Kitten Development Stages

Welcome to adorableness!

I’m not sure if it’s the same where you live, but here in Mallorca we have many feral cats. And feral cats mean pregnant cats and pregnant cats mean kittens. Recently we had a little grey cat show up and I tried to catch her in time to get her spayed but ehem, nope. And now we have some kittens!

While they are so stinkin’ cute I needed to refrain myself the first week or so to not touch them and just let them be with mama (aka Carla)

Week ONE:

Kittens are born with their eyes and ear canals closed. They do not have any sight or hearing and will most likely stay close to the mother. Their main activities will include eating, sleeping and passing waste. The mother cleans the kitten regularly, and this also helps stimulate the newborn.

We weren’t sure exactly where Carla had the babies. We thought it was in the abandoned lot across the street but at about day three we found her with FOUR(!!) babies on our old lounge chair on the back upstairs patio. We had a bike on the lounge chair with a cover over it and she had made a little nest in there. Hi Carla!! Shhhhh kittens sleeping.

And then about five days later she brought her babies down and placed them on our couch!!! Sadly, one had fallen off the lounge chair and died. 😦 So we are down to three kittens. But she carried them down one by one, each time nursing them and getting them quiet before going to get their sibling. But when they were all on the couch mama really settled in with them. And now we were getting close to week two.

Week TWO:

The eyes will begin to open, but vision will be blurry. The kitten will start to develop its sense of smell.

Isn’t that just the sweetest.

Well, that couch is THE main couch and Carla and the kittens couldn’t stay there. We fixed up a nice box with a blanket Carla had been using before the birth. And then we moved the kittens over to the box. Well, sadly Carla did not like that and she took the babies away. This time to the lot where we thought they were born.

And then came the rain. Mallorca was cold and had a lot of rain for several days. I was hoping she would come back with them because it was so cold and wet. Finally a few days later she did. Three kittens and Carla were in the cat basket upstairs one morning. And I was so relieved! They were all good.

Their eyes were open (all blue at the moment) and kind  of stumbling around a bit. We have been giving them lots of time with mama but also picking them up a bit and petting them to get them slowly used to humans. I need them to be sweeties and not wild, feral cats! We are looking for homes for them but who knows, maybe we’ll end up keeping them.

Week THREE:

The kitten may have blue eyes at birth, but this will change as the kitten ages. You may start to see this change in the third week. Hearing begins and starts to improve, and you may notice that loud or abrupt noises scare the kitten. Because of the change in hearing, the kitten’s ears will begin to stand up.

The sense of smell continues to improve, and the kitten will begin to pass waste without prodding from the mother. Teeth may start coming in this week, and purring might commence. Your kitten may also go mobile and start walking this week!

And they have slowing started trying to walk with mama’s encouragement. I seriously can’t get over the amount of cuteness.

Can you handle it!? We are almost to the fourth week. Where they really start to get their own personality and getting a bit bolder. This is where I leave you but I will be back with updates as we get into the next weeks.

Week FOUR:

The kitten will start working on balance and will walk more. The head is usually large compared to body size, so your kitten may be wobbly while moving around. The kitten will begin to explore the surroundings, and you may find yourself on the hunt!

Evaluate any harmful items, chemicals, plants or small openings to minimize risk to the kitten. The kitten will still be nursing at this time, and you can start the introduction to the litter box. Don’t be afraid if the kitten tries to eat the litter; this is normal.