Health is fragile

The first weeks and months of life are key to giving your kitten the perfect start to life.

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Kittenhood - An amazing transformation

During the first months of life your kitten will go through an amazing transformation. Royal Canin Kitten offers nutrition tailored to their unique needs at this vital time.

1.A sense of sight

It takes up to four weeks for a kitten’s sight and connected behaviour (spatial perception) to be fully developed.

2.Immunity and defence

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 grammes. 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 is tailor-made with the right vitamins and minerals to support a kitten's healthy development.

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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 vets, nutritionists and partners worldwide, and should 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.

Get all the kitten essentials
Kitten-proof your home and garden
Find a local vet
Choose a nutritionally complete kitten food
Make sure everyone in the home is prepared

Getting prepared

Sacred Birman kitten standing on a bed next to a grey and white blanket

Collection and a kitten's first weeks at home

The collection and 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.

Collecting your kitten

Feeding your kitten

A kitten's diet plays a key role in their physical and social development. The right mix of nutrients in their food will help development and lay the foundations for a healthy life.

Feeding your kitten

Explore kitten growth

Kitten lying down on a wooden floor playing with a toy

Kitten socialisation and play

Socialisation should start as early as possible, to avoid any unwanted behaviours and help them develop into confident, even tempered adult cats. Find out how you can socialise your kitten.

Socialising your kitten

Kitten training

It's important to train your kitten to adopt the right behaviour from an early age and learn the rules of sharing a home with other people and animals.

Training your kitten

White kitten sitting on a table being examined by a vet

Understanding your kitten's health

It's important to understand your kitten's routines and behaviour, so you can quickly recognise the signs if something isn't right. It's also important to understand a few key milestones, such as vaccinations and booster injections.

Kitten health

Your kitten's behaviour

Kittens communicate with you in a number of ways. Reading body language and expressive behaviours, and listening to the sounds they make can tell you a lot about how they're feeling and what they need from you.

Kitten behaviour