Content
- How old do cats grow?
- How long is a cat a kitten?
- Cat growth according to breed
- At what age do cats stop playing?
- Cat weight by age table
It may be that to you, no matter how much time passes, your cute kitten always looks like a baby. But until what age is a cat considered a kitten? When does a cat actually become an adult?
In the different stages of a cat's life, especially during its growth, it undergoes many transformations and changes a lot both in physical appearance and maturity and temperament. Each step is unique, and in this PeritoAnimal article, we'll reveal them for you to better understand how even when a cat is a kitten and at what age it stops growing, as well as detailing the average weight of cats according to their age.
How old do cats grow?
Cats go through several stages before becoming adult cats. Although there is no consensus among experts about the criteria for knowing what these phases are and especially when they start and end exactly, it is possible to differentiate 6 fundamental stages of cat growth:
- neonatal period: the neonatal period starts after birth and ends around 9 days of life. The kitten is just a newborn, has little weight and hasn't opened its eyes yet. At this point, he has a sense of touch and smell, a limited locomotor system and is totally dependent on his mother for survival.
- Transition period: from 9 days to 14 or 15 days after birth, there is the transition period, in which we will observe that the kitten begins to gain mobility and autonomy. At this point the kitten opens its eyes and ear canals.
- socialization period: after two weeks, the kitten will start to consume food in addition to breast milk, becoming more independent, running and playing all the time with the younger siblings, playing chasing and biting each other. Also begins a fundamental step: the socialization of the kitten. It is considered that at this age the most important thing is that the animal comes into contact with other animals and with different people, to get used to interacting with different people and have a more sociable and friendly personality. Ends around 7 to 8 weeks of age.
- juvenile period: it is during this period that the cat assumes its definitive size and shape, officially becoming a young adult. They often start to look more relaxed, although they still stand out for their desire to play and do activities. Thus, faced with the doubt about what age cats stop growing, we see that this is when their size starts to stabilize. Depending on the breed, it will take them more or less to stop growing. At this time, sexual behaviors also appear, thus passing to puberty.
- Puberty: Male cats reach puberty around 6 or 7 months, while females reach puberty between 5 and 8 months. This phase is very similar to the typical adolescence that we can observe in people, as it is a period of rebellion, it is very common for cats to be disobedient at these ages and do what they want.
- adult age: After this critical period of rebellion, the cat adopts its definitive personality, being fully mature and normally more balanced and calm.
How long is a cat a kitten?
Now that we have reviewed the different stages of cat growth, we can already know how long a cat is a kitten: it is considered adult from 1 year of age. However, his personality and temperament are balanced only after his third year of life. In this other article, you discover the symptoms of a cat's aging and, in the video below, more details about the life stages of a cat.
Cat growth according to breed
Although overall the growth of cats is similar regardless of breed, if we compare it to other species, it differs a little from one breed to another.
For example, giant cats like Maine Coon take up to 4 years to reach their full size, and the British are also slow growing, averaging 3 years to reach adulthood. On the other hand, it is to be expected that the small breed cats finish their growth earlier, and the medium-sized breeds are in the middle. Thus, Siamese and Persian cats finish their growth at around one year of age, while the European Common Cat can grow to almost 2 years of age.
Check out this other PeritoAnimal article how to know the age of a cat.
At what age do cats stop playing?
Kitten cats are typically more active and playful than adults, although this, like almost everything else, depends largely on each cat's particular personality as well as the tendencies of its breed.
Generally speaking, cats are more likely to spend their days playing non-stop from a month and a half or two months and up to 6-7 months of age, these being the periods of greatest activity, or we can even say hyperactivity . However, your cat will definitely still want to play continuously. up to about a year old, when you start to relax.
Although we say that after a year of age cats tend to play less, the truth is that most cats enjoy playing for practically their entire life. Thus, it is extremely difficult to stipulate at what age cats stop playing, as some play until old age. The important thing is to offer them a variety of toys to keep them entertained, as well as scrapers of different heights. For more details, don't miss this article about 10 cat games.
Cat weight by age table
Although a cat's weight varies a lot according to each breed, since there are big differences between small, large or giant breeds, weights can be established averages according to the age of the feline in question. If there is any doubt about your cat being underweight or above what is recommended for good health, the best option is always to consult a veterinarian.
