Newborn kittens are irresistibly cute! They are teeny and furry and everybody falls in love with them. However, this in no way means that they are easy to care for. In fact, it can be a bit of a hassle to take care of your first newborn kitten. You will need to know the stages of development of a kitten- what happens in the first few weeks of life.
A cat is a kitten until it is three months old. During those three months, a kitten goes through seven distinct phases. In the first two weeks of life, a kitten is much like a newborn baby. They are pretty much helpless and will need you to feed them. They will also have their eyes closed this entire time. You will have to make sure to keep them in a safe place as they cannot see and they cannot fend for themselves.
At two weeks old, they should begin opening their eyes--though they may still be blind. They will begin recognizing people and objects by their smell. The third and fourth weeks are very exciting! This is when their ears start to open and they begin to develop their sense of hearing. This is also when they will begin trying to walk! In addition to all of this, their teeth will begin to come in as well. This is a good time to introduce them to the litter box.
During weeks five and six, the kitten will start to play.You will want to encourage this and play with the kitten. However, make sure that she doesn't do anything dangerous! At this point you should also begin weaning the kitten.
At week seven, you should take the kitten to see the vet. The vet will make sure that she is growing properly and give her any vaccinations she may need. She should be completely weaned off of milk at week eight.
During weeks nine and ten. she will be developing socially and so it is important for you to spend lots of time with her. If you have other pets, now would be the time to introduce them as well.
At week twelve, the kitten will be ready to be given to a new home. Or you could keep her of course! Although the kitten's stages of development are through, she will still be growing for a couple more years before she is full sized.
