Woman brings home “tiny,” 1.5lb kitten—unprepared for what she ends up with

A woman from Ontario, Canada, adopted a small kitten, thinking he’d probably grow into a small-sized adult—she wasn’t ready for his transformation. 

In a viral Instagram post shared on Saturday under the username @hercozycrew, the Siberian cat, named Sprout, is first pictured as a kitten, looking like a small cotton ball with piercing blue eyes.  

The following shot shows what he looks like now, a huge, fluffy furball, sprawled out on the couch, grooming his pearly white fur while observing his owner from a distance.

“He’s so cute and tiny, I don’t think he’ll get that big!” the caption says. “Seven months later…” 

“I brought home a tiny 1.5lbs kitten at the start of May 2025 and now it’s January 2026 and he’s 11lbs and a whole CHONK OF A CAT. His first birthday isn’t until February 14th! Siberian cats are apparently slow to mature and don’t reach their full size until 3 years of age,” she said.
 
“Did I bring home a kitten or a dog? He was SUCH A CUTE LITTLE KITTEN. don’t get me wrong, he’s still adorable, but I just want to go back in time and squish the cuteness out of that little guy!” 

The poster, 29-year-old Carly Thomas, a content and “cozy home creator” who shares pet and lifestyle content as a cat influencer on social media, told Newsweek that in the first clip, her 11-month-old Siberian cat was just about 2lbs. 

“Then, fast-forwards to about seven months later, he’s suddenly a giant fluff ball at almost 12lbs! It’s still wild to me how fast he grew,” she said. 

Catster explains that Siberian cats are a large, long‑haired breed from Russia, typically weighing 8–18 pounds and measuring 17–25 inches long. They are sturdy, social, and adaptable, though not the largest domestic cats.  

Maine Coons, Norwegian Forest Cats, Ragdolls, and some Savannah generations tend to be bigger, while British Shorthairs are similar in weight but longer. Siamese cats are much smaller by comparison.  

Siberians are valued for their affectionate personalities, thick triple coats, and reputation for being hypoallergenic. They make excellent family pets and coexist well with other animals, fitting comfortably between medium and giant breeds in overall size.

The video quickly went viral on social media and it has so far received over 2.1 million views and 109,000 likes on the platform.  

One user, Rambothepuppy, commented: “I’m pretty sure he might be a large baby in a cat suit.” 

Freyja_siberian wrote: “The classic Siberian transformation. He will get bigger in few more years.” 

Pawstojourney said: “It makes me wonder how much of it is all the floof.” 

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.