As far as pets go, cats can be some of the smallest and certainly some of the fluffiest. But it’s important to keep in mind that, from baby to adult, your cat has gone through a huge, huge, HUGE transformation. Unfortunately, they do most of their growing during that stage of their lives, though they never truly finish growing.
Weight:
A cat’s weight will fluctuate over the course of its life, but even a ten-year-old cat has the potential to weigh 20 or 30 kilos! It all depends on their feeding schedule and what food you’re putting in front of them. Weight gain can be especially prominent after having been neutered or when they become less active. To combat severe weight gain you can start feeding your cat a specialty diet, try and reduce the amount they consume at each scheduled meal and try and get them to be more active (easier said than done, of course). Still, it’s vital that you’re conscious that a cat can always grow, even if it is sideways!
Personality:
In terms of personal growth, a cat will most likely have a fully-fleshed personality by six months old. They’ll have plenty they like, plenty they don’t like. Your cat will never usually deviate from their personality once they reach two, not unless there’s something annoying them or bothering them. Thus this can be one of the greatest ways to tell if there’s something medically wrong with your pet. However, we’ve seen plenty of miracles happen, so if your cat suddenly develops an intense love for knitting, just don’t be surprised!
Lengthways?:
Generally, a cat will achieve its full length once they reach one-year-old, but there have been plenty of documented cases of tabby cats growing to enormous sizes. It largely depends on their parents’ genes as well as the quirks of their breed. Any cat descended from the Norwegian Forest breed will eventually grow to enormous sizes. The Maine Coon is another breed that can become quite large. When choosing a forever-friend, always enquire about their parents. This will give you a good indication of what to expect later down the line in your little kitten’s life, not only for size but for medical conditions too.
The Human Element:
Sure, we’ve talked plenty about all the growing your cat will or won’t do, but what about you? When you decide to take on with the life of a pet, be it a cat or a dog, you’ll do plenty of growing too! Growing as a person, we mean. You’ll learn to become compassionate, to recognise and acknowledge the needs of a life that depends on you, to care for and love something. You’ll surprise yourself with how much you can change when you choose to adopt or rescue a cat; you won’t care as much about the hair they shed, about the claw marks on your couch, about the spilled drink, the flittered food or the broken glass; so long as your cat is alright, you’re alright.
Signing off:
So, now you know that while there’s little room for your cat to grow in some areas, there’s ample space for them to fill in others. For more information on all things cat you can contact us here. But for now, we say farewell!