Friday, March 29, 2024

When Do Cats Stop Being Kittens

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When Should I Feed My Kitten Adult Cat Food

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The right time to transition your cat from kitten to adult food is dependent on many factors. For most cats, around 10-12 months of age is appropriate.

However, a young Maine Coon who is struggling to keep weight on could probably benefit from remaining on kitten food until they are 2 years old or even longer. On the other hand, a kitten who is maturing quickly and becoming overweight on kitten food might benefit from switching at around 8 months of age.

Ask your veterinarian when your cat is ready to make sure you are meeting her nutritional needs.

Why Its Important To Switch To Adult Cat Food

Kittens experience rapid growth and development, plus, theyre playful and have a lot of energy. Kitten;food has higher calories and more;protein;and;fat;to support energetic,;growing;kittens.;

Its also formulated with DHA to help support brain and vision development, plus vitamins and minerals needed for their developing immune systems.;;

Once they reach maturity, cats dont need;the same amounts of those nutrients. Plus, theyre often less energetic, so eating a high-calorie kitten food could result in weight gain.;;

When Do Cats Stop Growing At What Age Are Kittens Full Grown

January 27, 2018 –

You might think itd be a simple thing to hazard a guess at what age a cat will reach its full growth potential, finally hitting the point where he or she stops growing; sadly, however this just isnt true.

Im going to sell it to you straight right at the start of this article:;theres no way to tell exactly when a cat will stop growing, or at what age a particular kitten will be fully grown, let alone what size a cat will be once he or she finally;has;finished growing.

Picture from post Averys Baby Pictures

The best we have are approximations and rough guesses, and even then, those guesses are not-so-great considering the age gap is incredibly wide when youre talking about the ages at which cats are finally full grown. Ah cats: such mysterious creatures, even when you understand them as well as one possibly can.

To top it all off, if you have a cat whose age youre unsure of, say because you took in a stray like Thomas and I did, the question of when your cat will stop growing becomes even more difficult to hazard to answer as guessing the age of a cat is, too, not an exact science.

While this story should show you what you likely already guessed that you cant make exact estimates about the age of a cat if you dont know for sure, and that you certainly cant guess when or how large a kitten will be when fully grown Im here to give you the rough estimates in case you find them helpful anyways. Lets get into it.

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When To Switch From Kitten Food

Nothing is more adorable, sweeter or cuter than a kitten. One of my main motivating desires to become a veterinarian was so I could care for all the lovable kittens and puppies. I get so excited seeing kittens and puppies walk through the doors of my animal hospital. But with adorable and cute comes a lot of work and a ton of attention.

A kitten has different nutritional needs than adult cats, so it is important to educate my new pet parents on kitten nutrition and when to switch from kitten food to adult cat food. We want these little guys growing up to be big, strong and healthy. Just like human babies, for a kitten to develop and grow properly, they need different kinds of foods at different stages of their lives.

So, lets discuss the proper pet nutrition and diet for small kittens and get an idea of when we need to switch over to adult-based nutrition and care.

Always Work With A Professional

When Does A Cat Stop Being A Kitten?

Aggression can be a dangerous behavior problem. It is complex to diagnose and can be tricky to treat. Many behavior modification techniques have detrimental effects if misapplied. Even highly experienced professionals get bitten from time to time, so living with and treating an aggressive cat is inherently risky. A qualified professional can take a complete behavior history, develop a treatment plan customized for your cat and coach you through its implementation. She can monitor your cats progress and make alterations to the plan as required. If appropriate, she can also help you decide when your cats quality of life is too poor or when the risks of living with your cat are too high and euthanasia is warranted. Please see our article, Finding Professional Behavior Help, to locate a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist or board-certified veterinary behaviorist in your area for guidance.

Hetts, Suzanne. . Pet Behavior Protocols. Lakewood, CO: AAHA Press.

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Month : Your Kitten Will Sleep More

Still very much a baby, but growing into a young adolescent, your kitten will start to sleep more during the day just like an adult cat does. Expect more than half the day to be filled with cat naps, so try to have a comfy cat bed in your kitten’s favorite spot.

When your kitten isn’t sleeping, it will still be exploring and playing, but its confidence level will be higher than when it was just a toddler. It will also be more coordinated as a young adolescent and will demonstrate just how social it wants to be with you. Socialization and bonding time has always been important to your growing kitten, but at this age, your hard work will have finally paid off and you may see your kitten starting to snuggle with you voluntarily.

If you have not already had your female kitten spayed and it has spent time with an intact male cat, then there is a chance that your kitten is pregnant. Cats can get pregnant as young as six months of age so it’s very important to get your female kitten spayed if you don’t want more kittens.

Can Cat Eyes Change Color With Age

Cat eyes are as mysterious and inscrutable to us as the creatures themselves. Ideally constructed for use by nocturnal predators, they are extraordinary organs. They;can detect the slightest movements in situations where there is practically no light available. Whats truly remarkable is that when a kitten is born, she is functionally blind, and her eyes grow and develop along along with the rest of the body.

From the moment a kitten is born until he can safely undergo a spay or neuter procedure, a number of developmental changes occur. Since many of us;only adopt cats;after theyve been weaned, we completely miss this period of rapid maturation.;Eye color change is one of the last processes we can actually observe if the timing is right and if the kittens pace of development is slow enough.

Once a cat is physically mature, her eyes should remain a consistent color throughout life. If you notice a dramatic;change;in eye color in a grown cat, it could signal a number of health issues, ranging from eye infections and;uveitis;to leukemia and feline immunodeficiency virus. As with any sudden outward change, the best thing to do if you notice such a change is to consult a veterinarian.

Originally published in 2016.

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When Did Your Cats Stop Growing

Would love to know if youre reading this and have cats of your own: when did your cats stop growing?

Have you plenty of experience with cats besides housing your own little felines? Ever worked in a shelter, at a vets office, or fostered kittens? What age do you feel the average cat hits fully grown status?

Have experience with a particular breed over others? What breed do you have a lot of experience with and, in your experience, at what age does that breed usually come to be fully grown?

Love to hear your thoughts in the comments below!

Dig KittyClysm? Check out all the other blogs I pen & photograph.

Elises Favourite Tip

One of the most frustrating problems Ive had to deal with as a pet parent is staying on top of my cats desire to play. While this is typically hard to do, toys like these that allow cats to play by themselves make the job one heck of a lot easier.

The hits in my household are ridiculously affordable: cat springs, ball track toys, &kick sticks. I have a slew scattered around the house, so when my cats get bored, even if Im busy or not even home, my furries are able to actively play.

How Long Can Cats Have Kittens

How To Stop Kittens From Being Too Aggressive!

Cats can have kittens, essentially, throughout their entire lives! Its one significant difference between feline and human biology .

While women eventually reach a point where they can no longer get pregnant , cats dont experience this.;

Around the age of six months, a cat hits her first estrous cycle or goes into heat for the first time and can start getting pregnant. Then, well, the fun just never stops from there.

The oldest cat to ever get pregnant was named Kitty; she birthed two kittens at the;age of 30!

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Identify Any Underlying Health Problems

Step number three is to make sure there’s no underlying medical condition. ;This is definitely the case if your cat is urinating inappropriately rather than spraying. ;If your cat is squatting but they’re not using their litter tray, they’re going in different parts of the house then this might be a sign that something else is going on.

There are a whole range of different conditions that can end up causing inappropriate urination in cats. This may include things like arthritis, diabetes and kidney disease where there may be either difficulty getting into the litter tray or your cat may be just producing so much urine they really just need to go all the time. ;Other conditions that actually affect the bladder and urinary tract itself can also cause problem peeing. ;Diseases like cystitis, bladder tumors and bladder stones.

If there’s anything like that going on then obviously we need to tackle the root cause or else getting your cat to stop peeing everywhere will be really hard.

One Year: No Longer A Kitten

By the time she reaches her first birthday, a kitten is no longer considered a kitten but is now a full-grown cat. Although she may still engage in kittenish behavior and may still have some additional growing to do, your newly adult cat is ready to transition to a high-quality adult cat food formula. Follow the recommended feeding guidelines on your kitty’s new cat food to determine how much and how often she should be fed.

Although a cat is considered an adult by one year of age, developmentally speaking, kitten adolescence typically lasts until a cat reaches eighteen months or so. During this time, a cat might still exhibit the energetic playfulness of a kitten, as well as typical “teenager” behavior, which may include testing boundaries and acts of rebellion like scratching the furniture or marking territory. According to the kitten growth chart at Raising Happy Kittens, your kitty may become less affectionate during this time. But not to worry. Usually, cats start to mature and settle down after the eighteen-month mark, and by her second birthday your kitty will be fully grown into her adult personality.

Watching a kitten grow from a tiny newborn to a full-grown cat is a wondrous thing. Knowing what to expect as your kitten grows will empower you to help her grow into a healthy and happy companion.

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What Is In Kitten Food

Kitten food formulas are considered growth diets. They are formulated to be higher in energy density with more fat content than adult cat food. I hear all the time from my pet parents that their adult cats seem to be gaining weight since they have introduced a kitten into their home. In most cases, the adult cats are eating the kittens food.

