06.03.2022

Track your kitty's weight week by week with this personalised kitten weight chart (in kg)

Maintaining your furry friend’s optimal weight is crucial for keeping them healthy in the long run. Weight tracking is even more important for kittens because they need to grow and develop at a healthy and steady pace. 

What’s the ideal kitten weight, and what and how much should they eat? The answer isn’t simple since you must consider several factors. To help you in your cat parenting journey, Untamed delivers a kitten weight chart (in kg) and pro tips to kitten feeding and weight tracking! Get all the kitten facts you need here!

How much should a kitten weigh during their first few weeks?

Kittens grow rapidly until they are about six weeks old—around 10 grams of weight daily. To ensure your kitten is developing properly, you must weigh them every day. The following table shows approximate weight guidelines for kittens during their first two months:

The guidelines are loose because the size and weight of kittens depend on several factors, most notably, their breed and gender. A male Maine Coon kitten can weigh up to 170 grams at birth, while a Munchkin kitten might be closer to the lower limit listed in the table. 

When it comes to gender, the difference is not as prominent in the first few months, but female kittens and cats are typically smaller and weigh less than males.

Kittens tend to be underweight if they are the runt of the litter. It is typically associated with the following circumstances:

• The queen’s unfavourable conditions during pregnancy
• The kitten being the furthermost in the blood supply
• Congenital disabilities
• Low milk supply from the queen
• A large litter (the kittens fight over food, and the weakest one gets left out)

The good news is that runts can also grow into strong and healthy adult cats with proper care and nutrition.

What happens after two months?

Past their second month, your kitten’s weight should be around one third to one half of their age in months. The following sections present approximate weight guidelines and important behavioural changes and milestones to monitor.

How much should a kitten weigh at three months?

A three-month-old kitten weighs around 1.2–1.7 kilograms. Your kitten’s blue eyes will change colour (they will keep that new colour throughout their life). You will also notice 26 fully-developed baby teeth, some of which might even start to wiggle.

Is it time to eat?

Source: ak94nordic

The average weight of a 4-month-old kitten

At four months, your kitten should weigh between 1.8 and 2.3 kilograms. They will start looking like smaller versions of their parents and show their personality traits. Their first adult teeth should appear. 

The average weight of a 5-month-old kitten

Five-month-old kittens typically weigh between 2.3 and 2.7 kilograms. Your furry friend will have significantly more energy. Due to hormonal changes, some kittens start looking for mates in this period.

Average kitten weight at six months

A six-month-old kitten weighs around 3 kilograms. Your feline will look adult, but they have six more months of growing ahead of them. Growth starts to slow down during this period, and weight should stabilise in the next few months. Your furry friend will stop growing around their first birthday.

Don’t wake me up before lunchtime.

Source: kocickaburmese

Why is it important to weigh your kitten?

If your kitten is losing weight, it’s a sign that their health is compromised. The most common causes behind a kitten’s weight loss are:

• Large litter (they fight for their mother’s teat or each other’s food) 
• Slow weaning (they refuse to switch to calorically richer food that tends to their nutritional needs) 
• Inflamed bowels
• Intestinal parasites
• Infections
• Underfeeding
• Inadequate food (for weaning kittens)
• Fading Kitten Syndrome (FKS)

What is Fading Kitten Syndrome (FKS)?

Fading Kitten Syndrome causes young felines’ health to deteriorate rapidly. Cat parents who don’t weigh their kittens might fail to recognise the initial symptoms of this lethal condition.

Besides rapid weight loss, the early signs are:

• Frequent and loud vocalisation
• Heavy breathing (with mouth open)
• Low body temperature (chilly limbs)
• Wobbliness, inability to stand
• Unresponsiveness to sounds and touch

These symptoms occur as the condition progresses, which is why it’s essential to measure your kitten once or twice a day and keep a log. The sooner cat parents notice their feline’s weight loss and take them to the vet, the higher the chance for survival.

