5 key milestones in your kitten's growth

02/10/2018
Over the first year of their life, your kitten will undergo significant changes. Here are five key milestones to look for, and how you can support them during each one. 
Kitten cats walking outdoors in long grass.

During your cat’s lifetime, you’ll see them go through plenty of changes in behaviour, physique and dietary requirements. The first few months of a kitten’s life are crucial, as they're learning about the world around them and growing into a healthy adult cat. Understanding these stages means you can do your best to give them what they need and provide them with the best possible start.

Your kitten in the first week

As soon as it’s born, your kitten will start to suckle – in the first three days of life each kitten will develop a preference for which teat they feed from, and will stick with this throughout the time they're being fed by their mother. Suckling in the early days is very important as it’s how kittens ingest colostrum, a substance which helps develop their immunity.

At five days old, they will open their eyes, and after around a week their umbilical cord drops off. They will start to gain between 10g to 30g of weight each day, so it's important to weigh them daily and monitor their mother’s behaviour in case she prevents them from feeding.

Two weeks into a kitten’s life

Your litter of kittens will have made their first attempts to stand by this point, but they'll also be sleeping for 90% of their time as their bodies are rapidly growing. Their first milk teeth will be coming through – 26 of them – and these won’t be replaced by adult teeth until they are around five to seven months old.

A kitten at four weeks old

By now, your kitten will be actively playing and walking around, and starting to socialise with their brothers and sisters. They’ll begin to show an interest in their mother’s solid food, so you can start to transition them from a milk-only diet to one which is more appropriate. This should be done gradually, with a rehydrated kibble – either in hot water or milk – so it’s easy for them to chew and digest.

American Shorthair adulto acostado cuidando un gatito recién nacido.

Ocho semanas de vida del gatito

Después de dos meses, la camada debería dejar de alimentarse de su madre y comenzar a ser independiente por completo en cuanto a su alimentación. Puedes pasar a un alimento apropiado nutricionalmente, concentrado en energía y que tenga la textura y el tamaño adecuados. Asegúrate de hacer el cambio de forma gradual para no sobrepasar su capacidad de digestión. También deberías hablar con tu veterinario sobre las vacunas en esta etapa.

Tu gatito a las 12 semanas

Todos tus gatitos crecen muy rápido durante este período. Aunque sus necesidades energéticas han disminuido, aún necesitan tres veces más energía que un gato adulto para comenzar el periodo de con una ganancia de peso más intensa a los cuatro o cinco meses, que es cuando ganarán uno 100 gramos por semana. Sus patrones de sueño se parecerán más a los de un gato adulto (de 13 a 16 horas por día) estarán completamente socializados y podrán jugar con el resto de la camada y contigo.

Entre los 12 y los 15 meses de vida, el gatito pasará a ser un gato adulto y alcanzará su tamaño máximo. Si eres consciente de estas etapas tempranas y de lo que tu mascota necesita, puedes asegurarte de que llegue a la edad adulta saludable y feliz.

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Nutrición especialmente adaptada para tu gatito

Fórmulas nutricionales que ayudan a tu gatito a desarrollar sus defensas naturales y su sistema digestivo y a crecer sano.

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