When do kittens become cats?

[pamela81]

This is a question purely out of curiosity. When is a kitten classed as a cat? The OH and myself disagree on it. He says just now (harris is nearly 8month) and i say its when he about a year old. Also, when do they reach their full size?

http://img822.imageshack.us/img822/7195/p8307585.th.jpg (http://img822.imageshack.us/i/p8307585.jpg/)

I will also need to upload some new pics of him as he is getting soo big now!!

[Danielle0211]

I always think at about a year.

[calismum]

No idea what the official age, if any, is.

I think it depends on the cat.

[cats' staff]

Well Tolly, as the youngest of our three, is always referred to as 'the kitten'. He's 6.................:oops:

[dandysmom]

Sexually mature round 6 months, generally considered adult by a year old, although some say fully adult by two years. Some breeds mature more slowly than others, Ragdolls I think need about 3 years to be completely mature.

Whatever, they're only kittens for such a short tine! Then leggy teenagers then all growed-up! :D

[wilbar]

Yes, cats are sexually mature around 6 months, physically mature around 1 to 2 years, depending on breed, but not socially mature until about 2 years old, again depending on breed, upbringing etc.

The reason for cats taking so long to become socially mature is because it is vitally important that they learn other life skills first. Cats are small solitary predators, they don't collaborate with other cats to find food (like some pack living predators) but have to rely solely on themselves to get food. This is why young kittens spend so much time in "play" ~ i.e practising predatory behaviour sequences to become adept at feeding themselves.

Cats don't need other cats to survive (other than for breeding) & can live relatively ok lives without the company of other cats, so it is not necessarily life-threatening if they don't learn social skills.

It is only later on that they can afford the time to learn how to communicate & to be physically near other cats.

So when you decide to call a kitten a cat is very much open to debate:)

[Tink]

Haha so maybe that is why Solomon (approx. 9 months) seems to have shot up and looks adult yet still sometimes does socially unacceptable things with Kuan Yin and Hestia :lol:??

[dandysmom]

Sure sounds like it, Tink! :mrgreen:

[smudgley]

I think when they reach sexual maturity

[CathyW]

er physically my 2 where about a year old. but mentally they are still kittens i think lol