Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Cats

When do cats stop growing? It’s earlier than you probably imagine

Paige Cerulli
By

If you adopt a young kitten or have a mother cat who’s raising a litter of kittens in your home, you’ll get to see how kittens grow firsthand. Kittens grow incredibly quickly; you’ll notice changes and exceptional growth just about every week. While human children are considered to be adults when they turn 18, with kittens, there isn’t such a hard and fast rule about when they become adults. However, understanding how kittens grow, which major milestones you might notice, and other factors that affect growth can help you to determine when your kitten is most likely officially an adult.

So, when do kittens stop growing? The answer is … well, complicated.

Kitten lying on a grey upholstered chair
Image used with permission by copyright holder

How long does it take for a kitten to grow?

According to Pet MD, kittens can grow at varying rates, depending on their breed and the individual kitten. As your kitten grows, you’ll notice some milestones, like your kitten getting his adult teeth between three and four months old, and kittens sexually maturing between months four and nine of their lives.

Recommended Videos

Kittens who are between nine and 12 months old are nearing full growth, but large breeds can take longer to mature. For example, some Maine coons might continue growing until they’re about two years old.

When are kittens full grown?

Pet MD explains that many kittens stop growing when they’re about 12 months old. Some cats have a much slower growth rate, though, and may continue to grow until around the two-year mark. In most cases, a cat who’s between 12 and 18 months old should be just about fully grown. When kittens reach two years of age, they’ll have all of their adult behaviors established too.

What month do kittens grow the most?

Kittens undergo tremendous growth in their first month of life. According to Best Friends Veterinary Center, during the first month, kittens go from being completely dependent on their mother to being relatively independent. When they’re born, they can’t see or hear and must rely on smell and touch. By the time they’re two to three weeks old, kittens start to develop the rest of their senses, and they also learn to stand, walk, and chew.

While kittens grow pretty rapidly throughout their first six months of life, you’ll see the most drastic changes during their first four weeks.

Siamese kitten lying over the arm of a white couch
Image used with permission by copyright holder

How to keep your growing kitten healthy

Your kitten will go through major changes in the first couple of years of his life, so quality nutritional support is essential to his health. It’s also important that you carefully monitor your kitten’s health as he grows to make sure he doesn’t have any physical issues that need veterinary care.

Bond Vet recommends that you feed your kitten a healthy kitten food instead of an adult food. Kitten foods are formulated to meet your growing kitten’s unique nutritional needs. You can use the feeding guidelines on the package to get an idea of how much you need to feed your kitten, but you’ll need to adjust those amounts as your kitten grows and as he nears and then reaches maturity.

It’s also important to monitor your kitten’s body weight. Your vet will do this at each kitten visit, but you can also keep an eye on these figures when you’re at home

If you notice your kitten is losing weight, it’s important to talk with your vet right away. Kittens can get sick very quickly, and their tiny bodies are easily overwhelmed. So if you notice weight loss or other symptoms of illness, call your vet immediately.

Time flies

If you’re lucky enough to have a young kitten in your home, you’ll have the chance to see them grow and develop into healthy, happy adult cats. While your kitten will spend about a year growing, that time will pass much more quickly than you think. Be sure to take lots of photos and videos to capture all of the great memories of your kitten’s early days. If you give your kitten quality care when he’s young, you’ll set him up for what will hopefully be a long life and many years that you can spend together. Be sure to work with your vet to give your kitten the nutrition and care that he needs to grow up to be a strong and healthy cat.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Paige Cerulli
Paige Cerulli
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Paige's work has appeared in American Veterinarian, Business Insider, Healthline, and more. When she's not writing, Paige…
Being a cat person will help you get dates: Study
You'll be glad you have a feline or a Fido after you read this
Person wearing a wedding ring holds cat in hands

All pet parents understand that our fur babies come first, even if that sometimes means scaring away potential mates. Still what many don't realize is that owning a pet can actually attract a person to you (and your beloved animal). It's officially time to retire the stereotype that having a cat means saying goodbye to meeting a special human someone. In fact, recent research claims the opposite — that being a cat person may actually make you more likely to score a relationship or a good date.

