Cats vary in size, color, shape, and weight, depending largely on their breed. From Siamese to American Shorthair to the surprisingly large Ragdoll and Maine, the latter two, in particular, must receive adequate nutrition to accommodate their large size. If you want to get a cat, or are getting one now, or are interested in when a cat will eventually stop growing, then this article will help you determine at what point a kitten will grow into a fully mature adult cat.

I. How long will a cat grow to?

Was it just yesterday that you saw your kitten looking very cute and playful, and the next day it suddenly became like a big cat? Kittens grow quickly, but please don't be fooled by appearances. Generally speaking, a cat is considered an adult once it reaches one year of age, but this does not necessarily mean that your cat is fully grown. Most kittens grow very quickly until they reach 6 months of age, and then between 6 and 12 months, their size stops growing. However, a cat on a good diet, or one with access to a large amount of food, can continue to grow in size and gain most of its fat.

Kittens tend to develop to normal size and weight by 9 months of age, however, larger breeds like Maine cats usually take longer to fully grow, up to 2 to 4 years of age. Some pet MDs claim that a 12-month-old cat is equivalent to a 15-year-old person, and an 18-month-old cat is equivalent to a 21-year-old person. So by the time they are 18 months old, most kittens are fully grown.

How big can they grow?
Unlike dogs, cats can determine their size by their paws. This is because just because a cat has a large paw does not necessarily mean it will get bigger; the important factor in determining a cat's size is genetics. Cats have 19 chromosomes, and these chromosomes control the color of the cat's coat and the length and size of the coat. The cat's parents are also a factor in determining the size of the cat, while gender also plays a role, with male cats always being larger because they take longer to grow.

II. Timeline of a cat's growth

Do you know how old your cat is?

Cats have a very short life, and these little guys are in their pooper scooper's age

Teens are already all about longevity! It is for this reason

A day in the life of a kitten is equivalent to several days in the life of a pooper scooper

So how old is a cat that needs to be converted?

How to convert it? Today we will teach you

3 months old cat = 5 years old child

At this time, they are babies

They are very naughty and have a weak resistance

So remember to vaccinate!

6 months old cat = 10 years old child

By this time, the cat has finished changing its teeth.

and is about to enter estrus

It is often referred to as the beginning of love

1-year-old cat = 15 years old boy

A teenager grows up and is active

By this time they are already a young man or girl

They also love to tear up the house, so be prepared!

2 years old cat = 24 years old youth

This is the time to grow up and become mature

Behavior is set!

4 years old cat = 32 years old middle-aged

The so-called 30 years old ~ this time is not only mature

This is not just maturity, but maturity and stability, with a calm personality and no more crazy running.

6 years old = 40 years old

By this time, they will have some physical problems

Such as oral disease, energy loss, etc.

9-year-old cats are equal to 52 years old and almost half a century old

At this time, they are like your family for many years!

They understand human language, don't fight, and are very well-behaved

Very lovable

11 years old cat equals 60 years old

They are quite old by now

Like an old man in his twilight years, they seem to be constantly thinking about something

And the fur turns white and the eyes are cloudy...

14-year-old cat = 72-year-old man

By this time they already have some very obvious physical diseases!

It is the outbreak of heart, kidney, and other diseases

At this time they need to be taken care of very carefully!

16-year-old cat = 80-year-old grandfather

Just let her lie at home.

At this time they can not move much, not suitable for exercise

It is the time for the old "people" to recuperate and spend their old age peacefully.

The age of cats has certain stages of growth
In early childhood, kittens grow faster
In adolescence, the pace begins to slow down
In old age, the speed increases again

The life of a cat is only a dozen years, and long-lived cats can live up to 20 years.
So cats are different from us in terms of time. If we count by human age, a 1-month-old cat is equivalent to our 3 years, a 6-month-old cat is equivalent to 10 years, a 9-month-old cat is equivalent to 13 years, while a 1-year-old cat is equivalent to about 15 years, and a 2-year-old cat is equivalent to about 24 years for us.
In other words, we often talk about 18 years old adults, which is around 1-2 years old, so in fact, cats are considered truly adults at around 1.5 years old. And adulthood means that the body is well developed and the mind is more mature, so many pet owners who have cats will find that the cat will become knowledgeable at one and a half years old.

About breeding: It is necessary to wait until the cat is about one and a half years old before it is truly adult, which is harmless to the cat and will not affect the life span of the cat.

About de-sexing: Cats can only be de-sexed after their first heat at 6-8 months and their reproductive organs are initially mature.
About changing food: The main types of cat food on the market are milk cake cat food, young cat food, adult cat food, and senior cat food, which are divided according to the cat's digestive system, but the time of division varies from brand to brand.

III. How do I know if my cat has stopped growing?

Generally speaking, by the age of 10-12 months, the cat is ready. Unless it is a breed like Maine and Ragdoll, we recommend changing the food when the cat is about 8 months old. Since growing kittens have high energy needs, depending on each cat, our best advice is to seek help from your veterinarian, who will analyze your cat to see if it has outgrown its food and tell you when to replace the kitten food with adult cat food to fully meet your cat's nutritional needs.
We love #cats so much and want them to have better cared for that we observe even the smallest things in our daily lives to the smallest detail. Knowing more about them is a prerequisite for each other to be able to live more comfortably together. So, learn more about your little one, especially for those new parents

IV. Cat's adulthood

The adulthood of cats depends on the breed of the cat, and the time to adulthood varies from a pet cat to a pet cat. In terms of growth and development, an adult cat is around 12 to 15 months. Strictly speaking, cats can breed at around ten months, and this period can be counted as adulthood, but it is usually generally accepted that cats need to be one year old before they are considered adults, after all, being able to breed does not mean that they are adult, just like a 15-year-old can have children, but they are also minors. Cats are considered to be adults when they reach twelve months of age.

Generally speaking, cats that are twelve months old are considered adult cats, and cats that are twelve months to eight weeks old are called adult cats, cats that are more than eight years old are called senior cats, and cats that are less than twelve months old are called kittens, and cats that are less than three months old are called milk cats.
Cats grow and develop in three stages
1. The swaddling period of adulthood (0~25 days)
8~14 days after birth, kittens open their eyes, and almost at the same time, kittens start to respond to outside sounds, they can hear purring sounds from their mother, and after two weeks, they start to try to walk, kittens are born without teeth and start to grow teeth in the third week after birth, and in 6~7 weeks, all 26 milk teeth come out.

2. The growth period of crazy growth (28~40 days)
Kittens grow unrecognizable from the fourth week after birth, and they begin to play with each other and their siblings, while also exercising their motor skills and reflexes in play. They also start to explore and be curious about the world outside the litter from this period, and by 6 weeks they are beginning to trust their sense of the world, and kittens will learn survival skills by observing and imitating their mother.

3. Self-sustaining growth period (42~300 days)
From the 6th week onwards, the mother starts to refuse to nurse and the kittens start to feed on food other than breast milk. 6~9 months, some female cats start to become sexually mature, and the sexual maturity of male cats usually starts at 7~11 months. Cats will continue to develop after reaching sexual maturity, and growth and development will continue until 12~15 months, and some larger breeds will even grow to about two years of age for physical development and behavioral development.