Cat Growth Chart by funlakota on DeviantArt (original) (raw)

I noticed that most Warriors fans don't size their apprentices very well. They make them look like 8-wk-old kittens. Lord knows how big those apprentices were at that age.

This is okay if the cat is supposed to be small or a adult cat is supposed to be on large side, but the average 6-mth-old cat is pratically their adult-size!
(Older cats are also stockier on average; they bulk up once they hit their adult size.)

That's why that one rule in the Warrior Code forbids training until the cat is 6-mths-old. The cut-off was based on size. Those younger than 6-mths didn't stand chance against the older and larger adults.

A good way to remeber is to compare it to teenagers. Cats are teenagers at 5-to-6 months-old. We know that human teenagers are almost their full adult height. The same is true of cats.

This actually goes a little further. You know how guys are bigger than girls (on average)? That's because they enter puberty later and keep growing a while longer when we stop. The same thing happens to unneutered toms. They keep growing until age 1 or 2. That's why they're usually bigger than queens. But both are usually the same height as their mom at the very least... if not taller.
This size difference between males and females is not as apparent in dogs, though they also have a similar aging pattern as cats. But dog fans don't seem to make this mistake as often.

Or you can keep this chart in mind. This was based off a series of photographs of a cat that was measured as it grew during its first year. The cat was just your run-of-the-mill tabby.

I'm not sure if I should submit this to the WarriorCatClaim, but maybe I will if I get permission.

Trust me: it's better learning this now... BEFORE you go to vet tech school! I hope this helps someone. Keep it mind.