How do Maine Coon kittens grow by month?

The Maine Coons are the graceful affectionate giants in the feline world. It is necessary to buy a kitten at four months; at this age all defects of the breed and health problems, if any, are visible. Under the condition of proper maintenance and nutrition, the kitten can grow up to be a champion and an enviable producer.

Standards are introduced to control the breeding work of breeders, since the cleanliness of the breed can be maintained only if parents meet the criteria for pure breeding in all key parameters.

The Maine Coon breed has the following stringent standards:

• the size of cats and cats should be significantly different (males are larger);
• large body with a wide chest;
• paws muscular and rounded, between tufts of hair;
• wide tail reaches shoulder;
• the hair on the tail is flowing;
• large square skull;
• curved muzzle profile;
• eyes are large, slightly slanting, widely set;
• eye color is harmonious with coat color;
• the ears are broad at the base, tapering to the tips with tassels and abundant edge, closely set;
• the coat is dense, waterproof, has different lengths (longer on the abdomen and hind legs);
• undercoat without main hair on the abdomen and "pants";
• the mane is optional, but adds points for the general appearance of the animal.

Individuals of the Maine Coon grow up to the age of three years, but after the first year of life they already look adults, weight gain and growth slow down noticeably, and sometimes developmental leaps can occur. Participation in exhibitions is allowed from three months of age, but the awarding of titles starts from ten months.

There are three systems for evaluating this breed.

• WCF (Russia) - the animal is examined at an open exhibition in the presence of the owner. For one day, put one assessment. Evaluation criteria: a body that meets the standard is estimated at 35 points, head - 40 points, color and quality of wool - 25 points, eye color - 5 points, general view - 5 points. Disqualified for hybrid colors: chocolate, lilac, Siamese, and so on, as well as for a long coat on the belly.

• TICA (America) - the animal is considered to be stretched. There is a system of fines for a short tail, slanting wide-open eyes, a narrow chin, ears in the form of a flame, a narrow body and sparse hair. Disqualification is provided for the aggressive behavior of the animal, creases on the tail, blindness, narrow body. Estimates: head - 40 points, body - 35 points, wool on the totality of parameters - 25 points.

• FIFe (France) - the pure color of eyes, powerful neck in cats is welcomed, seasonal shedding is taken into account. Disqualification of WCF and TICA systems. Grades: head - 40 points, body - 35 points, wool - 20 points, general condition - 5 points.

All systems of standards for assessing the Maine Coon are united in the criteria of origin and temperament: parents must be titled, the character is friendly and balanced.

The large dimensions of the representatives of this breed give a large load on the spine, and too fast growth badly affects the formation of joints.

The following factors affect the growth of Maine Coon kittens:

• newborn sex - boys are born bigger and grow faster than girls;
• weight and height of mom-cat - the larger it is, the larger the offspring is born;
• health status - weak kittens grow more slowly and worse gain weight;
• the number of individuals in the litter - the greater the number, the smaller the newborn;
• heredity - paternal genes also affect the growth and development of kittens, if the male is of relatively small size, then the offspring will be of medium size;
• feeding cat - lack of nutrients and vitamins will adversely affect the growth of kittens;
• stress - construction noise, loud music, the presence of other cats or dogs in the room - all this is bad for the cat and the kittens; it is not uncommon for the female to stop raising offspring after a stressful situation and the kittens are significantly behind in weight gain on artificial feeding.

Kittens are born weighing about 100-130 grams. The more kittens in the litter, the less weight each. Girls lag behind boys by 20 grams, but should consistently gain weight. Strong large cats give birth to stronger offspring. Strong and healthy kittens grow faster weak. At the age of four months, boys start to grow faster than girls and add more weight.

Kittens must be kept clean, protected from stress and changes in ambient temperature, then they will harmoniously and fairly quickly develop and grow. The circled Maine Coon female needs to be diverse and balanced to be fed at least 4 times a day. Introduce complementary food in the diet of kittens should be gradually, the first days of the new product should be given 1/5 teaspoon, bringing the volume by the end of the week to two tablespoons.

The development of Maine Coon kittens by month is as follows.

• The first month A normal weight gain of a kitten is considered to be 10 grams daily (except for the first 3-5 days, when the kitten recovers from the stress obtained during the process of delivery). By the end of the first month of life, the weight of a healthy kitten increases approximately fourfold (girls about 600 g, boys about 800 g), weak monthly kittens are close in all respects to their strong brethren. Kittens during this period feed exclusively on mother's milk.

• Second month ends with an increase in weight of 8 times compared with newborns: two-month cats grow to 1300 grams, cats - 1600 grams. Mom's milk is supplemented with lure 1 time per day scrambled scalded meat at the tip of a teaspoon for each kitten.

• The third month In addition to the milk of mothers and skewered meat, baby mashed turkey can be added to the diet of babies, the weight of the cats reaches 2400 grams at this point, and the fur seals at 3600 grams.

• In the fourth month Added special milk for kittens and liquid cereals. Kittens are well mastered tray. At this age, the kittens are sold and they change their place of residence, which can slow down the growth and weight. A cat at this time should weigh about 3500 grams, a four-month-old cat - about 3800 grams.

• Fifth month - This is the maximum weight gain. The diet remains the same. Growth slows down somewhat. The teenage phase is coming. Girls at this age have a weight of 4200 grams, boys - 5500 grams.

• Sixth month - the time of sterilization (if necessary), the kitten must first be examined by a veterinarian. The diet of the Maine Coon remains unchanged. Girls gain up to 4300 grams, boys - about 5100 grams.

• Seventh month low-fat cottage cheese is added to the ration, sour cream is 15%. At seven months, the teeth of the kittens are fully formed. Kitties weigh about 4,600 grams, cats - 6,500 grams.

• Eighth month - time to enter into the diet boiled egg yolk. Girls get weight up to 5000 g, boys add about 0.5 kg in weight and become 6.9 kg.

• On the ninth month diet can be expanded: add vegetables. The weight of girls becomes about 5200 g, boys - about 7 kg.

• For the tenth month You can add to the menu of Maine Coon boiled sea fish of low-fat varieties. Girls' weight - 5500 g, boys - 7700 g.

• Eleventh month - the diet remains the same. Females gain weight about 6100 g, males - about 7200 g.

• To year the diet is maintained. Girls weigh 6500 g, boys - 9 kg.

The diet of Maine Coon kittens should be balanced and varied, promote normal growth, weight gain within the normal range, and also contain vitamins and beneficial trace elements. Overweight affects the cardiovascular system, hormones and joints of the animal.

Weight gain also depends on the period of development of a kitten, namely:

• neonotal - This is the first 4 days from birth, at this time, kittens lose weight;
• suck - the first month of life, there is a steady increase in weight of about 30 grams daily;
• transition - This is the second month after birth, there is some weight loss with the introduction of complementary foods;
• post-suction - the time of a full transition to a separate diet without breast milk, the first 5–7 days of this period can be inhibited in growth and weight gain, but after the first week the indicators stabilize.

Maine-coons, like all pedigree cats, need constant monitoring by a professional veterinarian, which allows timely identification of health problems and curing an animal (you should visit the doctor at least 2 times a year). Kittens of this breed are very active and cheerful, often energy is consumed faster than it accumulates. A noticeable gain in weight begins as they grow up, after a slight decrease in activity.

The largest among adults are castrated males, but their weight should not exceed 11–12 kg.. If the animal weighs more, this indicates obvious health problems. Maine-coons look like giants due to their considerable growth and fluffy wool with a thick undercoat.

More about Maine Coon kittens - in the next video.