It's official: there are romantic benefits to owning a cat
Luckily for us, new research conducted by OnePoll for World’s Best Cat Litter of 1,000 cat owners (and 1,000 non-cat owners) has discovered that kitty moms and dads are actually more likely to be in a relationship and equally likely to be married. But if you're in the dating market, there's even better news. 72% of everyone surveyed thought owning a pet was an attractive quality, and many stated they would be more interested in dating someone who had one. To top it off, 40% claimed they had gone home with a potential date to meet a particularly cute pet at one time or another, so your little kitty might help you out in that department too.
Cat people will still scare away a few dates (good riddance)
On the flip side, we all understand there are some drawbacks to living with a pet, mainly that some won't be able to enter into a partnership with us (and our fuzzball) no matter how much they might want to. Research participants were very cognizant of allergies in particular, with 41% saying it would pose a potential problem. That's just slightly more than the number who mentioned a dislike of cats would not stop them from dating someone (40%). It's important to note that hating cats mostly crossed the line, and cat people generally do not want to date those who don't understand their kitties.
Pets are part of the family for many
Every cat person knows that our pets are important to us and equivalent to family. “Even if you’re not the type to treat your pets like they’re your children, they’re still an important part of the family and can wield a lot of influence,” says Jean Broders, Director of Marketing for World’s Best Cat Litter, in a statement. “Cat owners clearly seem to know this, as our findings indicate they’re more likely to worry about making a good first impression on a partner’s pet.”

Read more
What you can do to help your cat after surgery and show your pet how much you love them
Here's how to keep your kitty feeling safe, comfy, and calm post-op
A cat at the vet

You love your kitty. Sometimes, that means agreeing to send them in for cat surgery. Whether it’s a standard spay or neuter procedure, necessary dental work, or something more worrisome like removing a cancerous tumor, you’ll want to ensure you give your furry friend some extra TLC post-operation.

Your feline friend may also need you to be patient with them. Cat behavior after surgery can vary from pet to pet, but they may be slightly shyer, lethargic, or easily irritated for a while. The good news is that your cat should go back to normal — and hopefully wind up as an even healthier version of themselves soon. Knowing what to prepare for can ensure your cat feels safe, loved, and comfortable after surgery.

Read more
What it means when your cat is constantly scratching and how to stop it
What to know about cat scratching and how to keep it under control
Gray and white cat scratching couch

Kitty parenthood can present some serious conundrums. On the one hand, you love your cat more than you love your desk chair. However, you’d prefer it if your cat would stop scratching your desk chair. Sound familiar? Those home office upgrades you made weren’t cheap, nor were the state-of-the-art scratching posts and cat trees you bought (or made) for your cat.
Though cat scratching is a common behavior, it’s probably not your favorite habit of your kitty’s if they’re doing it on furniture, cabinets, carpet, or walls. Like many less-than-desirable cat behaviors, there may be several reasons for incessant scratching. You’ll want to pinpoint the specific triggers for your cat so you can take steps to fix the issue. Allow us to play detective for you.

Why is my indoor cat scratching so much?
Outdoor cats scratch trees, posts, and fences to condition their claws and mark territory -- especially if they’re having issues with other neighborhood cats. It can serve as a form of protection and an outlet for emotions, primarily stress or excitement. Cats also like to scratch to give themselves a manicure, as the action removes the dead parts of their nails.
Even if your cat has their own private space for a litter box and doesn’t have to contend with predators, you might find yourselves having an issue with scratching. Regardless of where a feline lives, scratching is instinctual. Cats don’t always take the time to think, "Should I scratch here, or will it make my human upset?" Instead, they may default to, "I need to scratch. This spot looks good."

Read more