Why Neuter A Male Kitten
Having debunked the myth of the intact satyromaniac cat and his endless series of fecund nymphomaniac partners, the question remaining is not when to have a male kitten neutered, but why. Regardless of how many kittens a male cat foists upon the world, theres no question that cat overpopulation is already a problem. Its a problem because it encourages the spread of communicable diseases, whether they are bacterial, viral, or because of secondary infections that result from untreated fighting wounds. Its also a problem because of the sheer number of cats that are euthanized every year in the United States alone.
There are more homeless and feral cats wandering around out there than we can possibly enumerate. Yet we do have something of a grasp on the number of strays that are put to sleep in shelters. The Humane Society of the United States estimates that around 6 million kittens and cats enter these facilities on a yearly basis, and around half 3 million cats are euthanized. One intact male living in your home will not substantially affect those staggering numbers. Just the same, are you, as a cat owner, okay with adding even a handful of cats to the total?
Some Kittens May Reach Their Full Size In 12 Months
How quickly your kitten reaches his full size depends on how big he is going to get. The bigger his breed, the longer it will take him to be fully grown. Kittens typically stop growing by the age of 12 months.1;However, larger breeds like Maine Coons can take up to two years to reach their full size. Growth typically slows significantly after 12 months, with a fast growth spurt occurring in the first eight weeks.2
It’s worth noting that most cats will reach sexual maturity before they are fully grown. This is similar to a teenager going through puberty, which happens when a kitten is six to nine months of age.3;Around this time, you might consider spaying or neutering your cat. A male cat can father kittens before he’s fully grown, and a female cat can get pregnant before she’s fully grown as well.
Nutritional Requirements And Lifestages
Up to six months, your kitten is growing at a very fast rate. From six months onward, her growth rate will slow down considerably. At 12 months old, your inquisitive cat probably still looks like a kitten to you and she is still more than likely to be getting into her fair share of mischief. However, by 9 to 12 months, many kittens have nearly reached their full grown size. At one year old, your kitten is generally considered to be an adult .
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How Big Will Your Cat Get
How can you tell how big your kitten will become once she’s finished growing? Some experts suggest looking at your kitten’s weight at four months of age and multiplying that by two to get your cat’s approximate adult weight.8;This is just a ballpark estimate, not a guarantee. Or you can look at your cat’s parents to get an idea of how big your cat will ultimately grow to be.
You can also make an estimate based on your cat’s breed. A Maine Coon can grow to be 10 to 25 pounds.9;Munchkin cats will be among the smallest.
Keep in mind that you cannot guess your kitten’s future size based on the size of her paws. This is a commonly repeated adage, but no verifiable scientific evidence supports the claim. While a larger bone structure might sometimes indicate a larger cat, it’s by no means certain.10
How To Know If Your Cat Is Still A Kitten
This article was co-authored by Pippa Elliott, MRCVS. Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over 30 years of experience in veterinary surgery and companion animal practice. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinary medicine and surgery. She has worked at the same animal clinic in her hometown for over 20 years. This article has been viewed 58,938 times.
If you adopt a cat or take in a stray, it may be hard to know how old he or she really is. Some cats may appear to be full grown but have mannerisms and behaviors of a kitten. It is important to try to pinpoint an approximate age so you can feed and care for your cat properly. To determine the age of your cat, you can look at your cats physical appearance for clues, inspect your cats teeth, and pay attention to your cats energy levels. If you cannot figure out how old your cat is, you can always ask your veterinarian for an estimate.
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What Do Kittens Eyes Look Like As They Grow
When kittens are born, they are blind and their eyes are shut. After about a week or so, they open their eyes. At ten days, the eyes should be fully open.
Eye color is another indicator of a kittens age. All kittens are born with blue eyes. The color gradually changes as they grow and at as early as seven weeks , the color begins to change. Some breeds take longer for eye color to become permanent and sometimes, its just hard to tell the colorkittens dont hold still long enough to get a good look!
Read more about your cats eyes here.
Twelve Week Old Kitten
- They need supervision. At this age, kittens are raring to go and will play fast and furiously, testing their abilities to climb and pounce, and then collapse to nap, recharge and start again.;
- Confine them to one room when they are home alone. This is for their own safety. Remove heavy objects from shelves that could harm them if they fall during boisterous play.
- Reduce the amount of times fed daily to 2, while still referencing the foods feeding guidelines.
