How long does a cat take to grow?

The growth rate of the cat is very fast, especially if we compare it with that of the human being. A furry one at the age of one year is already considered an adult, on the other hand, a person with that age is still a baby. Indeed, this precious animal has a much shorter childhood than humans, but this does not mean that it stops behaving like a puppy once it is one year old. In fact, if you live with a family, you will most likely continue to behave like this throughout your life.

But Do we know how long a cat takes to grow? 

The kitten grows at an incredible rate from the first moment in which the ovum has been fertilized. Once he is born, the mother provides him with enough milk to gain about 10 grams a day, and in just one month you will have tripled (or quadrupled) your body weight, going from 100 to 300-400 grams.

With this young age, the furry needs to be fed with the best food, mother's milk, and also to sleep a lot. This is why he spends practically all day sleeping. But this situation is gradually changing. So much so that with a month of life he will spend part of his time playing and exploring.

With five to six months of age the cat will have reached sexual maturity, and will already begin to have heat unless it is casted. From here, the growth rate accelerates, but it will not be as fast as it was between 0 and 2 months. As usual, until the second year of life it will continue to grow, but the bones finish forming with a year.

So that I can grow properly, quality food is very important. The ideal is to give him raw meat because in the end that is the most natural thing for him, but if you cannot or if you prefer to give him feed, we recommend giving him one that does not have cereals or by-products.

And by the way, do you know how many human years are equal to 1 cat? Well, although not all experts agree, since it depends a lot on the race, in general we can say that 1 human year equals 4 felines once they have reached one year of age. Curious, right?

When do cats stop growing?

It is true that there are cats that are larger and others smaller when they reach adult life, but why does this happen? Why are there cats that are so big and others that are smaller?

Cats come in different sizes, shapes, and colors, and that's what makes them so special! All cats, regardless of their breed or constitution, with proper nutrition they can become healthy adults with their own personality and idiosyncrasies. But when do cats stop growing? We will tell you!

Cats grow very quickly up to 6 months and it is between 6 and 12 months when they stop growing in size and reach the size they will have for the rest of their lives. This does not necessarily mean that cats over a year old will stop growing completely. A cat that is primarily sedentary and has a poor diet, or has access to too much food during the day, can continue to accumulate fat. While an obese cat may look cute even though it is heavier than it needs to be, obesity is, in fact, a very unhealthy condition for any feline.

How big will my cat be according to its growth?

The average house cat is about 4 kilos, more or less. Males of the largest breed of cats, the Maine Coon, they weigh about 8/9 kilos. Cats are not like dogs in many respects, and there is no correlation between the size of your cat's paw and its height and weight. Bigger paws don't really mean a bigger cat. Genetics will determine how big your cat will be. There are 19 pairs of chromosomes that control everything from hair length, coat color, and size!

While your kitten's parents are the best indicator of how big your cat will be, gender can also be a factor. Males are usually larger than females, and their growth duration can last longer.

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But, when asked: When will my cat stop growing? According to him Maine Coon Fancy, this breed of cat takes up to five years to reach full size. And its full size is remarkable: a Maine Coon cat named Stewie He held the Guinness Book of World Record for the longest cat. Sadly, Stewie passed away in 2013, but his mark on the world remains.

On the other side of the spectrum cats with dwarfism can be abnormally small. Dwarf cats are the Lilliputians of the feline world (there are two different causes: genetic mutation and malfunction of the pituitary gland). A Munchkin breed cat named Lilieput holds the Guinness Book of World Record for the smallest cat. Kittens with dwarfism will develop more slowly than healthy cats.

The growth of cats

Kittens come to this world with one goal: to grow up! And fast! Newborn kittens require 24-hour feeding, and their spikes in weight gain reflect all that nutritious sustenance. Kittens typically grow eight times their size in about eight weeks:

• Less than 1 week old: Kitten weighs less than 4 ounces.
• 7 to 10 days old: the kitten weighs from 100 to 170 grams.
• 10-14 days old: the kitten weighs from 170 to 230 grams.
• 14 to 21 days old: the kitten weighs from 230 to 340 grams.
• 4 to 5 weeks old: the kitten weighs from 340 grams to 450 grams.
• 6 to 7 weeks old: the kitten weighs from 450 to 800 grams.
• 8 weeks old: the kitten weighs between 800 grams to 900 grams.
• 12 weeks old: the kitten weighs between 1 to 5 kilos.
• 16 weeks old: the kitten weighs approximately 2 to 3 kilos.
• 6 months to 1 year of age: approximately 3 to 6 kilos.

Although it is true that a cat stops growing when it reaches one year, in reality, when they are 6 months old, it can stop growing. If you want a cat to adopt, it is best to focus on cats over six months to find out what their size will be. Many people prefer baby kittens but do not always know how to educate them correctly or later they are amazed if they grow a lot or too little, so if you choose it for more than 6 months you will know more or less what its real size will be.

As we have mentioned above, there are cats that can grow more or less, and that some breeds have these characteristics in particular, so, the ideal is to inform you to know how your cat will be in terms of size.

Of course, what you should keep in mind and never forget is that a cat, what matters is that it has a healthy diet throughout its life, that it does not lack a source of water where it can hydrate as long as you need it. You also need to have a place to scratch your nails, another to climb and play, and areas to exercise.

In this way, your cat will be able to grow up happy and healthy all the time. What matters, even if your cat is larger or smaller in size, is that it is healthy all the time. For it, Do not forget to go to your regular appointments with the veterinarian so that he can assess his health and see that he is growing healthy.

If you think that your cat has suddenly stopped growing and his parents and siblings are normal size, then it will be necessary to take your cat to the vet in case something is happening to his health.