Cats are small felines that they grow incredibly fast. In just one year they weigh around 100 grams when they are born to 2 or 3kg ten months later. But in addition, they are considered adults from 6 or 7 months, because at that age they begin to have heat and, therefore, if mating occurs, the cat will give birth to her own offspring. With only six months, yes.
But the growth of cats does not end during the first year, but in the second and third years their bodies will expand a little, and they will also gain weight as their development nears its end. Know each stage that your friend will go through and enjoy each one of them with the camera in hand as time passes very quickly, and immediately you will see that your ball of hair has become a Mr. Cat.
Stages of the cat's life
Below we detail the different stages of growth that your cat will experience throughout its life. In each one we will explain the changes that occur in their body and behavior so that you know at all times how your cat is growing.
First month
Kittens are born blind and deaf. They depend on the mother to maintain their body temperature, feed and stay clean, as she helps them relieve themselves. At this early age they already recognize the smell of their mother's saliva and are guided by smell to follow her, although it will not be until the third week of age that this sense will be fully developed.
More or less after two weeks they will open their eyes, and they will begin to explore their environment, but staggering, and it is that until 17 days they will not be able to walk well. For now, they remain close to the mother who will not hesitate to defend them against whoever is necessary. That is why at this stage it is better that, if we live with dogs, we never leave them alone with the cats.
At three weeks weaning can begin, giving them canned food (better if it is natural). Also It is a good age for them to learn to relieve themselves on a tray, as they can relieve themselves. You can teach them by gently putting them in the litter after every meal; so you will see how very soon he will understand that this is where he has to go every time he needs it.
With four weeks they begin to play with each other, jumping over the mother and biting each other. At this stage they learn that they must control the strength of your teethas they can sometimes hurt.
Second month
With functional eyes and ears, being able to maintain body temperature, and with an immense desire to explore everything, a very important stage begins: socialization. Little by little their mother will stop breastfeeding them, so the kittens will have to learn to be a little independent. So with this age the time will have come for the animal to have contact with humans. We will have to take them gently, and give them caresses and pampering so that they associate us with something positive (darling), since it is hoped that these cats are not scared by people, but quite the opposite.
With eight weeks, they can be adopted. But you should know that they are very active and very playful, something that your furniture may not like too much. Although if you have a scraper within reach, there need be no problems.
Between the third and sixth month
At this age the cat "already" is a cat. You already have everything you need to prepare for adulthood. It does not need a mother to survive, and it is very likely that you start wanting to go abroad, something that we will only allow you if we are completely sure that you will not be in danger.
Females will go into heat around 6 months. If you only want a friend, a pet, it will be more than recommended spay or neuter them (both male and female) around this age. Although it can be done between 4 and 6 months, the most advisable thing is to wait until 6, to avoid development problems (especially in the case of males). In addition, if you give him permission to go for a walk, this will prevent your cat from coming home with an injury or, if it is a female, with a surprise (pregnancy).
From the sixth month to the year
Now yes, you already have an adult cat. They may seem like they sleep too much, but you should know that they love to play, especially at night. Yes, they are nocturnal animals, so if you want your sleep at night you will have to take advantage of the time you are awake during the day to play with him and "tire him out." In the market you will find many types of toys, like ropes, laser pointers, stuffed animals ... Choose those that you think they will like the most, and have fun with your best furry friend.
From the first year to three
During this stage the cat will finish developing and will begin to show adolescent behaviors. It is usual that during these years do what you want, disobeying even the orders we give him. Despite their size, they are still puppies who love to play and attract attention, something they always achieve, right?
From three to seven years
Little by little we will notice that our cat does not want to play as much as before. He spends a lot of time sleeping (around 14:XNUMX p.m. a day), and his behaviors it becomes more territorial if it fits. In fact, from these ages it is difficult (but not impossible) for them to accept a new cat in their territory, which, by the way, is your home.
From seven to twelve years
From the age of seven a cat begins to age. They become even more sedentary, calmer. Your friend will spend a lot of time resting, and not so much playing. Of course, he will continue to do so at times, but as he approaches seniority you will no longer have so much desire from chasing toys.
From the age of twelve
Your cat is old. You will notice how his appetite decreases, and that his senses deteriorate. Can be produced dermatological changes, develop hyperthyroidism y their claws can grow too big due to little use. They spend less time grooming, something that will not take long to see in their coat, which will lose its shine.
