It may be that no matter how much time passes, our cute kitty will always continue to look like a baby to us. But, until what age do cats stop growing and until when is a cat considered a puppy? From when is our cat already a full-fledged adult? Basically, how old does a cat grow? Cats go through various stages in the growth process, changing a lot both in physical appearance and in maturity and temperament. Each stage is unique and in this article on our site we discover them to understand when a cat is an adult and at what age does it stop growing
At what age do cats stop growing?
Cats go through several stages before becoming adult cats. Although experts differ in their criteria to know what these stages are and, above all, when exactly they begin and end. If you want to know how old cats grow, first let's look at the fundamental 6 stages of cat growth:
- Neonatal period: The neonatal period begins after birth and ends around 9 days of age. The kitten is just a newborn, has a low weight and has not yet opened its eyes. At this time he has touch, smell and feel, a limited locomotor system and is completely dependent on his mother for survival.
- Transition period: from 9 days to 14 or 15 days after delivery, the transition period occurs, in which we will observe that the kitten begins to gain mobility and autonomy. At this time the kitten opens its eyes and ear canals.
- Socialization period: After two weeks, the kitten will begin to consume food in addition to its mother's milk, becoming more independent, beginning to run around and play tirelessly with their little brothers, playing with each other by chasing and biting each other. A fundamental stage also begins: the socialization of the puppy cat. It is considered that at this age it is when it is most important for the animal to come into contact with other animals and with different people to get used to interacting with different people and to have a more sociable and friendly character. It ends around 7 or 8 weeks of life.
- Juvenile period: It is in this period when the cat adopts its definitive size and shape, officially becoming a young adult. Normally they begin to be more relaxed, although they still stand out for their desire for play and activity. Thus, when in doubt as to when cats stop growing, we see that It is at this moment that their size begins to stabilize Depending on the breed, it will take longer or less to stop growing. At this time sexual behaviors also appear, thus moving on to puberty.
- Puberty: male cats reach puberty around 6 or 7 months, while females do so between 5 and 8. This stage is very similar to the typical adolescence that we can observe in people, since this is a period of rebellion, being very common that at this age our cats are disobedient and do what they please.
- Adult age: once this critical period of rebelliousness has passed, our cat adopts its definitive character, being completely mature and normally more balanced and quiet.
After reviewing the different stages of growth of cats and knowing at what age cats stop growing, we see that a cat is physically an adult from one year, however, it is not until three years that his character and temperament are balanced. Do not hesitate to take a look at the following post about The behavior of cats.
Until what age do cats grow by breed?
At this point, you are surely wondering how old do Siamese, Russian Blue, European cats grow… Although broadly speaking, the growth of a cat is similar regardless of the breeds if we compare it with others species, it does differ if we compare some races with others.
For example:
- Giant or large breed cats: like Maine coons, take up to 4 yearsto reach their final size, the British are also slow-growing, with an average of 3 years to reach adulthood.
- Cats of small breeds: finish their growth before, being the medium ones in the middle term. Knowing this, to what age do Siamese or Persian cats grow? These breeds finish growing at around one year old, while the common European cat can grow to almost 2 years of age. We tell you the Types of Persian cats, here.
Now that you know how long cats grow, we are going to explain at what age cats stop playing so that you better understand when a cat is an adult.
At what age do cats stop playing?
Normally, kittens are more active and playful than adults, although this, like almost everything else, depends largely on the particular character of each cat, as well as the tendencies of its breed.
If we speak in general, 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, sometimes we could even say hyperactivity. However, your cat will probably continue to play continuously until approximately one year of age, at which point they begin to relax.
Although let's say that over a year of age they tend to play less, the truth is that most cats like to play for practically their entire lives. Thus, it is extremely complicated to stipulate at what age cats stop playing, because some play until old age The important thing is to offer them different toys to keep them entertained, like this such as scrapers with different heights.
For more details, don't miss this article on The best intelligence games for cats on our site.
Table of weight of cats by age
Despite the fact that the weights of a cat are very relative depending on the breed, since there are great differences between small and large or giant breeds, some weights can be established means according to the age of the feline in question. Always, when in doubt as to whether our cat is either underweight or over what would be recommended for a good state of he alth, it is best to consult a veterinarian.
After reading this article on when a cat stops growing, do not hesitate to take a look at the following post on the care of kittens that can be of great help if a small feline has just arrived to your life.
