Kitten development from birth to adulthood

Once kittens are delivered, they should naturally crawl towards their mother and start to suckle. In doing so, they will ingest colostrum, a component of their mother's milk that is rich in antibodies and enhances the immune system.

Although kittens are born without the use of their ears or eyes, they exhibit a number of reflexive behaviours at this early stage. A kitten is already able to navigate their surroundings, relying on scent and touch. They are able to keep warm by nestling with their mother, and gain nourishment by suckling.

Newborn kittens should be kept with their mothers full-time to keep them warm, clean and fed. Their pen should be around 22°C to reduce the risk of hypothermia, and ideally needs to have 65-70% humidity.

During this stage kittens sleep for large parts of the day - around 90% of their time in the first few weeks. Movement is limited to crawling towards their mother for warmth and milk. Purring and other vocal traits are evident.

A clean, calm and warm environment is key in the first weeks. If there is too much noise and distraction, sleep and feeding patterns can be disrupted. Keeping a kitten’s body temperature above 34°C is vital. If a kitten's temperature drops below 34°c they can no longer digest milk effectively, and when it drops below 32°c the suckling reflex is lost and normal feeding stops.

As a kitten's milk teeth develop, the weaning process begins. After a while the kittens will begin to show an interest in their mother's solid food and they can begin to transition from a milk-only diet. Their immature digestive system means that it's important they get easily digestible food that meets the specific nutritional needs of this stage.

During this stage the “immunity gap” occurs. At this time, when the level of antibodies provided by the mother are no longer enough to guarantee the kitten is protected, but too high to ensure a vaccination will be effective, the kitten is more vulnerable to disease. Sleep helps to strengthen their immune system, so ensuring kittens have a warm, comfortable and quiet place to sleep is vital.

As this stage progresses, kittens start to interact more with their litter-mates, and they begin mutual grooming. They will start to actively play, exhibiting running, pouncing and stalking behaviours. At this stage their sight is fully mature.

As kittens become more mobile and adventurous, it is important to ’kitten-proof’ the environment. This is also a key learning stage, so making sure kittens have access to toys and other stimulation is key. Regular handling and interaction with different humans will aid their confidence as adults.

From around eight weeks, your kitten will be at the ideal age to begin their core vaccinations, with secondary injections required three to five weeks after. This is an important process in ensuring each kitten has the right protection for their adult life. Consult your vet to make sure a vaccination schedule is in place.

Some nutrients still can’t be digested, so ensuring that the kitten has food tailored to their developmental stage is important. This makes sure that they get the nutrients and energy they need during this vitally important developmental phase.

This is the stage at which the kitten’s behaviour is most influenced by others, including litter mates, other pets and humans. They also begin to understand their position within the household and may begin to form dominant and submissive behaviours depending on their experiences and training.

Kittens can begin to be moved away from their mother and introduced to new homes at around 8 weeks. Depending on the reeder, this could be up to 12 weeks. If you are bringing a kitten home, it’s important to make sure that their new environment is fully prepared, with electrical wires and sockets covered, windows, balconies and stairs secured and any sharp or small objects tidied away.

As the cat begins to approach physical maturity, there is increased exploration of dominance within the household. This will include challenging the status of humans and other pets. It is important that as an owner you maintain the routines and behaviours set in the early months of its life to ensure consistency and manage stress.

If kittens have had all their vaccinations and once they reach around six months old, you can begin to introduce them to the outside world. A phased approach to this is best. Until kittens are confident in their surroundings, it is best to stay with them when they are outside. When they feel confident they will begin to venture further. As a rule, male cats have a wider range, while females stay closer to home. At this stage, consistent owner behaviour and discipline is important.

Kittens become adults at around 12 months old, with larger cat breeds not achieving adulthood until 15 months old. As a kitten transitions to an adult cat, it is now time to gradually move them to a diet that supports the nutritional requirements of their breed and lifestyle.

Discover our ROYAL CANIN® Kitten Growth Program, a 3-stage feeding program created for all kittens up to one year old to feed their specific needs.