The life expectancy of a cat is about 25 years. But regardless of how far it goes, if you give it care, attention and above all a lot of love, will become your best friend.
How old do cats grow?
How long do cats grow? As we have seen, the cat is a feline that has a very fast growth. In just one year, your bones and muscles will reach adulthood. This means that you will certainly be ready to 'see the world' or, in the event that you can't get out, to be a Cat Lord.
His behavior we will notice that it will change, little by little. The desire to play will continue to be high, but as time passes, he will prefer a cuddling session and not so much fun. But be careful, this does not mean that we do not have to play with him, but simply that we will not see him running around with as much energy as when he was a puppy.
But, despite the fact that it is recommended to give them feed (croquettes) for adult cats from the year of life, its development will not be finished yet. If during the first months its skeleton develops, from the second year on we will see that it 'takes on a body', that it widens. It is when the muscle mass finishes developing. This development can last more or less, depending on the final size of the animal and the breed, but will usually end by 3 years.
From then on, and from my point of view, we will have a truly adult cat, in every way.
When do you start seeing and hearing a cat?
En general, take between 9 and 16 days. The ability to begin to hear and to see appear almost at the same time. If we focus on the eyes, at first they will be blue, but as the days go by, their final color will be defined, which can be a greenish, brownish or more yellowish hue depending on their genetics.
His ears, which were attached at birth, now open and begin to be useful to the kitten. Thanks to them, little by little the sense of balance will dominate, as it is located in the middle ear of each ear.
What is the body mass of a cat?
The weight of the cat will increase as it grows. Therefore, below we will tell you what the average weight is:
- Newborn: 100 grams
- First week: 115-170 grams
- 2-3 weeks: 170-225 grams
- 4-5 weeks: 225-450 grams
- 2 months: 680-900 grams
- 3 months: 1,4 kilos
- 4 months: 1,8 kilos
- 6 months: 3 kilos
From half a year of life and until he reaches twelve months of age, between 100 and 150 grams are added approximately per month. But there are many cats that will not finish their growth until after two years, which will be when they have reached their maximum weight which is about 4 kilos on average.
Knowing the different stages of kitten growth can help you a lot to understand its development. So we hope this article has been helpful to you.
Very good information, literally everything I was looking for, I just adopted 3 kittens and I already have a big one, he is almost 3 years old and he is not uncomfortable with cats less than 6 months old.
I'm glad it's useful to you, Matías 🙂.
I was surprised by the fact that they finish developing between 2 and 3 years of life. 3 years ago I adopted a kitten that was already 5 months old. It was short hair until the year and a half that it began to grow abundant fur and a mane like a lion that it has on its neck. I live in a warm climate approx. 28 to 36 C that is why he did not explain the growth of his fur to me.
I have a five-month-old kitten at night I put her to bed in a closed subtransport and the next day I take her out and have her running around and playing in the living room. I spent a month with her at home, but the other day I had a visit from some friends and at night As always half kisses before falling asleep but since at night when I released her she was. Very scared and surly and she nipped me fiercely, she half kissed and began to shake her head and do strange things with her mouth, according to a friend of mine, she added that a small cockroach might get into her ear but I have not seen None of them also told me that as the kitten died, since they lay eggs, I don't have money until the end of the month and I'm very worried. My side and eat, eat well and play but I don't know what has happened since the day we had a visit from the neighbors, or what the daughter of one of these neighbors did because since then I find her a little distant, please answer me as soon as possible, thank you for attend me
Hello Mary.
Well, first thing, no one, neither person nor cat, can die from having an insect inside the ear 🙂 For this part, don't worry.
Which yes, it can be terribly annoying. Even if you don't see it, if you really have one, it will have been hidden in your inner ear.
The good news is that, from what you count, it seems that little by little he is leading a normal life. But if your behavior has changed since that day, chances are that someone or something has caused you problems.
I recommend you talk to your friends, with all those who were in your house, to find out what could have happened to her. It is not normal for a cat to change its behavior from one day to the next. Something quite unpleasant must have happened to him.
Much encouragement.
Thanks for the information, it is really very useful, I would also like to share my experience with kittens since I always wanted to adopt one, they gave me a small one, not two weeks passed and it escaped, the second was aggressive and they stole it from me, the point is that I decided to adopt two cats and big male and female siblings that had been abandoned in a house, and I am very happy with them they have behaved very well and do not escape they feel happy here and my advice is not that they only seek to adopt small kittens but that The grown-ups are also very grateful and adapt perfectly if you give them a lot of affection and love, if they adopt large ones, they will not regret it.
