Although kittens are born with complete fur, they continue to grow once they leave their mother’s womb. The first week of a kitten’s existence is filled with significant changes and development. If you have a litter of kittens, knowing what to look out for and what you can do to assist your kitten get off to a good start in life is a good idea.
The Physical Growth of a Newborn Kitten
A kitten should be able to fit in the palm of your hand when it is born. With its fur, four legs, two ears, and other body features, it will resemble a miniature replica of an adult cat, but not everything will work like an adult cat just yet.
A kitten’s usual, healthy birth weight is roughly 3.5 ounces, which is slightly more than the weight of a deck of cards.
The umbilical cord of a kitten will dry out and fall off after two or three days, but its eyes and ears will remain closed
for a while longer. The kitten is completely reliant on its mother (or foster person) for warmth, food, and cleanliness
at this point. When its mother licks it, it will crawl around on its tummy, cry if it is hungry, sleep, and urinate and defecate.
Newborn Kittens’ Behavioral Changes
You won’t notice much of a difference between a newborn kitten and a one-week-old kitten at first, but as the week
progresses, it will get more active. Kittens will not be playing with their littermates for a while, and their primary social
engagement will be fighting for a nipple to milk from.
A Newborn Kitten’s Health and Care
Because a newborn kitten is fully reliant on its mother during the first few weeks of its life, if your kitten is an orphan
or has been neglected by its mother, you’ll need to take on the role of mother. There isn’t much you can do if the
mother is taking care of the kittens, but there are a few things you should keep an eye out for.
When kittens are only a few days old, they are unable to regulate their body temperatures.
To keep a kitten warm, you may need two blankets, a heat lamp, a heating pad, and other items. A kitten’s health
can be jeopardized if it becomes too cold.
Keep an eye on the kittens to see if they are gaining or losing weight.
3
These are possible indicators.
1
A kitten’s body weight normally doubles by the end of the first week, putting it at around 7 ounces, therefore these
are useful weights to keep track of in order to track a kitten’s growth. If a kitten isn’t growing enough weight, there
