats, Bengals do grow a little more slowly than smaller cat breeds. Many smaller cat breeds are finished growing by 12–18 months of age, but Bengals typically grow and mature past 18 months. It is common for large breed cats to grow more slowly than their smaller counterparts, though. For the first few months of life, Bengal cats grow at approximately the same rate as other cat breeds.

In Conclusion

Bengal cats can get quite large, often reaching 15 pounds, with some large males even exceeding 20 pounds. Females tend to stay smaller than males, usually only reaching medium cat size, while males tend to be large.

They grow rapidly for the first few months of life, but their growth rate slows down significantly beyond about 6 months. This is because they are medium to large cats, so their growth and development happen more slowly than it does with smaller cat breeds.


Featured Image Credit: Seregraff, Shutterstock

Brooke Billingsley

Authored by

Brooke Billingsley spent nine years as a veterinary assistant before becoming a human nurse in 2013. She resides in Arkansas with her boyfriend of five years. She loves all animals and currently shares a home with three dogs, two cats, five fish, and two snails. She has a soft spot for special needs animals and has a three-legged senior dog and an internet famous cat with acromegaly and cerebellar hypoplasia. Fish keeping...Read more

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