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How Can We Help
To help you understand when your kitten will become a cat, we have highlighted some important information about kitten development. We will go over some general age ranges where most cats reach physical milestones that signify the beginning of adulthood.
We will go over the various life stages of a cat and explain when most cats reach their full adult size. We will also explain some of the many factors that determine how quickly your cat will grow.
To help you make sure that your kitten has a healthy transition into adulthood, we will also provide some useful information for how you can prepare your furry friend for a happy and healthy life! If you have questions, talk to a Hello Ralphie vet online today.
There Are 6 Life Stages For Cats:
- Kitten 06 months
- takes the cat up to the equivalent of about 70 human years
- Super Senior 15 years and overmany cats do reach this stage, some not showing any signs of being so senior in age
The table below shows all of the stages and also the equivalent human age. What these stages let us do is to appreciate how old the cat is inside, since, as has been pointed out, this is often not very obvious from the outside, as cats seldom go grey or show outward signs of pain or illnesses such as arthritis.
International Cat Care has set up a preventative healthcare initiative called Cat Care for Life. The programme looks at the health checks your cat should be having;dependant on its age and what age-related changes you can expect to see in your cat.
For full details please visit the Cat Care for Life website.
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Why Is Understanding My Cats Age Important
Now that you know how to properly calculate your cats age into human years, you might be wondering: How long do cats live? What is the life expectancy of my cat?
Generally, cats are known to live longer than dogs they can live anywhere from 20 to 25 years. In fact, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, the oldest cat ever lived to be 38 years and 3 days old, which is 168 in human years!
Like dogs, however, once cats reach seven to 10 years old, they start to transition into their mature years. Knowing that theyve entered this life stage is important, so you can know how best to care for them. During this time from seven to 10 years old youll want to keep a closer eye on your cat for signs of aging, especially since older cats are more likely to develop diseases like cancer, arthritis, and heart, kidney, and liver disease.
Her Changing Emotional Needs
Older cats dont deal with stress as well as younger cats do. An elderly cat isnt going to be a good companion for a kitten because the older cat is going to want to rest more than play and will become easily annoyed with the younger cat. Your older cat isnt going to deal with change well either, so things like boarding and a change in environment should be avoided whenever possible. Your older cat is going to need more TLC than before, so pay attention to her more than before.
These are just a few of the things you should be aware of when you have an elderly cat. Speak with your vet to obtain more information or do a simple Internet search and peruse the plethora of information available on this subject.
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When Are Cats Considered Adult
Cats may not have nine lives, but they do have very long ones. The average lifespan of an indoor cat is 17 years old! But when are they considered adults, and when do they stop growing?
Cats are considered adults at 12 months of age. However, they will continue growing until they reach full size; this can be between 18 months to four years old. They reach peak mental and physical maturity around four years old.
Read on to learn all about how your cat ages, what happens during cat adulthood, and why its important to know about your cats life span.
Adult Cat What Changes For Its Owner
Throughout a cat’s life, it is essential to take its age into account by providing it with an appropriate diet.;By becoming an adult, the cat becomes sedentary.;He exercises less and his physical activity is generally declining.;He, therefore, needs fewer calories.
This observation must of course be qualified according to the individuals and their way of life.;Do they have access to the outside or not?;Are they sterilized and do they tend to be overweight?
In any case, it is time to adopt food for junior, adult, or sterilized cats from their 12 months.;Recalls of vaccines and antiparasitics are also in order.
Your cat’s transition to adulthood is an opportunity to take stock with your veterinarian as part of an annual health check-up.
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Weeks: Weaning And Learning Cat Skills
Kittens can be introduced to solid food during their fifth week, although they’ll continue nursing for a few weeks after this. According to Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, some vets even recommend offering Mama Kitty the same kitten food while she’s nursing, since its high protein and fat content will help her recover and stay healthy. By the ninth week, your kittens will finish the transition to solid food and should be fed quality kitten food.
How much and how often they eat will depend on whether you feed them canned or dry food. Canned food should be given in small amounts four times daily until they are three months old, after which it should be cut back to three times a day, says the Cornell Feline Health Center. When kittens are six months old, you can transition them to eating twice a day. If you are giving them dry food, you can simply leave a dish of food out and allow kittens to free feed when they’re hungry, but in this case you’ll need to monitor their weight to make sure they’re not overeating.