Kitten food has more fat content for higher energy needs and will cause weight gain for adult cats that require less energy and are more sedentary.

In addition to higher fat content, kitten food diets are formulated with more enhanced nutritional profiles, such as omega-3 fatty acids, and optimal calcium to phosphorus ratios for growing bones and development.

Classification Of Aggressive Behavior

How to Stop Your Cat From Spraying?

If your cat has been aggressive in the past or you suspect he could become aggressive, take time to evaluate the situations that got him upset. Who did he aggress toward? When and where did it happen? What was going on during the half-hour or so leading up to the incident? What was about to happen to your cat? Determining the answers to these questions can clarify the circumstances that trigger your cats aggressive reaction and provide insight into why hes behaving this way. You need to understand the cause of your cats aggression and his motivation for it before you can help him.

Keep in mind that a number of medical conditions can cause or contribute to your cats aggression, including toxoplasmosis, hyperthyroidism, epilepsy, abscesses, arthritis, dental disease, rabies, trauma, and sensory decline or cognitive dysfunction in older cats. The first step in resolving your cats aggression problem is to have a complete veterinary exam to assess his physical health. ;;;

Aggressive behavior problems in cats can be classified in different ways. A good way to understand why your cat is aggressive is to think about the function or purpose of the aggression. If you consider all the reasons why cats behave aggressively, you can determine what motivates your cat to do so and identify what he might gain from his behavior.

Between Cats

Fearful or Defensive

Territorial

Play

Redirected

Petting-Induced

Pain-Induced and Irritable

Maternal

Idiopathic

Predatory

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How Big Will My Cat Get

Another question associated with, When do cats stop growing? is, How big will my cat get? The average domestic feline is about 10 pounds, give or take a few pounds. The males of the largest cat breed, the Maine Coon, weighing in at around 20 pounds. Cats are not like dogs in many aspects, and there isnt a correlation between your cats paw size and his height and weight. Bigger paws dont really mean a bigger cat. How big your cat will get is determined by genetics. There are 19 pairs of chromosomes that control everything from hair length, coat color and, yes, size!

While your kittens parents are the best indicator of how big your cat will get, gender can also be a factor. Males are usually bigger than females, and the duration of their growth spurts can last longer.

Too Early To See The Effects

After a cat is neutered it is not expected to show the desired results immediately. It can take as long as a month to see the effects. So, if your cat is acting in this way it could well be that you need to give it some time for its hormones to settle down.

Some cat owners have reported a change noticed after a couple of weeks. But, this varies a lot depending on each cat. But, up to a month is usually reasonable. If in doubt check in with your vet to see if its worth bringing your cat back in.

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What Not To Do

To understand how cat discipline works, we also have to stop thinking like a human and start thinking like a feline!

In the human world, a punishment is:

  • Being shouted at
  • Being sent to our rooms
  • Being grounded
  • Something taken away from us

All of which means nothing to cats and can in fact be very detrimental to your relationship with them. The last thing you want to do is to frighten them and make them fearful of you. In some cases they may even decide that they no longer wants to live with you and will run away.

So never hit or hurt your cat in any way. It will not stop the behavior and will only cause your cat pain and fear. PLEASE DON’T DO IT.

ALSO

Please do not pick your adult cat up my the scruff of the neck. It is now considered cruel to do so as it is painful for an adult cat.

This is what cats do respond to:

Positive Experience

  • Silence; not being spoken to
  • being ignored

The only real way that cat discipline works in the long term is by not using those positive rewards when they behave badly.

We must also realise that cats can see what we perceive as a negative response as a positive one. For instance, being shouted at means that you are paying them attention. In their world this is a good thing; after all they don’t know what the words mean and you are interacting with them.

So the shouting is seen as a good thing to happen and therefore reinforces the behaviour; well that’s how they will get that reaction from you again, isn’t it!

My Kitten Is Chubby Will She Be Big

What AGE Do KITTENS CALM DOWN? ð?± (Kitten to Adult Cat Development)

Dont mistake weight gain for growth. Kittens can become overweight, just like adult cats.;

Look at cat breed charts for height and weight percentages. The charts offer breed-specific guidelines for your cats height, length, and weight.;

During the kitten stage, your vet is the best resource for your cats weight and size. In adulthood, these measurements can show you where your cat lands on the spectrum for the breed.

Where to measure for breed-specific charts:

Height: Paw to shoulder, minus the tail.

Length: Nose to the base of the tail. They do tail measurements separately and it doesnt determine how big your cat will be, or if its overweight.

Weight: The charts offer an adult weight spectrum.;

Still not sure how long your cat will continue growing? Here are some common breeds of cat and their expected growth rate.

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