Kitten Development Stages: Newborn to 12 Weeks Old

If any breeder tries to let you adopt a kitten home less than 12 weeks of age, BUYER BEWARE! Most reputable kitten breeders will not let their kittens go before 12 weeks of age. Breeders selling their kittens younger than that are more interested in moving their kittens out and getting their money than producing happy, healthy and well adjusted kittens.

The first 12 weeks of a kitten's life are crucial to its healthy development. When a kitten leaves its environment before 12 weeks of age, it can experience social, emotional and health issues throughout its lifetime. Most reputable breeders won't let their kittens go before the 12th week. Those that do are more interested in moving the kitten out of their cattery and getting their money as opposed to producing a happy, healthy and well adjusted kitten. If a breeder lets you take a kitten home before 12 weeks of age, BUYER BEWARE!

With all that said, please read the following information about kitten development process and then you'll have a better understanding as to why adopting a kitten less than 12 weeks of age is not beneficial to both the kitten and you as a buyer.

Newborn To Week One:

When kittens are first born, the rely on their mother for both warmth and feeding. The mother cat produces a special enhanced milk during the first few days after birth called colostrum. The colostrum contains antibodies that provide the kittens temporary immunity to some diseases and it will take weeks for the kitten to develop its own immune system. It is very important to let the kittens nurse from the mother cat during the two days naturally. But during this time, you need to also weigh the kittens to make sure that they are putting on weight since sometimes the mother cat isn't producing enough milk. If kittens in the litter are gaining weight, continue to monitor them and if they are not, time to take a trip to the veterinarian with the mother to see what's going on. A mother's milk substitute may be required to assist these kittens in their survival.

In addition, during the first week the umbilical cord will dry up and fall off. The kitten's eyes and ear canals are shut making them basically deaf and blind. At this age, kittens are very helpless but they have mom to give them what they need and she does so instinctively. She keeps them clean by licking them with her rough tongue and this also stimulates both the kitten's digestion and assists them to urinate and defecate. At this age, kittens do little more than nurse, sleep and pass waste. There is little social interaction with their siblings except competing for the kitten's favorite nipple.

Week Two:

A kitten's eyes will start to open usually between 9 and 14 days old. The eye color is blue and will stay that way for several weeks before it starts to change to their adult eye color. Kittens have blurry vision at first since their pupils do not work correctly yet.

In week two, the kitten's sense of smell starts to develop. The kitten will seek out its favorite teat by scent and develops a territory. Lastly, the kitten will become more aware of his siblings as its senses develop more and the competition between litter mates begins for top kitten.

Week Three:

The kitten's senses has improved by leaps and bounds. The sense of smell becomes well developed and the sight has developed enough so that it can recognize its mother. Also, the kitten's eye color can start changing from blue to the adult color that they will have for life. The ear canals of the kitten will open up and their sense of hearing will start to improve and the kitten can be startled by loud sounds. The kitten's ears start to become fully erect as to the floppy ears you see for the first two weeks of age.

Kitten's learn to sit up.
Kitten's will go to urinate and defecate own their own.
Mom will still continue to clean the kittens until they learn their own grooming skills.
A kitten purring at this young age is not unheard of.
Mom may start the weaning process due to the the kitten's baby teeth coming in.

Week Four:

Kittens will start to stand between the third and fourth week. They will attempt the "wobbly" walk. Their bodies are out of proportion as opposed to what their adult body will be like. With their little stiff tails and "meatball" heads which are too large for their bodies and legs causes them not to be to steady on their feet. They will eventually get the process down and be getting out of their nesting box to explore their surroundings.

Kittens will continue to nurse regularly from mom and may even be introduced to the litter box. They will play and even eat the litter at first but eventually develop proper litter box habits over time. The kittens also will start to groom themselves by watching their mother and learning from her example.

Week Five:

Kittens will now be walking around and starting to play with their siblings. The will not wander very far from mom or their siblings for a sense of security. This is a good time for human and kitten to interact starting the socialization process.

Kittens can be introduced to a good quality canned kitten food and expect their first tries to be messy ones with the kitten standing directly in the food. The kittens will still need to nurse from mom until eight to ten weeks of age which is the time the mother should of successfully weaned of her litter.
Kittens learn the litter box basics at this time. They need a smaller and shallower litter box than the adult cats and they will eat the litter at first so use a non clumping litter. Clumping litter can get stuck in the kitten's stomach and intestines, please don't use it until the kitten is at least 1 year if age if ever!

Week Six:

Playtime with the kittens has become part of their daily lives. Different kinds of toys, teasers, balls and stuffed mice are used at our cattery to help the kitten develop and socialize with humans. Scratching posts are introduced at this time so the kitten can begin to learn from mom and assisted by the human handlers where the proper place to sharpen claws is.

Week Seven:

The 1st series of vaccinations are given. Before 10 weeks of age, the kitten's immune system has not fully developed nor has the kitten received all of its necessary shots. Consider this when getting a kitten from a breeder at less than 12 weeks of age!

Grooming Time! The kitten can be introduced to its first bath but make sure not to get water or soap in their ears or eyes. Be gentle with them and remember to fully dry them when done. After all that time getting cleaned and dried, we give the kitten a treat to promote positive reinforcement. By making bath time a good experience, the kitten will be easier to bathe as it gets older. During this time, we also introduce the kitten to a soft brush to get them used to being brushed and again when finished the kitten gets a treat. The sooner you start grooming habits, the better!

The weaning process from mom is well under way and the kittens nurse from mom less and less as time goes on. Eventually mom will push the kittens away completely refusing to let them nurse.

Playtime continues with the kittens building agility, running faster, stalking and pouncing on siblings more efficiently not to mention the occasional attack on the human caretakers!

Week Eight:

Kittens learn from their mother and siblings how to interact with other cats. It is during this period that the kitten learns how to recognize and interpret cat body language. A kitten that misses this important step may not ever learn how to interact with other cats. This causes huge problems if the kitten is going to live in a multi-cat household.

In addition during this time, more playtime and picture taking is spent with the kitten by us. This human interaction only grows as the kittens get older and are about to leave the cattery at 12 weeks.

Week Nine:

Playtime continues, the weaning process is either over or about to end since mom doesn't always want full sized kittens with sharp teeth trying to get milk from her! More playtime with the "human caretakers" and socialization process is in full swing.

Week Ten:

Nails are also trimmed at this time so that the rough play with their siblings doesn't cause anymore issues than need be.

Week Eleven:

The kitten continues to interact and socialize with both its littermates and human companions with play. Sometimes the play gets quite rough when a more aggressive kitten sometimes asserts their dominance over another sibling to let them know who's boss. It is at this time that whiskers get chewed off during these scuffles and sometimes a few minor scratches can occur. The good news is that the scratches will heal and the whiskers do grow back.

Week Twelve:

The last veterinarian visit is performed before the kitten goes to its new home. If the kitten is traveling, a rabies shot is administered too.

A final bath is given and grooming is performed including the clipping of the kittens claws. If there is time and by request, we show the owners how to do this at our home before the kitten leaves us. Lastly, all of the kitten's paperwork is prepared and the kitten is ready to go to the new home.

Even if you never buy a kitten from us, now you know why it is important to pickup that little ball of fur at 12 weeks to take home and we ask that you insist on it! You will have a healthier, happier, and better socialized feline friend because of it.

To assist with your kitten's transition from our home to yours, we've written the Bringing Your Kitten Home article which includes information related to your new kitten and the transition process. Enjoy!

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