How Long until My Cats is Fully Grown?

There comes a time when all cats owners wonder when their kitten will grow into an adult cat. This process takes place over many months, with your cat’s age directly correlating to your cat’s size.

To figure out how old your cat is in human years, divide his age by two and add seven since the average life span of cats is about 15 years. It’s also helpful to know that kittens come in all different sizes, so consider this when figuring out if your cat has reached adulthood.

How Long Do Kittens Grow?

Once your cat has fully developed physically, which occurs between 7 and 14 months old, it can be consider an adult. Though breed can affect how long your cat grows, a 7- to the 8-month-old kitten of any breed should weigh about 10 pounds and stand about 12 inches tall at shoulder height.

Your cat might take another 6 to 9 months to reach its full growth potential. As with humans, cats have an easier time reaching their full height than their maximum weight.

Developmental Milestones for Cats

It isn’t easy to pinpoint when a cat is fully grown because most cats are considered full adults by age two or three. However, you can use developmental milestones to gauge your kitten’s progress as it reaches adulthood. For example, when does a kitten start to grow its claws? How long until a kitten starts to purr? Here are some answers!

When Should I Feed Adult Cat Food to My Kitten?

As a rule, kittens are usually weaned off their mother’s milk and onto adult cat food between 8 and 12 weeks of age. It’s not uncommon for them to still act like kittens beyond 12 weeks, so you might want to ask your vet when he thinks it’s okay to start feeding your kitten an adult diet (though some people choose to wait until 16 or 20 weeks).

Sometimes in a kitten’s life, he needs more protein than others. Your veterinarian will tell you when it’s time for him to transition. If you can be patient and wait until then, your kitten will have a much easier time digesting his new food.

How Frequently Should Kittens Be Fed?

The kitten’s age has a lot to do with it. Kittens between one month and three months old should be fed several times daily, while they can feed older kittens once or twice daily.

The rule of thumb is to feed your kitten as much as they will eat in about 20 minutes, but never leave food out for an extended period. If your cat isn’t hungry when you set down a meal, don’t expect him to suddenly develop an appetite if he smells food in his dish hours later!