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Kittenhood - An amazing transformation
1.A sense of sight
2.Immunity and defence
3.Tripling their weight
4.Healthy bones
5.Extraordinary growth
Tailored kitten nutrition
ROYAL CANIN® Kitten is tailor-made with the right vitamins and minerals to support a kitten's healthy development.
View kitten rangeA 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.
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.
Feeding your kitten
Find the right product
Answer questions about your pet
Get a tailored recommendation
Unlock your pet’s health follow up
Kitten growth stages
Understanding the growth stages your kitten goes through will help you recognise 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
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
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, their mother.
Intense growth
At this stage, kittens begin to understand their position within the household and may start to from a number of social behaviours depending on their experiences and training.
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 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.
The basics of kitten grooming
Ensuring your kitten is used to being handled from a young age will make grooming easier for the rest of their life. Each cat breed has unique grooming needs, and understanding that is key to maintaining your cat's healthy coat.
Understanding your kitten's 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.
Your essential kitten care guide
Like any young pet, that tiny kitten you brought home started life pretty helpless. The first year of their life is their most fragile period, but that stage doesn’t last long. Your kitten will grow rapidly and depend on you to provide everything they need to do so healthily as they navigate the journey from kittenhood to adult cat.
Whether you are new to kitten care, need a refresher on the ins and outs of caring for a kitten or are gathering information because you feel pulled to adopt a kitten, our kitten care guide covers all that you will need to give your furry companion the best start in life and keep giving them that care all throughout their life with you.
On this page you will find the following:
The ABCs of kitten development
Getting prepared for your kitten
1. The ABCs of kitten development
During your kitten’s first year, there will be several growth stages. And there are both physical and cognitive changes at each one. When you can recognise the stage your kitten is in, you can confidently support their growth.
All studies have shown us that when it comes to your cat, good health starts in kittenhood—it sets up a solid foundation for future health. As your kitten transforms from a newborn kitten to an adult cat, their nutritional needs change. Knowing what they need for optimal health at each stage of growth will help you ensure you are giving your cat everything they need to thrive.
Raising a kitten isn’t hard, per se. But if you’re like the majority of new pet owners (or future pet owners), you’ve got questions. Perhaps you wonder about your kitten’s development by month, how to train a kitten (yes, it’s possible!), or even wonder how fast your kitten will grow—cheat sheet: it depends on their breed—and when your kitten will be considered an adolescent or adult cat. Our kitten care guide has all the essential information you need to be assured you’re raising a healthy kitten.
A sense of sight
It takes up to four weeks for a kitten’s sight and connected behaviour (spatial perception) to be fully developed.
Immunity and defence
In their first six months your kitten’s immature immune system must protect them from millions of germs.
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.
Healthy bones
In the first year of life your kitten’s bones must grow to become four times stronger than concrete.
Extraordinary growth
In the first six months of life a kitten will grow as much as a 10 year old adult child
A sense of sight
It takes up to four weeks for a kitten’s sight and connected behaviour (spatial perception) to be fully developed.
Immunity and defence
In their first six months your kitten’s immature immune system must protect them from millions of germs.
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.
Healthy bones
In the first year of life your kitten’s bones must grow to become four times stronger than concrete.
Extraordinary growth
In the first six months of life a kitten will grow as much as a 10 year old adult child
Our Kitten Growth Programme nutritional recommendations
Our products are designed to accompany your kitten’s growth, helping provide meaningful benefits thanks to specifically chosen nutrients for each stage of life.
2. Getting prepared for your kitten
Getting a new kitten is exciting. But without some advance preparation, those early days of navigating through the unknown can feel a bit chaotic. The good news: it doesn’t have to be!
Your new kitten has lots of growth, development and cuddle sessions ahead of them. Preparing to welcome them includes having a clear idea about the essential things you need for a kitten to help ensure they grow into a healthy adult. We have curated all the information necessary for you to raise your kitten to be the contentedly purring companion you envision successfully.
3. Kitten feeding to support their nutritional needs
Kittens have unique dietary needs as they grow up. It’s perfectly normal to wonder what to feed your kitten and even how to feed your kitten. Deciding which food best meets their changing nutritional needs is less complicated when you know the basics of kitten nutrition. Hint: they have completely different needs than adult cats. Learn about your kitten’s unique feeding and nutritional needs to support a healthy future.
Find the right product
Answer questions about your pet
Get a tailored recommendation
Unlock your pet’s health follow up
4. Caring for your kitten
Cat mothers do a wonderful job of providing their kittens with the nutrition, immunity, and socialisation they need for a healthy start in life. When you bring your kitten home, they now depend on you for all their needs.
Young kittens have immature immune systems. As the mother cat weans them from nursing to eating solid food, the immunity they enjoy decreases, leaving them potentially vulnerable to kitten diseases and illnesses. A great first step toward your kitten’s healthy future is their first vet visit.
Typical kitten healthcare includes regular health checks, routine kitten vaccinations, parasite control, and dental care—all vital to your kitten’s health. Finding a good veterinarian in your neighbourhood will be an excellent resource for you in your kitten care journey, and a solid source of information and answers to your feline health questions.
