Health now and always
Kittenhood - An amazing transformation
1. A sense of sight
It takes up to four weeks for a kitten’s sight and connected behavior (spatial perception) to be fully developed.
2. Immunity and defense
In their first six months your kitten's immature immune system must help protect them from millions of germs.
3. Tripling their weight
At birth most kittens weigh around 100 grams. Within a week they will double that weight, and triple it within 21 days.
4. Healthy bones
In the first year of life your kitten's bones must grow to become four times stronger than concrete.
5. Extraordinary growth
In the first six months of life a kitten will grow as much as a 10 year old adult child.
Tailored kitten nutrition
ROYAL CANIN® Kitten formulas are tailor-made with the optimal vitamins and minerals to support a kitten's healthy development.
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 a 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.
Getting prepared
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.
Bringing your kitten home
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.
Birth - 3 weeks
Neonatal
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.
4 - 8 weeks
Weaning
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.
2 - 4 months
Intense growth
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.
4 months +
Sustained growth
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.
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.
Socializing 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.
Training your kitten
The basics of kitten grooming
Understanding your kitten's health
Your kitten's behavior
Kittens communicate with you in a number of ways. Reading body language and expressive behaviors and listening to the sounds they make can tell you a lot about how they're feeling and what they need from you.
Kitten behavior