FKS is caused by:

• Congenital disabilities
• Low body temperature (hypothermia)
• Suboptimal blood sugar levels (hypoglycemia)
• Neonatal isoerythrolysis (The condition occurs when the queen and the father have different blood types. If kittens inherit the father’s blood type, the queen’s antibodies can attack baby cats, causing them to get sick)

When is the time to take your kitten to the vet?

You should take your kitten to the vet as soon as you notice a drop in their weight, especially if accompanied by:

• Hiding
• Lethargy
• Weight loss
• Low body temperature
• Disinterest in food and water

How to weigh your kitten

Your little adventurer will try their best to wiggle their way out of your hands, but you can avoid their shimmying if you follow these steps:

1. Get your scale (you can use a kitchen scale during your kitten’s first month), a box or bowl, and a towel or blanket
2. Put the fabric in the box or bowl, place them on the scale, and write down the value
3. Take out the fabric and wrap your kitten in it
4. Place your wrapped kitten in the box or bowl on the scale and check the value
5. Subtract the two values

The towel method isn’t the only one you can use to keep your kitten steady. You can also try:

• Putting your kitten in a sock—The fabric is tight enough to keep your kitten in place while not squeezing them too much
• Weighing your kitten while they’re fast asleep—Kittens get 16–22 hours of sleep every day, and you can easily weigh them during their nap time

Do I have to pose for a picture now?

Source: pidan_and_tofu

Tracking your kitten’s weight with a personalised weight chart

The best way to keep a record of your kitten’s weight is to create a personalised chart. You can make separate columns for the:

• Name (if you have more than one kitten)
• Date
• Time of weighing
• Weight
• Daily changes in weight (the crucial column since it will help you notice anomalies right away)

You can also create separate weight charts for each kitten and add a column for meal tracking.

What should kittens eat to grow strong and healthy?

Kittens need quality food to put on healthy weight. The best choice of food differs if your baby cat is:

1. Nursing
2. Weaning
3. Weaned off milk

What to feed a nursing kitten?

Mother’s milk is the best food for kittens until they are about nine weeks old. If your kitten doesn’t have a mother, you will have to resort to the kitten milk replacer (KMR) formula. 

KMR is available in two forms:

• Powdered
• Canned

Many veterinarians and cat parents claim their kittens had diarrhoea from the canned formula, so a powdered one might be a safer option. To get the formula ready, mix one part of KMR powder with two parts of lukewarm water.

Cow’s milk (even lactose-free products) or any other type of milk is not a suitable replacement for mother’s milk or KMR.

A good latch means focused eyes and paws reaching the bottle.

Source: fosterxforeverparents

What does a weaning kitten eat?

During the weaning period (typically week six to eight), you should slowly introduce solids. Mix half a teaspoon of any type of food (although wet and semi-moist food is softer and might mix better with KMR) with slightly less formula you would usually feed your kitten with. 

Keep increasing the amount of solid food every day or two until the meal is completely solid. This method minimises the chances of your kitten rejecting wet or any other food you picked out.

It’s not a bad idea to reserve dry food for the end of the weaning period or after your kitten gets off milk completely. Cat biscuits contain significantly less moisture than jelly or gravy products. You can add KMR, water, soup, or broth to it to compensate for the lack of moisture and enhance the taste of your kitten’s meal.

When it comes to solid food, avoid giving your kitten raw food and bones. Young felines are particularly sensitive to harmful microorganisms in raw meat and eggs, while bones (even small chicken bones) could cause internal injuries.

What should a kitten eat after they wean off milk?

Once your kitten is done weaning, you can feed them wet food or a combination of wet and dry products. We don’t recommend going for a dry-food-only diet as it’s low in moisture and high in carbs. 

Kittens don’t drink much water and rarely feel the need to increase their water intake to compensate. Wet food is nutritionally optimal for cats and contains the right amount of moisture (around 70%).

How much do kittens eat?

During their first six to eight weeks, kittens need 30 millilitres of formula per 115 grams of body weight. The following table provides approximate daily nutritional needs of kittens based on their weight:

How often do kittens eat?

