Persian Kitten Growth & Development
Persian Kitten Growth & Development
A solid kitten foundation starts from the mother cat’s first day of life, not the kitten’s.
The parents must be healthy to pass those genes down to their offspring.
The first eight weeks of your kitten’s life are an epic journey, to say the least.
During the first 24-48 hours, kittens drink colostrum, which provides them with nutrient-packed milk full of immune-boosting vitamins and minerals.
Newborn kittens are born with their eyes and ears tightly closed. The kittens’ vision and hearing will slowly improve by three weeks old. During this first week, the babies need to stay close to their mothers to survive because they cannot regulate their own body temperature. The umbilical cord usually takes about seven days to fall off. With the mother taking good care of her kittens, they will double their weight in the first week. By day ten, the eyes will begin to open. All kittens are born with blue eyes.
Senses are developing rapidly, and kittens are gaining a sense of smell.
At this age, a kitten’s first teeth will begin to emerge. They will also slowly begin retracting their claws.
At four weeks of age, kittens will have improved vision and hearing.
They will turn their head when they hear voices.
They respond to touch and wiggle their tails in delight when you pet them.
They are still wobbly on their feet but are learning their balancing skills and are eager to play.
By week five, their personality begins to materialize as they toddle around and take fewer naps. They are curious about everything but still want Mama to be close by and nurse every hour. At this age, the kittens eat dry kitten food, chase one another, and now use the litter pan. They also receive their first bath and vaccination.
At six weeks of age, a kitten’s teeth will reach their final stage of early development. The molars will start to emerge. They still nurse on mama but love their crunchy kibble. They are becoming very independent and sleep in little cuddle puddles without mommy from time to time.
By seven weeks old, the kitten’s eye color will start changing, and the adult eye color will emerge.
All baby teeth will be present. Male kittens’ testicles usually start to descend. Sleep will decrease, and time spent playing will increase. They are usually photographed around this time and listed on the website. (Although several photos and videos of them have already been sprinkled on our social media pages, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, YouTube.
By week eight, the mama kitty is starting to wean her kittens.
They are now well litter pan-trained, eating on their own, mentally balanced. Mama kitty’s milk is drying up, and kittens are now adjusting to life without her.
Your kitten will now start to be weaned from mama at nine to ten weeks old.
Socializing
From then on, kittens develop social skills and bond with nursery mates. Kittens can become quite active, running, climbing, jumping, pouncing, and stalking.
All kittens stay in the nursery until they are at least 12 weeks of age. Then, they are free to roam throughout our home.
A Special Note about eyes
Because kittens are born with their eyes closed for approximately the first two weeks, the eye muscles have not yet had the chance to develop. Once a kitten opens their eyes, it may look a bit awkward. They almost appear cross-eyed, as though their eyes are looking in two different directions. As the kitten ages and exercises their eye muscles more, they will develop and adjust. Around 6+ weeks of age, a kitten’s eyes have had time to adapt, and they will lose their cross-eyed appearance. If you see a kitten you are interested in with those very cute “googly” eyes, there is no need to worry; your kitten will not need glasses, nor will they have any problems with their sight. All kittens mature at slightly different ages.