Kitten

A kitten is a juvenile cat. Kittens are born needing lots of care from their mothers to stay safe. They are born with their eyes closed and usually open them after seven to ten days. During this time, mother cats feed and watch over their kittens.

After about two weeks, kittens start to explore more and become more active. They begin trying solid foods and grow their first baby teeth around three to four weeks old. Domestic kittens are very social and often like being around people, making them good friends for many families.

Etymology

The word "kitten" comes from an old word in Middle English called kitoun. This word came from even older words in Old French, chitoun or cheton. When we talk about the young of big cats, like lions, we usually call them "cubs." For smaller wild cats such as ocelots, caracals, and lynxes, people can use either "kitten" or "cub," but "kitten" is used more often.

Development

A feline litter usually has two to five kittens, but sometimes can have one to more than ten. Kittens are born after a gestation of about 66 days. When they are born, they are inside a small sac that their mother removes.

For the first few weeks, kittens need their mother's help to use the litter box and stay warm. Their mother’s milk gives them important nutrients and helps protect them from illnesses. Kittens open their eyes about seven to ten days after being born. At first, their vision is not very good, but it gets better over time.

Kittens grow quickly between two weeks and seven weeks old. They start playing with each other, learning to wash themselves, and practicing hunting skills. By three to four weeks, they begin to eat solid food and are fully weaned by six to eight weeks. They lose their baby teeth around three months and have their full set of adult teeth by nine months. Kittens usually start acting like adult cats by around one year of age.

Health

Kittens in most places get shots to stay healthy, starting around two to three months old. These shots help protect them from common sicknesses. Kittens usually get their first set of shots at eight, twelve, and sixteen weeks old. A shot for rabies might be given at sixteen weeks, too. Kittens are often spayed or neutered around seven months old, but they can be neutered as early as seven weeks if they are big enough, especially in animal shelters. Early neutering does not seem to cause long-term health risks for cats and might be good for boy cats. Kittens often get medicine to clear out roundworms starting at about four weeks old.

Nutrition

Kittens eat meat because they are natural meat-eaters. They need lots of energy and protein to grow big and strong. It is best to give them food that is easy for their tiny stomachs and has lots of good things. In North America, kitten food should be approved by the Association of American Feed Control Officials to make sure it has all the good stuff they need.

Important parts of a kitten’s diet are fat for energy, protein for muscles, and special things like docosahexaenoic acid to help their brain and cognition grow.

In the first few days after birth, kittens get important protection from their mother’s milk. This special milk, called colostrum, helps keep them healthy. By about five to six weeks, kittens can start eating solid food, and by eight weeks, they will mostly eat solid food. Until they are about one year old, kittens need more food to help them grow, including special fats like omega−3 fatty acids and proteins. They also need certain vitamins and minerals to stay healthy.

Orphaned kittens

Orphaned kittens need special care because they cannot survive without their mothers. They need to be fed often with special cat milk replacer. Regular cow's milk does not give them all the nutrients they need. These kittens also need help with their bathroom needs.

If kittens are separated from their mothers too early, they may grow up underweight and face health challenges later in life. Without their mother's milk, their immune systems are weaker, making them more likely to get sick.