Now that you know how many calories your kitten needs based on their body weight, it’s time to find out how you need to split them throughout the day. The following table shows how many times kittens need to eat daily based on their age:

How to choose the ideal first solid food for your kitten

Optimal cat food should contain the following nutrients:

1. Protein
2. Fat
3. Vitamins and minerals
4. Water

Protein

Regardless of their age or breed, cats need an abundance of protein. It's their primary energy source and should make more than 50% of your cat’s meals. As obligate carnivores, felines can only get protein from meat, fish, and crustaceans. The best sources are:

• Chicken
• Tuna
• Mackerel
• Turkey
• Prawns
• Sardines
• Duck
• Salmon
• Shrimp

Meat is also the only source of taurine, an amino acid essential for your cat's eyes, heart, nervous system, and reproductive health.

Fat

Fat is crucial for maintaining:

• Healthy cell membranes
• Nutrient transportation

The optimal fat content in cat food is up to 20%. Animal fat also significantly improves the taste of food, so it can help with appetite loss. It is also a viable energy source for your kitty.

Vitamins and minerals

These micronutrients play an essential role in all metabolic processes in your kitten’s body. Many manufacturers include mineral and vitamin supplements in their food, but supplementation is redundant if your cat is on a high-quality whole meat diet.

Water

Cats need a lot of moisture in their food to stay healthy and hydrated. Your furry friend should be able to have their daily moisture needs met through food, so kitty biscuits won't do the trick. You can opt for wet food or a mixture of wet and dry food. Adding soup or broth to your kitten’s meal is an excellent way to spice up their meal and add extra moisture.

Untamed supports your feline through all life stages

Our mission to provide high-quality cat food started with homemade meals in our kitchen. We kept the homemade taste but tweaked the recipes with vets to improve the nutritional value. Our dishes can be served right away and require no extra preparation. 

With nothing but human-grade whole meat, fish, and crustaceans, our vet-formulated recipes provide two times more protein than the industry standard. This ensures all cats can enjoy Untamed, regardless of their:

• Activity levels and lifestyle (indoorsy or outdoorsy)
• Breeds (Persian, Ragdoll, Siamese, Bengal, Maine Coon, British Shorthair, or any other)
• Age (kittens, adults, and seniors)

What makes Untamed food great?

We believe in:

• Sourcing our ingredients from sustainable and cruelty-free suppliers
• Ethical production process
• Strict no-grain and no-meat-derivatives policy

Our satisfied clients reported the following changes after switching their cats to Untamed:

Order your taster pack and start your cat parenting journey the Untamed way!

Mum, you better not be thinking about changing my food.

Image (c) Untamed

Ordering cat food has never been easier

Your cat food trial pack from Untamed will be at your doorstep in one day if you:

1. Visit our TRY NOW page
2. Take the super short quiz
3. Personalise the starter pack and confirm your order

If your kitty likes the dishes, we'll replenish your stock every month. We offer a free cat food shipping service and you can always:

• Change the menu
• Postpone, pause, or cancel your order

What is off the table for kittens and cats?

Whatever is harmful to adult cats is even more so to kittens, so studying the forbidden food list is crucial. Kittens should never eat:

• Raw yeast
• Citrus fruit
• Grapes and raisins
• Cocoa products (such as chocolate)
• Stimulants (coffee) and alcoholic beverages
• Allium vegetables (garlic, onions, scallions, etc.)
• Skin, stems, and seeds of apples, pears, and cherries

Are any human treats allowed in moderation?

Kittens must ingest their mother's milk, KMR, or high-quality food depending on their age, but once they develop properly, they can try the following:

• Tiny bits of fruit, such as bananas and strawberries
• Small amounts of grain, such as rice, couscous, and millet
• Bite-sized pieces of steamed or cooked veggies, such as carrots and pumpkins
• A nibble of cheese and yoghurt

If you’re giving your furry friend fruits and veggies, don’t go overboard. The feline digestive system isn’t designed to absorb nutrients from plants, making them redundant in your kitty’s diet. That’s why cats can’t be vegan. Some cats even experience life-threatening reactions to common allergens such as grain, and they have to be fed a hypoallergenic diet. To avoid potentially dangerous allergic reactions, start with the tiniest portions whenever you introduce new food to your cat.