Check Table of Contents
- Kitten come with Blue Eyes
- Kittens are Born Blind and Deaf
- Kittens have a Strong Sense of Smell
- Kittens cannot go to the Bathroom Without Help
- Kittens are Right or Left-Pawed
- Kittens are Amazingly Easy to Potty-Train
- Kittens Love to Sleep
- Kittens Need to Feed Every 2-3 Hours
- Kittens Cannot Self-Regulate their Temperatures
Kittens are the most loveable creatures on earth. The tiny toes, the big eyes, the affectionate spirit, on and on. Well, how would anyone resist these little, soft and playful creatures? The minute they’re born, they have our hearts. All you wanna do is play and snuggle with these lovely creatures.
To know more about these amazing friends, here are 9 fun kitten facts for kids.
By Lilian Murage.
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Kitten come with Blue Eyes
Did you know kittens are born with blue eyes? Now you know. Kittens come to the world with blue eyes.
You’re probably wondering “Why the Blue color?”
Well, the blue color comes down to melanin. The melanin pigment determines the color of the kitten’s fur and eyes.
When the kitten has higher levels of melanin, their eyes have darker colors – such as copper.
While some kittens retail the blue color for their lifetime, – like Siamese and Himalayan Persian breeds – most change color before their first birthday.
After a year, most kittens have developed their permanent eye color.
Kittens are Born Blind and Deaf
Just like puppies and many other mammals, kittens are born with their eyelids and ear canals closed.
They are deaf, blind and completely helpless.
Kittens get to open their eyes after a week. However, after a week, their vision is so blurry, they only wiggle around.
They are still wholly dependent on their mommy for survival. It is only after 2 weeks that these lovely kittens get to see and hear clearly.
For the kitten’s ear canals, they open by the third week, although it takes time for the outer ear to form its final shape.
- The kittens can recognize sounds of other animals within a week.
- By the 25th day, the kittens can differentiate the sounds of different animals.
Kittens have a Strong Sense of Smell
You know what?
Kittens have a sense of smell that’s 14 times stronger than yours!
The high sense of smell comes from the extra smell organ called the vomeronasal organ.
Because the kittens are born deaf and blind, the sense of smell compensates for their security by helping them find their mom through smell.
Fortunately, by the time they’re 4 weeks, the kitten’s sense of smell is fully developed.
Now that you know, it is advisable that you watch out for unfamiliar scents around you or your kitten’s environment.
Kittens cannot go to the Bathroom Without Help
It’s getting gross here, but we have to do this. Right?
It’s time you knew that your favorite kitten cannot pee or poop without its mama’s help, or better still, your help.
Have you noted how the mommy licks the kitten’s stomach at the rear end after nursing them?
Sure, the mommy loves to keep her kitten clean, but this type of licking is a form of massage to help the babies pass the urine and poop.
If the kitten’s mama is not around, you can step in and give your kittens some gentle massage using a soft cotton ball.
Kittens are Right or Left-Pawed
Did you think that only humans are either left- or right-handed?
Unfortunately, you’re wrong. Even your favorite kitten is either left- or right-pawed.
Interestingly, unlike humans who have a 90% chance of being right-handed and 10% left-handed, kittens have equal chances of being left- or right-pawed.
Some scientists found that female kittens are more often right-pawed while male kittens are more often left-pawed. However, there is really no explanation for this – it could be just a coincidence.
If you’d like to know which paw your cat prefers, all you need to do is be very observant.
You could check out the paw its uses first as it climbs the stairs, steps into the litter box, etc.
Kittens are Amazingly Easy to Potty-Train
Unlike puppies, kittens learn how to use the potty faster.
When I was potty-training my lovely kitten a year back, all I did was place them in the litter box and let them go on with their business.
They always figure out for themselves. Isn’t that easy?
By the time they’re 8 weeks old, most (not all) kittens are already efficient in the litterbox
Kittens Love to Sleep
I get it, you want to snuggle your kitten every minute. These amazing creatures are so loveable. Right? Well, give them some time to sleep. As much as you can.
Kittens are dozing 22 hours a day, although as they mature and leave the newborn stage, they could sleep around 16-20 hours.
Kittens are still developing; this sleep is very important for the development of their brains.
It is also important for their muscles and bones to strengthen.
Therefore, if you recently got a kitten, always remember that the younger the kitten, the more sleep they require.
Kittens Need to Feed Every 2-3 Hours
Newborn kittens get all their nutrition from the mom’s milk.
However, if you find yourself hand-rearing a newborn kitten, then you will need some special kitten formula milk.
You will need to bottle feed the kitten every 2-3 hours for the first 4 weeks of life.
As the kitten turns a month old, you can start weaning it with little solid food mixed with milk. Feed them milk 4 times day.
As they take more solid foods, their demand for milk will reduce.
To assess whether your kitten is feeding as it should, you can weigh it daily (at the same time). They should gain about 14grams per day.
Kittens Cannot Self-Regulate their Temperatures
Newborn kittens are very delicate, and one thing that makes them so vulnerable is that they cannot regulate their body temperatures. Therefore, it is important that you know how to keep the kitten warm.
One of the things you should do to ensure your kitten is warm is letting them snuggle up with mom and their siblings.
If you’re taking care of an abandoned newborn kitten, you could use a pet safe heating pad on low setting covered with clean soft fabric.
Photo by congerdesign