Kittenhood is a stage of massive physical and behavioral changes. Nutrition tailored to their specific developmental needs can help them grow from fragile young kittens to strong, healthy cats.
During the first months of life your kitten will go through an amazing transformation. ROYAL CANIN® Kitten formulas offers nutrition tailored to their unique needs at this vital time.
Kittenhood: An Amazing Transformation
A Guide to Kittenhood
Kittenhood is a hugely rewarding time for pet owners, but it’s also a time of huge challenges and steep learning curves, for you and your pet. The information and advice in the following pages has been collected from Royal Canin veterinarians, nutritionists, and partners worldwide, to help you and your kitten have a healthy start in life together.
Preparing for Your Kitten
When you bring your kitten home for the first time, it’s a huge change for both of you. You can make the process much easier by making a few simple preparations ahead of the big day.
Bringing Home Your Kitten
Bringing home and the first few weeks of owning a kitten, although exciting, can be challenging. By having the right tools and knowledge, you can make sure that this first experience with your new arrival is a positive one, for them and for you.
Feeding Your Kitten
Kitten Growth Stages
Understanding the growth stages your kitten goes through will help you recognize the challenges they face, and how to take care of them. Ensuring they get the right balance of nutrients in their food is key for healthy development into adult life.
Neonatal
Birth - 3 weeks
When kittens are born they can barely move or hear, and their eyes are completely closed. At around 5 days old, they will begin to open their eyes. This is also the time when they start to gain between 10g to 30g each day.
Weaning
4 - 8 weeks
By this time, smell is fully mature and hearing is well-developed. Kittens begin to develop adult sleeping patterns, motor abilities, and social interaction. Key social skills develop through interaction with litter-mates, and their mother.
Intense growth
2 - 4 months
At this stage, kittens begin to understand their position within the household and may start to form a number of social behaviors depending on their experiences and training.
Sustained Growth
4 months+
Your kitten will begin to develop 30 adult teeth. By eight months the kitten will have reached 80% of their adult weight. Depending on the breed, adulthood is reached between 12 to 15 months.
Understanding Your Kitten
Kitten Socialization and Play
Socialization should start as early as possible, to avoid any unwanted behaviors and help them develop into confident, even-tempered adult cats. Find out how you can socialize your kitten.
Kitten Training
It’s important to train your kitten to adopt the right behavior from an early age and learn the rules of sharing a home with other people and animals.
