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I’ve been eagerly awaiting a scientific tool that would establish standards for quantitatively tracking kitten growth.
And finally, here it is, hot off the press!
This study, based on data collected from kittens in the United States and the United Kingdom, has allowed the development of growth curves for male and female kittens. These kitten growth curves are now available to everyone!
This research is a major milestone for pet health. It helps us better understand what “optimal and harmonious growth” means in the domestic cat.
More importantly, it allows us to potentially identify early the problems that could arise during kitten growth.
The study is freely available, you can read it here.
How to Interpret Kitten Growth Curves?
A normal growth pattern should navigate between two centile lines (which are all these lines you see on the graphs).
If a kitten crosses two centile lines up or down, it’s a GROWTH ALERT! A veterinary consultation will be useful to assess the situation in these specific cases.
This underscores the importance of monitoring kitten growth. If a deviation from these new established norms is detected, it is necessary to act as quickly as possible.
Limitations of the Kitten Growth Study
Of course, the study is not perfect. These growth norms were created from data from all kinds of kittens. They may not always apply to certain cat breeds, or to cats with different lifestyles.
However, these kitten growth curves are a valuable starting point to better understand “harmonious and optimal growth” in any kitten. They will allow us to identify potential concerns early on.
It’s an excellent start, I’m convinced of it! I’m eager to see what the future holds. Now that we have a good starting point, we will certainly learn much more quickly.
This new knowledge will allow us to better accompany these kittens during their growth.
There’s no doubt about it!
You can access the kitten growth charts HERE.
One of the most common challenge we encounter in breeding kennels is NEONATAL MORTALITY.
It can be very frustrating… even heart-breaking.
Good news though : you can do something about it !
We now have more knowledge than ever in this discipline.
In recent years, new research brought us a much better understanding of what can be done to optimize the health of newborn puppies.
By taking this course, this is what you will learn indeed !
DR. EMMANUEL FONTAINE 
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