This article explains kittens’ growth rate and changes at different stages after birth. In addition, after clarifying the proper nouns for different stages, the understanding of some diseases of kittens will be more profound.
It should be remembered here that for premature kittens or those troubled by disease, the different stages mentioned in this article may be delayed by 2-3 weeks.
Neonatal Stage
The neonatal stage is 1 – 14 days after birth.
Newborns are still fragile and in the early stages of development and cannot cope with stress. The 36 hours after birth are critical, during which colostrum is fed, and the mother cat is cared for.
Newborns usually have an empty stomach but will be full within 24 hours. The weight usually doubles within 1-2 weeks.
Newborns spend 90% of their time feeding and sleeping; most of the time, they are relaxed and not alert and may shake their bodies while sleeping. When you wake up, you will find a nipple for milk.
At this point, the ears and eyes are closed. They wriggle their bodies, and once they open their eyes, they begin to learn to crawl and usually open their eyes in about ten days.
Newborns growl when they feel pain, heat, cold, or hunger. When you hear the screaming, you must give help in time. Continuous screaming will lead to physical exhaustion, which is very dangerous.
Newborns are unable to regulate their body temperature, and their body temperature depends on the ambient temperature. They will snuggle up in the arms of their mother cat or stay warm with siblings. Therefore, in any case, pay attention to monitoring the ambient temperature.
Please do not use the air conditioner directly in summer, and in winter, place a heating pad under the birthing nest or put it in a constant temperature birthing box.
Healthy newborns have a good swallowing reflex, which is fully developed before birth, but premature kittens may not have the swallowing reflex. This makes it unable to breastfeed normally.
A newborn’s stomach is very small, so it can only eat a small amount of milk at a time, and it needs frequent feeding to maintain normal signs. will be threatened with deWill
They cannot urinate and defecate on their own. It needs the stimulation of the mother cat or your help to defecate smoothly.
The first bowel movement of a newborn is meconium, tar-like and formed before birth. Postnatal poop is generally dark yellow, neither soft nor hard, formed from milk, and turns yellow-brown as growth continues.
??Transition phase
The 14th – 21st day after birth is called the transition phase.
During this period, kittens begin exploring their environment and are no longer inseparable from the mother cat.
They are growing rapidly, gaining weight, sleeping less time, opening their eyes, opening their ear canals, and the world is full of novelties for them.
They begin to focus and begin to observe moving objects. Although they can see at this point, their eyesight is still very weak, so if you want to take pictures of them, be sure to avoid flash and use a wide aperture instead. Strong light can damage their eyes.
Although, at this time, they can partially control their body temperature, this ability is still weak, and they may occasionally suffer from thermoregulation.
Socialization stage
The period between 21 days after birth and 12 weeks of age is called the socialization stage.
The kittens are very active during this period, and the littermates will play with each other and learn some correct behaviors in the process of playing. The use of cat litter boxes is also learned at this stage.
Kittens become more independent during this period and interact with people, other cats, and some objects.
During this period, you must avoid leaving “psychological trauma” for the kitten, which requires you to be gentle at all times. The trauma at this time may be left for life and lead to a series of behavioral problems that will be a big problem in the future.
Similarly, if they have a congenital disease during a time together that they did not have before, it will gradually develop during this period.
They also improved their body temperature and developed further vision, which lasted several months later.
Hearing becomes sharp at 3-4 weeks, the kitten is also learning to judge the meaning of different sounds, and it will be afraid of your reprimand.
Also, at 3-4 weeks, they may start squatting. At the same time, you will also see the first tooth come out.
Juvenile stage
After 12 weeks – 6 months of age, it is called the juvenile stage.
Kittens begin to mature slowly, their sexual organs begin to mature, and some early-maturing breeds (especially short-haired breeds) reach sexual maturity at 5-6 months. Some female cats are in heat for the first time.
However, in breed cats, their weight and bones will continue to develop after five or six months. Some long-haired breeds, such as Persian cats, may need to be one and a half years old or even two years old to fully mature.
