What to Expect From Newborn Kittens

After a pregnancy of about two months, a mother cat gives birth to her kittens, who, for the first 10 to 12 weeks, rely on her for care, nourishment and learning proper social skills. During this time, you can assist the mother in taking care of her kittens and get the kittens used to humans, to make them friendly and adoptable to prospective pet parents.

  1. Development

    • Weighing a mere 2 to 4 ounces at birth, a kitten cannot see or hear during the first two weeks of life. Its eyes open after nine to 14 days, and its ears become erect, allowing it to see and hear, according to Timberkatz Cattery. During the first three weeks, it cannot urinate or defecate on its own and its mother will stimulate it to do so, usually after meals. A thriving kitten will gain about half an ounce of weight a day, according to My Healthy Cat. A kitten's teeth begin to grow in at three to four weeks of age, when the baby will start to walk on its own. From four to 10 weeks, the kitten will learn social skills from its littermates and require its first vaccinations, starting at approximately seven weeks of age.

    Environment

    • The mother cat and kittens need a warm, clean nesting area away from heavy traffic in your home. Line a cardboard box, plastic storage box or laundry basket with soft towels or blankets to make a nest for them. Place a heating pad wrapped in a towel in the nest, or use a heat lamp over the nesting box to keep it at about 85 to 90 degrees Fahrenheit for the first five days, recommends PetPlace. Let the temperature drop gradually to 80 degrees over the next five days. Kittens cannot regulate their body temperatures for the first three weeks or so, and need to be kept warm. By the time they're four weeks old, they'll do fine at 75 degrees, just like their human family. Change and wash the bedding daily to keep the nest sanitary.

    Feeding

    • For the first 24 hours after birth, a kitten nurses from its mother; during this period, the mother produces a nutrient-rich milk with antibodies that provides the kitten with immunity to disease, according to the Vetinfo website. For the first four weeks, kittens nurse about every two hours. At four weeks, the mother will start to wean the kittens from her milk. When this happens, you can start to feed them a mixture of kitten milk replacement formula and canned kitten food. It's a good idea to offer this mixture to kittens as young as three weeks in case some of them are ready for it. Completely wean the kittens onto canned or dry kitten food by the time they're 10 weeks old.

    Socialization

    • During the second to seventh weeks of life, you need to handle the kittens gently to get them used to the presence of humans. You can handle the kittens carefully during the first week of life, but not for long periods of time, as this may upset the mother, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Kittens during their first weeks of life learn important social skills from their littermates and mother. Don't let children handle the kittens at all for at least the first two weeks. Supervise all interactions between young kittens and kids, making sure they approach and handle the babies with care. Introduce the kittens gradually to other animals in the household, keeping a close watch on them when they're together. Give the older pets extra affection during this time so they won't be jealous of the little ones.

    Warnings

    • A kitten should consistently gain weight during its first weeks of life; if you notice that one or more of the kittens is not gaining weight, or is losing weight, take the kittens to a veterinarian for treatment. Other signs to watch for include consistent crying or the mother cat neglecting some of the kittens. If this happens, those kittens will require veterinary care and possible supplemental feeding with kitten milk replacement formula.