Are Baby Cats Born With Their Eyes Open?

Kittens began their lives in a manner that is far from self-sufficient; they rely on their mother cats for everything from warmth to sustenance to waste removal. The wee things can't see the world around them, as their eyes are totally shut initially after birth. That changes relatively quickly; they open in a matter of a week. Actual seeing takes longer.

  1. Eyes Shut

    • Baby cats' eyes slowly but surely start opening once they get past the first week of their lives -- specifically around the eighth day. Once they hit 3 weeks old, their eyesight usually comes into full fruition. When their eyes first begin to open, vision is still fuzzy. Their eyes gradually start opening wider and wider until around 21 days, when they can open their eyes fully and can see clearly and distinctly, too.

    Eye Color

    • When kittens' eyes first start opening up, they are always blue, even if that's not necessarily the color they'll stay for life. When they get to the point that their eyesight is in good working order, at around 3 weeks, the "real" coloration often starts to show up, whether green, gold or anything else. However, the emergence of the adult eye color can sometimes take even longer than that.

    Tracking Down Mama

    • Newborn kittens lack vision, although they can easily track down their mother cat's nipples through simply following cues such as smell and bodily warmth. They can usually even do so just by feeling their way around.The helpful queens often make the whole process a lot simpler and quicker by staying right next to the little ones, all the while lounging on the sides of their bodies.

    Hearing

    • Vision isn't the only thing that baby cats don't have immediately after being born. They also can't hear at first -- a result of ear canals that are totally sealed up. These canals usually start opening gradually during the second weeks of their lives. As with vision, baby cats usually gain vision when they're about 3 weeks of age.

    Experience With Humans

    • Baby cats that receive lots of close experiences alongside humans prior to 7 weeks old could be warmer and more sociable toward them once they get to adulthood, the ASPCA suggests. Apart from possibly softening up kittens' future dispositions, some experience alongside humans at their tender ages also might enhance their growth and maturing. Wee kittens that get lots of human touch via petting generally have eyes that open at quicker rates.