By six months, your kitten will have grown to be three-quarters of his adult size, meaning his major growth spurt is behind him. In the next six months he’ll grow to full size. During this time, continue what you’ve been doing—attending to his nutritional needs, ensuring his social development, and maintaining his overall health. Your cat will go through many changes in the next several months, and his behavior, appearance, and eating habits will all indicate how well he’s growing up.

Here’s what you can expect throughout the rest of the year:

Months 7–9
Your kitten will develop a new coat in his seventh month. Brush him often to get rid of the hair he sheds. This will be both a cornerstone of your grooming routine and a bonding experience for you and your kitty. By the eight month, your cat’s adult teeth will be in place, so you should introduce teeth-cleaning to the routine, as well.

Month 10–11
He’s just a few months shy of adulthood now. At 10 months, you may want to introduce adult food into his diet. You should still feed him primarily kitten food since he needs the nutrients it provides, but it wouldn’t hurt to start weaning him off it. When he approaches his eleventh month, you can increase the percentage of adult food.

Check his vaccination records and make sure they’re up to date. After his first year, he’ll only need to be checked once annually.

Month 12
By his twelfth month, your kitten will have reached his full size. Now he’ll be ready for an all-adult-food diet, with feedings reduced to once a day. You can keep him at two feedings a day if you’d like by splitting the serving in half.

Year One
Congratulations! You’ve done an amazing job raising your kitten to maturity! From here on out be mindful of his health and play with him whenever you can. He may be an adult now but he’ll always be your kitty—and he’ll always want your attention and affection.

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