Kittens are cute. They are so cute and charming that we would like them to stay that way, little ones, for a lifetime. But as we know, time passes and in just a few months, we will have some friends who will have already completed their development.
Now, When do cats really stop growing? It is easy to think that they will do it as soon as they reach their sexual maturity, that is, at six months on average, but ... that is not always the case. If you have doubts, we will solve them below 🙂.
How long do they grow?
The cat, from birth to 6-9 months (depending on the adult size it will have) will have a very fast growth. Their bones and skin will go from being juvenile to adult. After reaching sexual maturity, that is to say, with 5-6 months the small races like the common European and with 8-9 months the large ones like the Maine Coon, its development will slow down, but will continue to grow until they are 3 or 3 XNUMX/XNUMX years old.
To give us an idea of how quickly they grow during their earliest childhood until they reach maturity, we must know the following:
- Newborn: weighs about 100 grams.
- First week: weighs between 115 and 170 grams.
- Second to third week: between 170 and 225 grams.
- Fourth to fifth week: between 225 and 450 grams.
- Eight weeks: between 680 and 900 grams.
- Three months: about 1,4 kilos.
- Four months: about 1,8 kilos.
From there, they will gradually gain weight until they are 18 to 24 months old, reaching an average weight of 4,5 kilos.
How do you manage to have such a rapid growth rate?
In its first four months it goes from weighing only about 100 grams to about 1,8 kilos. And that, how do you get it? Well, his mother helps him a lot in this. During the first days you feed it with colostrum, which is a special milk with a high concentration of immunoglobulins, which are antibodies that protect the body from viruses, bacteria and allergens. Afterwards, continue to give him milk until the end of the second month (although he begins to wean him earlier, with four to six weeks) with a milk that is very rich in protein and fat. After eight weeks, the kitten will already have teeth strong enough to be able to eat something solid food.
However, so that our furry can continue to grow healthy it is very important to give them a quality diet, without cereals and a high percentage of animal protein (minimum 70%), as this will ensure that you get all the nutrients you need.
Tips for a long life
The kitten grows very, very fast. You could say that in the blink of an eye it becomes a beautiful ball to be a beautiful adult cat. But it is very important that we do what we can to make her as healthy and happy as possible; And I don't just mean giving her the attention, affection and respect she deserves, but also other things:
Veterinary
We can not forget take him to the vet every time it is necessary, both to give him vaccines and to cure him when he has a disease or has suffered an accident. In this way, you will have a better chance of growing properly. What's more, it is recommended to put the microchip (In fact, in some communities it is mandatory, especially if we plan to travel with him).
Castration
If we do not want to make him breed, or if we intend to give him permission to go abroad, what we must do is castrate him before the first heat, that is, 5-6 months if it is a small breed or 7-8 months if it is a large one. In doing so, we will not have to change your diet (except when he is one year old, we will have to give him food for adult cats); just make sure you exercise every day. For that purpose, we can play with him with a ball or a cane for example.
My cat is too small
Sometimes it happens that the cat stays small, or that it does not grow. Why? The truth is that there are several causes, for example:
- Your mother was ill or poorly cared for: as we know kittens drink their mother's milk during their first weeks. If the cat was sick, or did not feed properly, she could not get her young to develop normally.
- The kitten was sick: there are diseases, such as distemper, that stop growth. That is why it is very important to consult a professional as soon as you suspect that you are not feeling well.
- Problems at the genetic level: a genetic malformation can make the cat smaller than it would be normal.
And with this we are done. We hope that you have found it of interest, and that you do not hesitate to have a camera always ready to capture the best moments you spend with your feline. So you can always have them with you.
Did you know when cats stop growing?