Kitten Growth
and Development

"What should I expect during the first
eight weeks of my kitten's life?"

Kitten growth obviously starts in the queen's womb. Baby kittens weigh normally weigh between two and four ounces (57 to 114 grams) when they are born. They should add about a half an ounce (15 grams) a day.

They are blind and deaf and they can barely move more than a couple of inches. Kittens are virtually helpless at birth.

Five to Ten Days

At this point of kitten growth, baby kittens will start to open their eyes. It'll take about two to three days for them to fully open their eyes. All kittens have blue eyes. Long-haired cats may need a couple more days to open their eyes.

Two to Three Weeks

Baby kittens start to smell and hear and their ears, which were previously folded and flat against their head, will now become erect. Their eye color may start to change from blue to their permanent color (although this usually happens at around 12 weeks and in some breeds, it may take up to a year to fully develop their adult eye color). Their teeth start to grow through.

Kittens start to purr at around three weeks old.

Three to Four Weeks

Baby kittens start to become more mobile, although they are unsteady on their feet and tend to fall over a lot. Although until four weeks of age, they are pretty much dependent on their mom. If they stray too far away from their kittening box, the mother cat will carry them back.

Four to Five Weeks

At this stage of kitten growth and development, the baby kittens' tails start to become more animated. At four weeks, they can be weaned from their cat mom and fed a premium quality kitten food.

Five Weeks

Following their mother's lead, kittens will start to groom themselves at about five weeks. They'll also start to groom each other.

This is the age at which you should start to train the baby kittens to use the litter box.

Six to Seven Weeks

Kittens start to become more playful and adventurous at this stage.

Eight Weeks

At this age, kittens can normally eat, groom themselves and use the litter box on their own.

This is the earliest age at which they can leave their cat mom and be adopted out. It's recommended that pedigree kittens not leave until they are 12 weeks old.

Cats Giving Birth to Kittens

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