You’ve rescued an adorable little fluff ball. Before you can decide what you need to do next, you need to determine his age. A one-week old kitten needs a completely different level of care than a four week old. Once you know his age, you’ll know if you need to stimulate him to potty or provide a litter box.
Please remember that this chart is only a general guide. Every kitten is different. Some kittens open their eyes at three days. Some kittens wean themselves at 3 weeks, while others squeal for a bottle at 8 weeks.
Newborn to
7 days
|
- A kitten will weigh 3 to 4 ounces at birth
- Ears flat against head
- Kitten can’t regulate his body temperature
- Kitten is blind and deaf
- Kitten can smell well enough to find mother’s nipple
- Sleeps 90% of the time and eats the other 10%
- Room should be 85° to 90° F
- Kitten should be fed 6 to 12 times a day
- Stimulate private parts to help him go to
the bathroom
|
Day 3
|
|
Newborn to
14 days
|
|
5 to 14
days
|
|
6 days
|
|
7 days
|
- Kitten should weigh 6 to 8 ounces
- Hold head and chest up
|
7 to 14
days
|
- Room should be kept at 80° to 85° F
- Kitten should be fed 5 to 7 times daily
- Kitten should weigh 8 to 10 ounces
|
14 day
|
- Starting to coordinate his movements
- Locates specific sounds
- Stands up and crawls around
- Begins to play and explore
|
14 to 17
days
|
- Begins walking (probably wobbly)
|
14 to 21
days
|
- Room should be 75° to 80° F
- Starts to explore his surroundings
- Kitten should be fed 4 to 7 times daily
- Kitten should weigh 10 to 12 ounces
|
17 to 21
days
|
- Poops and pees on his own
- Interacts with littermates
- Tail swishes
|
21 days
|
- Really walking
- Ears stand up
- Swivels ears
- Scratches with hind leg
- Eyes starting to focus
- Turns head toward sounds
|
21 to 28
days
|
- Canine teeth (fangs) emerge
- Pees and poops without help
- Runs and climbs
- Kitten should be fed 3 to 7 times daily
- Kitten should weigh at least 14 ounces
- Should start socialization with people and friendly cats
|
28 days
|
- Room should be no cooler than 70° F
- Laps milk replacer from a saucer and eats gruel or canned foods
- Kitten should weigh at least 28 ounces
- Playing with littermates
|
4 to 5
weeks
|
- Lower molars emerge
- Kittens begin to pounce
- Runs around
- Uses litter box
|
6½ to 7 weeks
|
- Eyes change from baby blue to their adult color
|
7 weeks
|
|
8 weeks
|
- Upper molars emerge
- Many vets will spay or neuter kitten
|
12 weeks
|
- Ideal time to remove from mother
|
12 to 16 weeks
|
|
5 to 6 months
|
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