Kitten Health

Kitten Health

Kitten Care for the First Three Weeks

The first three weeks in the life of a newborn kitten is truly the most important for the development of the overall kitten health, personally, and character. Keep in mind that the kitten is is a lot like a newborn human baby. It eats around the clock and is of course totally dependent on the care giver for everything. You are very lucky if the mother cat is there to take care of the little kitten. If not you will need to provide a dry, warm place. You do not have to worry about being all fancy, just some clean rags or towels in a cardboard box will work fine. There is milk replacement if you need it. Available at most pet stores or veterinarians, you may need supplies like a eye dropper, syringe or even a small bottle may be found. Just follow the manufactures instructions and the kitten will begin to blossom.

Week one will see the growth of the kitten in a incredible rate. The birth weight will almost double. It is believed that the first few weeks of development does determine the personality traits of the kitten. While still growing in week two, the kitten will also start to begin opening the eyes. Most of the eyes of the kittens will stay blue for several weeks. But the vision will be blurred due to the fact that the pupils will not dilate and contract at first. It is a good idea to try and keep the kitten out of bright lights during this time. Their sense of smell is developing and it is common for the little kittens to hiss at smells that a new to them. The sex of the kitten is still hard to determine at this point. By week three the ear canals are open. This is the time that the kittens will start being social with humans and other kittens that are in their litter.

If the mother cat is not there, you will be responsible for the other parts of the care of the kitten. It is very important to bath the kitten after each feeding. Use a warm cloth and stimulate the urogenital reflex of the kitten. For the first three weeks the kitten can not voluntary eliminate the urine or the feces. The warm cloth will help to stimulate and also feel more like the mother cat. After the three weeks you can also start weaning a bottle fed kitten. It is suggested to take some can food and mix with the milk replacement to the consistency of a milkshake to begin the weaning process and start the kitten to eat from dishes.

About the Author

The kitten care for the frist three weeks is very important to determine the overall development of the kitten. This can be a very strong bonding time for the caregiver that is responsilby for the kitten care.

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Kitten Health

Major Milestones in Your Kitten's Development

There's no better way to spend an hour than to develop your mind, and through this article, youll find something interesting and entertaining to make that one of the best spent houis of the day.

In the first year of life, kittens develop at a rapid rate, both physically and socially. Learn about the major milestones in their development, and how you can help the process along.

First six weeks

For the first week of life, kittens live only to process food and gain nutrients. Their eye and ear canals voracity not yet be open, and the mother cat will take care of all their needs. By the end of week two, their eyes will be completely open. Throughout this week and the next, their senses of sight, smell, and hearing will be developing and they'll become more aware of the outside world. During week three, kittens may start to purr and the mother cat may begin to wean them, as they can digest on their own.

Between weeks three and four, the kittens will start to stand and even pass over. In week five, the weaning process will start taking place in earnest. Owners should offer kittens' well-balanced canned food especially formulated for kitten needs. As the kittens are slowly weaned, they will continue to nurse for up to eight or 10 weeks to satisfy their rapture to suckle. At five weeks, kittens will be more independent, can start to learn about the litter box, and socialize with their litter. During week six, socializing is the most important skill for kittens to learn as they play with each other and adjust to humans. If a kitten is not socialized to be handled by humans by six weeks, it is a very difficult skill to teach later in life.

Seven to Twelve Weeks

In this time period, the kittens' socializing skills continue to grow. They will play with other kittens and humans, so motive this playful time. Physically, his motor skills will improve and he will start taking on adult sleeping habits. Typical play revolves around skills enforced for hunting prey: hide and seek, jumping, pouncing, and tracking a toy across the room.

Don't forget to get your kitten her first round of shots by week eight. A booster round should follow three to four weeks later. If she has fleas, a topical treatment can be started at eight weeks.

Three to Six Months

During this time of growth, you may turn around one day and your kitten suddenly looks more like a cat. A round kitten may become do without and lithe before gaining his final adult weight. At approximately four months, a kitten will start losing baby teeth and adult teeth will come in. Although it may be a somewhat painful process for the kitten, it provides you with a good opportunity to massage his gums and begin a dental care regime. Throughout these months, continue to feed him kitten food, as he needs the additional nutrients.

Socially, kittens will find their social rank in the house, sometimes challenging the alpha cat and sometimes falling meekly into desire. These tendencies depend on personality and social position. Traditionally, kittens were not spayed or neutered until six months. However, many advocates of early spaying and neutering believe that having the procedure done between three and six months of age is more beneficial to the cat. Read up on the procedure and talk to your veterinarian to decide how to proceed.

Six Months to One Year

This time of development roughly equates to teenager status in human beings. For this reason, your kitten may sometimes rebuff your affections as he tests his boundaries or tries to establish dominance. Like with teenagers, continue to give your kitten unconditional love—but on his terms. As mothers have said for years, he'll grow out of it!

By the end of her first year, a kitten will be almost fully grown and developed, although she will continue to grow for another year. (Some breeds may even not be fully developed until four years of age.) If you have given her love and attention throughout the growing process, you two will enjoy a wonderful relationship for many years!

Be sure to have the camera handy during this time of unequaled growth to capture all different parts of the growing process. Years later, it will be hard to believe the mature, sedate adult cat on your lap was ever a leaping little fur ball!

About the Author

Michael Plante manages a series of sites
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