Stages of Kitten Development

"Under a railing,
Over a fence,
I am a kitten,
Pup's chasing me hence.
I hoped I could fly,
Then leaped on a tree,
The branch broke away-
Oops it's bye-bye to me."

It has been a very satisfying experience to watch my kitten grow. Although, it looks fully grown at eight months of age, it is yet to undergo a long process of growth, mentally and physically, in the next two years. Major changes occur in the first twelve weeks of birth, thus, a lot of time should be spent with your kitten, as this is the time when it develops social skills. The transformation into a full-grown beautiful cat from a tiny ball of fur occurs through various stages.

Newborn
The small pink helpless fur ball fits in your palm. Kittens are born blind and deaf, with eyes tightly shut and ears folded. They rely on their sense of smell to find the mother cat for nursing. The umbilical cord remains attached for three days. It is advisable to keep the kitten with the mother for up to five weeks. Early separation may cause aggression and decreased learning ability in the cat.

A Week Old
The kitten, when it is one-week-old, will make hissing sounds, when it smells anything new, other than the mother's or the human scent, which it recognizes. It will squeak when hungry. This is the kitten's way to alert the mother cat about its needs.

Two Weeks Old
Short hair breed kittens open their eyes within 4-5 days of its birth, whereas long haired breeds take 10-15 days to open their eyes. Until they are three weeks old, all kittens have blue eyes. Once the iris and pupil develop, the original color is formed. The folded ears of the kitten become erect. Even though its eyes are open and ears erect, it cannot see well and it does not respond to sound. At this stage, the baby teeth appear, due to which the mother becomes reluctant to nurse.

Three Weeks Old
After three weeks, it tries to stand on its shaky, wriggly legs. The kitten's relatively large head as compared to the torso and stumpy legs, add to its clumsiness. It still relies solely on its sense of smell. This is a good time to start training your kitten.

Four Weeks Old
By this time, the little bundle of joy will manage to overcome the obstacles in its path; but its eyesight will not be fully developed until it is two-months-old. It will start playing with its siblings. When it is four weeks old, the mother cat will start grooming the kitten.

Five Weeks Old
The mother starts the weaning process and the kitten will begin to eat food given in shallow pans. If you keep a careful watch on your five-week-old kitten, the signs of it growing into a predator will be visible. It will pounce and sulk, usually on a sibling. Be careful of the little boisterous one, as its claws and teeth can be very sharp!

Six Weeks Old
It is time for the kitten's first set of vaccination. It is important to have a deworming session during this time. Introduction of new toys like will be a great fun booster for the kitten.

Seven Weeks Old
This is the right time to give your kitten a bath. After a nice wash, take your kitten to a dry and warm place. By this time, the weaning period will be over.

Eight Weeks Old
Whoa! What a sharp set of teeth is developed in your kitten. The mother cat teaches the kitten socializing skills. It learns that humans are friendly bipedal animals too! Also, it is time for its second deworming session.

Nine Weeks Old
The kitten weighs about 3 pounds by the time it is nine weeks old. It will grow rapidly during this period. Its eye color will develop the original shade, unless, of course, it is a blue-eyed one!

Ten Weeks Old
It is time to pamper your little one with a second bath. Clipping of nails and brushing sessions, from this period onwards will let your kitten into the groove of regular grooming sessions.

Eleven Weeks Old
Play is an essential part of the development of a kitten. During play time with its siblings, kittens often tend to become aggressive. It is another aspect of the growing process. You may find the whiskers of your kitten missing. Have no worry, kittens tend to chew on each others whiskers and they soon grow back.

Twelve Weeks Old
This is the most active play period for the kitten. It continues learning more skills from the mother cat and its siblings. It also reaches sexual maturity during this period. You can get your kitten neutered during this phase.

You need to shower a lot of love and affection on your kitten in its early stages of development. These loving animals are very intelligent and like human babies, they too have varied interests and personalities. You should take special precaution in matters related to its health. It has been a wonderful experience to see my kitten grow. You too will have a trail of wonderful memories from the day a kitten enters your home.