In between eating and snuggling, kittens that are just a few weeks old are learning one important thing: how to act like a cat. The Spruce Pets notes that kittens need to be raised by their mother or a foster cat in order to learn the basics of hunting, kitty communication, playing with fellow cats and using a litter box.
Milestones For Growing Cats
Here are some important milestones for kittens as they become adult cats:
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Months 3-4: Baby teeth start to fall out and are replaced by adult teeth; this process is usually complete by 6 months of age.
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Months 4-9: Kittens go through sexual maturation.
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Months 9-12: A kitten is almost fully grown.
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1 year+: Kittens are just reaching adulthood.
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2 years+: Kittens are socially and behaviorally mature.
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Month 9: Kitten Teeth Development
By nine months of age, your adolescent kitten is almost full grown and all of its baby teeth should be gone. Teething should cease, but your kitten may still discover how fun it is to chew on things. Monitor your kitten’s biting and chewing behaviors closely and make sure they do not get out of hand. Your kitten should never bite a person or other pet unwarranted. If aggressive behaviors start to show, then be sure to nip them in the bud right away and start training your kitten not to bite.
Determining Your Cats Age
It can be difficult to tell how old your cat is if you havent had him since birth. It is helpful to know roughly how old your kitty is so you can provide better age-appropriate care. Your veterinarian can approximate your cats age based on tests of his blood and organs, but here is a little guide for the rest of us!
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Nutrition And Weight Management
Nutrition guideline will depend on each cats body condition score but the goal of a good diet for your senior cat is one that is palatable, provides complete and balanced nutrition, helps maintain ideal body weight, normal fecal character, and healthy skin and hair coat. In addition, consider these factors:
What Is The Ideal Age To Adopt A Kitten
According to New Jersey Holistic Veterinarian Dr. Judy Morgan, kittens should remain with; their mother and litter mates until 10-12 weeks of age. Other sources, such as the Australian RSPCA recommend 8 weeks, or use a weight limit of two pounds. This seems to be a common guideline for US shelters, which list adoptable cats as young as 2 months of age.
Some shelters offer pre-adoption programs, which invite pet parents to meet and adopt young kittens before they are ready to leave their mother cat, then wait a few weeks until their new kitten is old enough to come home.
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How To Tell Your Cats Age In Human Years
07th March 2019
For their size, cats live quite a long time. Generally, an animals longevity is proportional to its size .
A tiny mouse has a short lifespan, a rabbit somewhat longer and a dog between 7 and 20 years depending on its breed or size, its activity, or both. Cats arent much bigger than rabbits, but whereas the rabbit may live about 8 years, a cat will live on average about 1214 years, and its not unusual for cats to reach their late teens or even their early 20s.
When Do Kittens Stop Growing
Kittens usually stop growing at approximately 12 months of age, says Dr. Nicole Fulcher, assistant director of the Animal Medical Center of Mid-America, although they still may have some filling out to do. A 12-month-old kitten is equivalent to a 15-year-old person. They are considered full-grown at 18 months of agewhich is equivalent to a 21-year-old person.
Even though many cats stop growing at 12 months, not all cats are done growing at this age. But if they are still growing, it will be at a much slower rate, generally from 12-18 months, so you can expect your cat to be very close to their full adult size at this point. But there may be some cats that can take up to 2 years to be fully grown.
Large breeds, in particular, can take longer. Maine Coons, for instance, might not reach their full size until they are 2 years old or so.
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Three Weeks Old Kitten
If you are bottle feeding, youll notice the kittens are drinking much more at each feeding, but at fewer feedings, probably four to five times a day. At this age you can start introducing solid fooduse wet food at first, and try mixing it with kitten formula. By the end of the week, their weight will have increased to close to 15 ounces. They are walking steadily, without too much wobbling.
Tweed is three weeks old!
Take Good Care Of Your Senior Cat
Becoming a senior cat is a type of privilege a lot of cats never get to achieve. If youre lucky enough to live with a senior, its your responsibility to take good care of their health and well-being. Regular vet visits are a must, and you should always look out for symptoms of age-related diseases. Issues including kidney disease and cancer are more common in senior cats than their younger companions.
But that doesnt mean your cat cant live a long and comfortable life. Offer a healthy diet, prioritize exercise, give lots of cuddles, and stay in contact with a vet. If you do those things, your senior cat will enjoy their golden years by your side.
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