Thanks for telling us your story Paola.
We love happy endings 🙂
Hello, I came to this article because I feel like my kitten is not growing very fast, it is more than two months old and I do not see a breakthrough. I don't know if I'm failing with his diet.
Hello Andrea.
How much does it weigh? Anyway, if the little one is eating well and leading a normal life, don't worry. There are cats that stay small.
A greeting.
Hello, my sister has two five-month-old kittens and they are small, they will weigh more than 500 grams or 600 grams and I do not see that they grow much and we are worried
Hi Maguy.
Have you dewormed them? If not, I recommend taking them to the vet to give you a medicine that eliminates the worms.
If they are in good health, there is nothing to worry about. There are cats that stay small.
A greeting.
Hello, good and adopted a one month old kitten today a month ago and a week weighs 337 grams I do not know if it will be at its weight or is it normal, its little babies died suddenly this kitten eats pokito a pokito today x example x the morning to eaten A couple of snacks and he went to sleep, I'm worried, if the same thing happens to her, she was the most chubby of the three, but ultimately she doesn't play much.
Hello Natalia.
A healthy kitten must be green with a round belly; without exaggeration, but when you sit from behind you have to see your back to the shoulders more or less straight, and then your curves.
If you say that you see her sad, and taking into account that her siblings have passed away, I would recommend taking her to the vet as soon as possible. You may have intestinal parasites (worms), and to eliminate them you will need to take a syrup.
Cheer up.
Hello, your report is very interesting, I just adopted a kitten, I do not let her out and I am afraid that she will go away.
How do I stop him from leaving?
Thank you
Hi Nayeli.
You have to spend a lot of time with her: playing with her, being with her. In addition, it is also important to castrate her at 6 months to prevent her from having an interest in going out in search of a partner.
A greeting.
Hello, my 5-month-old cat got out and apparently left with a cat 🙁 The damned came back very wallowed. The question is, could she get pregnant with only 5 months? And if so, can it still be sterilized, or will I have to wait?
Thank you
Hi valeria.
Yeah right. You can take it to operate now without problems.
A greeting.
Hello,
I picked up a days old kitten from the street and raised it with bottles and giving it warmth, it is very beautiful white with blue eyes and a docked blonde tail. He is very playful and loves to go out to the patio, I live in an area of houses, I deworm him and now this week I was going to vaccinate him and put the xip, but this Thursday he left around 11 and I have not seen him anymore, I have searched for all around asked the neighbors.
My question is can such a small cat go away or be in heat .. I don't think it's difficult for it to come back.
maybe someone took it, but it was very restless
Hello Olga.
How old is it? At 5-6 they usually want to go out, sometimes even earlier (at 4 and a half months or so).
Regarding your question, it is most likely that it is nearby, hidden. Cats do not usually go far, less if they are young. Look under cars and in places where he may have gotten to see if he is lucky.
Cheer up.
Hello, I have a one-year-old kitten, and after three months the hair loss has been our big problem is so much that you can make figures with it, you consult the vet and apparently it is normal, not for us, it is We have changed his food 4 times a year, he also has a poor appetite, now he eats Mirringo, we do not know if it suits him well, some say it is stress, others lack of vitamins, and previously we bought him premium food, and I read that she suddenly felt alone, we brought two 2-month-old male and female sibling puppies, she has not been able to share with them, she suffered a fissure in her little leg and we hope her speedy recovery, I just want to see her happy, beautiful, calm, we love her very much , hope to solve the hair problem thank you !!!
Hi Alex.
I recommend giving him a grain-free feed. Check the ingredient label, and if you find oatmeal, corn, barley, or any other cereal, discard it.
I cannot tell you if it is the food or not what makes your cat lose hair, because there are several causes for which the hair can fall, (this article you have more information about it), and besides, I'm not a veterinarian. But from experience I can tell you that a carnivorous animal such as a cat is when it eats quality food, without grains, it has a healthier and shinier coat.
Cheer up.
Hello, I adopted 2 kittens, little brothers about 4 months ago, a male and a female, the difference in size when we adopted them was small, they were 4 months old, but now it is a lot, the boy is very big and the girl is very small. , we are concerned, we do not know if the boy is growing a lot or if the girl is not growing
Hi Ok.
Male cats tend to be larger than females. In principle there is nothing to worry about if they are otherwise healthy.
Greetings.