When Do Tabby Cats Stop Growing? A Guide to Tabby Cats
Cats come in many shapes, colors, and sizes. They can be lighter in size like 5 pounds and bigger as 20 pounds. From Siamese and Sphynx to Ragdoll and Maine Coon, every kitten with the right nutrition will emerge into big personalities soon enough. However, when do tabby cats stop growing? Let’s find out the answer here!
More...
History of Tabby Cats
The “tabby cat” name brings to mind various things. However, the truth is that tabby cats are not a breed in themselves. Tabby is a pattern of colors that typically comes in stripes but can also be whorls of stripes of color or just stripes and spots. Many cat breeds feature a tabby-kind coat, like a tortoiseshell or calico cat having tabby patches. So, there are different kinds of tabby color patterns, such as:
Spotted: Several tabbies have a spotted pattern of colors, which resembles the appearance of American Bobtails.
Classic: Classic tabby patterns usually have whorls finishing in a target on the cat’s side. Often, there’s a high color contrast there.
Agouti: These hairs are present in various tabby cats. However, this pattern is more prominent in some cats than others. Meaning that different color bands down the individual hairs of a cat. This color variation causes cats to sparkle in the sunlight.
Mackerel: The most typical kind of tabby pattern is the striped or Mackerel. Usually, this involves striped rings about their legs, tail, and necklace or stripes about their chest’s front. These bands of broken or solid stripes are found running down their body’s sides too.
Also, cats having solid color often have tabby stripes on them when you see these cats in the sun. Abyssinian and Maine Coon cats are quite popular to have this pattern. Plus, it is believed that half of the domesticated cats across the globe happen to be tabby cats. So, these cats are around for a while!
Appearance of Tabby Cats
According to their breed, tabby cats can differ in size. It does not matter what the specific breed, adult cats do not usually grow more than 18 pounds. As stated above, their coats will be a combination of stripes, whorls, and swirls. The ear and eye shape and even color will differ according to the breed. So, these cats can look different from one another.
Most tabby breeds have tails that are slightly tapered and feature soft fur. Although certain cat breeds will have a bushier tail, while others have still, strong tails.
Personality of Tabby Cats
By nature, cats are popular for being aloof and curious. However, tabby cats represent a range of personality traits based on their early socialization, home environment, and breed. However, tabby cat parents can normally expect a friendly cat who will love daily attention and not like to be left alone for a long time.
Grooming of Tabby Cats
Most tabby cats are clean and love being well-groomed. However, it is suggested to brush them regularly and pet them for removing debris and dead fur. It is always a nice idea to bathe your cat throughout the shedding season. When they grow older, most tabby cats can develop kidney and liver problems. So, it is quite significant to visit your vet regularly for making sure that your feline friend is in good health. Many domesticated tabby cats live for around 12-15 years, especially if they stay healthy.
When do tabby cats stop growing?
Many first-time cat parents think about the question - “when do tabby cats stop growing?” Tabby cat kittens grow quickly until they are 6-month old. So, kittens usually stop growing when they reach between 6 to 12 months.
However, this does not mean that tabby cats over one-yearold stop developing altogether. Cats who are sedentary and follow a poor diet or have access to excess food during a day can continue to become fat. While obese cats look cute, obesity is a very unhealthy condition for felines.
How big do tabby cats get?
Another question that pops into one’s mind is, “How big do tabby cats get?” Domestic felines are about 10 pounds on average, take or give some pounds. The males of a large cat breed, Maine Coon, weigh in around 20 pounds. Unlike dogs, there is not a correlation between a cat’s height and weight and their paw size. Bigger paws do not mean a bigger tabby cat. So, how big a tabby cat will grow is usually determined by its genetics. There are in total 19 chromosome pairs that control everything from coat color, hair length, and size.
While the parents of your kitten are the perfect indicator of how big it will grow, gender could be a factor too. Usually, males are bigger in size than females and the timespan of their growth spurts could last longer.
Miniature-sized and Full-sized Outliers
So, exceptions are there for everything, including the answer to the “when do tabby cats stop growing?” question. Talking about Maine Coon cats, they usually take around five years for reaching their full size. Maine Coon cats can grow up to 48.5, the longest cat recording in the Guinness Book of World Record.
On contrary, there are cats having dwarfism, who are abnormally small. There are usually two causes behind dwarfism: pituitary gland malfunction and genetic mutation. Munchkin cats hold the record of being the shortest cats. Cats with dwarfism grow slowly as compared to the healthy ones.
When dotabby cat kittens stop growing?
So, kittens have this simple goal, which is to grow quickly. Newborn tabby cat kittens need feeding round the clock and their weight reflects all of their nutritious sustenance.
Watch this video to know more about the growth of tabby cats.
Usually, kittens grow eight times the size in around eight weeks:
- Under 1 week old: Weigh less than 4 ounces
- 7-10 days old: Weigh between 4 and 6 ounces
- 10-14 days old: Weigh between 6 and 8 ounces
- 14-21 days old: Weigh between 8 and 12 ounces
- 4-5 weeks old: Weigh between 12 and 1 pound
- 6-7 weeks old: Weigh between 1 and 1 pound and 8 ounces
- 8 weeks old: Weigh between 1 and a half pounds and 2 pounds
- 12 weeks old: Weigh between 3 and 5 and a half pounds
- 16 weeks old: Weigh between 5 and a half pounds and 7 and a half pounds
- 6 months-1 year old: Weigh between 8 and 15 pounds
Cat Growth Milestone: When Do Tabby Cats Stop Growing in Size
It is important to keep an eye on when your lovely feline friend hits a milestone. Have a look at the cat growth milestone below!
0-2 months: The most important formative phase in a cat life is this one. During this period, they need a mother figure. In this phase, there’s a significant development present. You may not believe your eyes that your kitten has expanded so fast.
2-3 months: At this stage, most cats get accepted and isolated from their mothers. Such actions denote their development to progressively considerable nourishment from fluids. Normally, they weigh around 2-4 pounds during the stage.
3-6 months: At this stage, kitten’s immaturity gets organized when they hit puberty. Felines may experience mood swings and become forceful progressively. However, this phase will pass over time. Most vets recommend that you get your feline fixed about the half-year stage or prior to that.
6 months- 1 year: This stage could be considered the youthful grown-up years in the cat life. Throughout this phase, cats develop to their full size. Usually, it depends upon the feline kind, yet felines should weigh around 8-15 pounds in size.
1-2 years: Many cats take their largest size when they are a year and a half old. This is the phase when kittens stop developing. In some cases, a few cats can experience development even after this phase but at a slower pace. Nonetheless. A full grown-up cat weighs around the size they were of when they used to be four-monthold.
Conclusion
So, when do tabby cats stop growing? While tabby cat kittens will stop developing when they are 1-year old. It is significant to remark that most kittens look like adults when they are just 6-month old. You can adopt baby tabby cats and see them grow every day. This adorable fluffy ball will just boast a juvenile appearance for a short period of time. In no time, they will look like adults!
Of course, feeding your tabby cat kittens a healthy diet, providing a freshwater source, and enriching the environment with exercise are all important to ensure that they grow strong and big but the healthiest and happiest they could be!
Related posts:
