Kitten development
From birth to leaving for its family
The big milestones of growth, week after week.
- Eyes shut, ear canals closed
- Umbilical cord until ~5 days
- Suckles and sleeps, guided by smell
- Eyes still shut, opening around days 8–12
- Cord fallen
- Moves by crawling
- Eyes open, irises a milky blue
- Ears still small and rounded
- No teeth
Brontëat 24 days- Incisors breaking through
- Ears upright
- First hesitant steps, discovering the litter tray
- Canines breaking through
- Clear sight, confident walk
- First games with littermates
Brontëat 33 days- Premolars breaking through
- Weaning begins: kitten wet food
- Runs, climbs, explores
- Full set of milk teeth
- The definitive eye colour settles in
- Litter tray mastered, active socialisation
Brontëat 48 days- As playful and coordinated as an adult
- Food weaning complete
- Mask markings well drawn
Bijouat 54 days- First vaccination (panleukopenia, cat flu)
- Microchip identification
- Character well asserted
- Vaccination booster done
- Perfectly socialised and litter-trained
- Ready to join its family
Early weaning
Why a kitten does not leave at 8 weeks
French law allows a kitten to be sold or given away from 8 weeks. That is a minimum, not an ideal age. At 8 weeks, food weaning is done; social weaning is only just beginning. It is between 8 and 12 weeks, with its mother and littermates, that a kitten learns to control its bite and to cope with frustration.
A large Finnish study of nearly 6,000 cats measured it: cats weaned before 8 weeks show more aggression and more repetitive behaviours, such as wool sucking or excessive grooming. Those who stayed with their mother until 14 weeks show fewer. The researchers recommend delaying weaning by at least two weeks beyond the usual 12 weeks.
Suckling that never stops
A cat separated from its mother too early often keeps the urge to suckle: it sucks a jumper, a blanket, or its human’s neck or chin, kneading and purring. It is not hunger, it is a soothing gesture left unfinished. Most of the time it is harmless; it becomes a problem when the cat swallows the fabric it sucks.
With us, kittens leave between 12 and 16 weeks, never earlier, even when they have long been eating on their own.
Source: Ahola, Vapalahti and Lohi, “Early weaning increases aggression and stereotypic behaviour in cats”, Scientific Reports, 2017 (PubMed ↗) · University of Helsinki ↗.