The truly devoted cat lovers out there know that watching your feline grow is not unlike watching your child get bigger. Seeing something you care about so deeply develop in front of your eyes gives new meaning to your life, and the bond between you gets stronger with each day. Of course, pets grow much, much faster than children, especially cats, so you might be wondering when exactly this process stops.
Playing with your kitty is enormous fun: tiny like a mouse and weighing next to nothing, it wiggles all over the place and you just can’t get enough of it. You kind of wish it would stay like that forever. But before you know it, it becomes a full-grown cat, calmer and more independent.
Yes, pets grow up in what seems like a matter of seconds, and the owner should experience all the joy kittenhood brings. To understand how cats actually grow up, we need to explore the matter in some more depth.
Blink and It’s Over
A generally accepted rule is that cats stop growing after one year, though there are many exceptions, depending on the breed and a few important factors. During this first year, the growth happens at a very fast rate. The body elongates, the legs grow, and the head grows and assumes its final shape. Roughly speaking, a feline of 12 months is as old enough as a 15-year-old boy or girl.
While humans take 18 years to be considered adults, and some continue to undergo changes in their 20s, feline growth is typically over after a year. This, of course, varies from breed to breed. Some cats, like the Maine Coon, can take up to 3-4 years to develop fully, while a Siamese can reach adulthood in less than a year.
As you can see, this is an incredibly fast process, particularly if you compare it to humans. And this first year, if you’re busy with household and work obligations, will go by in two shakes of a lamb’s tail. To keep these memories alive, it’s nice to take plenty of photos and videos of your kitty so you can enjoy them later. In our fast-paced society, it’s so easy to be preoccupied with ourselves and forget the magic only kittenhood brings.
The Six Stages
We can divide a cat’s growth process into six stages. Some may last longer than others, but this is what it typically looks like. The first week is when kitties need their mother’s milk and are blind, and soon after they open their eyes. Then we have the milk teeth stage, where your kitty grows its small, pointy food shredders. Here begins the third stage, when solid food comes into the picture.
Next up is the stage of continuous growth, where your feline gets bigger and stronger; the diet should get more nuanced and balanced. During the next phase, after about a year, your kitty finally becomes a grown cat. You already know that males take a little longer, so don’t let that worry you.
The final stage is when growth ends. You now have a fully-formed furry friend, ready to bring entertainment or chaos to your home.
What Affects Growth
There is no set rule for all cat breeds when it comes to growth. There are several factors involved, and being aware of them can help you ensure healthy and physical development for your furball.
As with all living creatures, diet plays a major role here. Now, we should make a distinction between kitten food and cat food. When they’re young, kitties should receive more protein, i.e. 35-50% of the total intake. Once they’re adults, 25-40% is the optimal dose. This is because grownups are less active and don’t require as many calories. The same goes for fatty food – the bigger the cat, the less it needs it.
Naturally, at some point, the kitten will transition to adult food. When do you do it? Once your feline weighs about 10 pounds, it’s safe to proceed with a grown-up diet. This generally happens between 10-12 months of age.
Whether your pet is male or female also makes a difference. In general, females grow faster, but end up smaller than boys, who are also usually heavier by a few pounds. It’s important to note that females become sexually mature before they’re adults, around four months of age. If it gets pregnant early, your cat might have a difficult pregnancy because of its small size, so it requires extra care during this time.
The number of siblings also affects the rate of growth. Namely, the more kittens in a litter, the harder it is to feed them all. That’s why we need to make sure the lastborn gets as much milk as the oldest sibling. The same goes for the runt, or the weakest and smallest kitty. With good and balanced nutrition, it can easily reach the same size as its brothers and sisters.
Supervision is Key
The first year of your furball’s life is crucial. That’s when it needs your help the most, so affection and attention are never quite enough. Besides playing and having fun, we’ll give some pointers that will help your pet grow into a healthy adult.
Although they’re naturally very active, kittens need constant exercise to develop their bodies. Engage your furball in various games, use toys, and give it enough space to move. Runts in particular need more movement than the other siblings. So, a balanced diet combined with enough exercise is a win-win situation. Fetch and hide-and-seek are perfect games for a kitty – they burn calories and develop intelligence in one go.
Finding a trustworthy vet will definitely ease your troubles. Checkups should never be skipped in the beginning so that the vet can examine your kitten thoroughly. Accurate reporting is highly important. For instance, if you don’t have enough time for play and your pet is frustrated, the doctor should know this to avoid looking for potential causes.
