Determining a kitten’s age isn’t hard, but it can require you to do a little detective work. Here’s how to figure out a kitten’s age from newborn to one year old.
Knowing how old your kitten is can be important if you want to be sure you are providing your pet with age-appropriate care and nutrients. According to Carlene Strandell, Director and Founder of Smitten with Kittens, a non-profit, foster-based kitten rescue that operates in Tallahassee, Fla., you can tell the age of a kitten by looking at his eyes, ears, teeth, weight, and how he moves.
Newborn Kitten
Ears: Folded against head
Eyes: Closed
Teeth: Toothless; While nothing beats milk from mama cat, if she isn’t in the picture, he may need you to step in to bottle feed him with formula.
Movement: Slight wiggling
Weight: 3 to 7 ounces
Age 3 to 10 Days
Ears: Will begin to unfold
Eyes: Start to open from 7 to 10 days; eyesight is unfocused
Movement: Start to crawl at about 7 days
Weight: 5 to 10 ounces
Age 10 to 14 Days
Ears: Erect
Eyes: Will be open, although they won’t be able to dilate. All kittens will have blue eyes at this age.
Movement: Kittens will snuggle together
Weight: 8 to 14 ounces
Four to Six Weeks Old
Teeth: Canine teeth and premolars start to show
Movement: Kittens begin to play with each other. Self-grooming also begins at this age. Weaning starts at this age as kittens begin to eat solid food.
Weight: 12 ounces to 2 pounds
Three Weeks Old
Ears: A kitten’s ear canals will be completely open and the animal may startle with loud noises.
Teeth: Incisors begin to show
Movement: They walk with purpose
Weight: 10 ounces to 1.1 pounds
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Six Weeks Old
Eyes: Change from blue to their permanent adult color
Teeth: All baby teeth are now in place and your pet will be eating solid food almost completely.
Weight: 1 to 2 pounds
Nine Weeks to Six Months
Teeth: Once your kitten is between three and four months old, adult teeth will start to push out the baby teeth. By the time he’s six to seven months old, all of his adult teeth should be in place.
Weight: Until he’s five months old, most kittens gain one pound every month. Therefore, a four-pound kitten is probably four months old. Until they are 12 months old, kittens eat solid food designed for their growing needs.
Eight Weeks Old
By this age, your kitten should look like a miniature version of an adult cat.
Weight: 1.4 pounds to 2 pounds
One Year Old
At this age, your kitten is considered an adult cat because he will be fully grown and have a full set of adult teeth. Your cat may gain some additional weight as he grows older, but at this time he should be fed adult cat food.
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