Persian Kitten Development
From Birth To 12 Weeks Of Age
Birth- Kittens normally weigh in between
3.0 and 3.5 oz. Smaller kittens have lower
chances at survival. And I have found
larger Persian kittens tend to also have
difficult surviving. I believe it is related
to the moms have more difficult birthing
a larger kitten with a larger head, and
that cuts off oxygen level to the brain-
making them loss some of their natural
sucking instincts.
Newborn kittens normally can manage on
their own with the help of mom cat once
they are warm and clean after being birthed.
Warming a kitten should be done naturally
if possibly or under a monitored watch
if a heating pad is used. Heating pads
tend to dehydrate newborns quickly so
only use one during the warming stage
if possible.
Newborns normally began nursing as soon
as they are warm. If you see a newborn
kitten not nursing within a few hours
of birth- it may need your assistant.
If you decide to give the kitten a booster
meal- be very careful not to drown the
kitten by feeding him/her too much too
fast. A few drops is usually adequate-
approx. 1 cc is a full meal.
My best advice to you would be to keep
working with the kitten, placing the mouth
on the nipple and trying to teach the
kitten to feed off mom. Perhaps even express
a little milk if possible.
1 week of age-still try not to handle
the baby too much- most kittens eat and
sleep at this stage around the clock.
A crying kitten means he is either hunger
or something is wrong.
The development of the kitten over the
next 30 days will depend on how well and
how fast the baby nurses on the first
day of life. Usually- a healthy viable
kitten will be seen either nursing or
suckling around the clock the first 36
hours with brief naps time in between.
The following 7 days - you may notice,
kittens don't seem to be nursing as much-
but yet, the meal time is longer. As the
kitten develops and grows- meals increase
in amount required and time between them
lengthens.
Sometimes mom cats forget to eat while
newborns are in the nest- afraid to leave
them long enough to get a good meal in
herself. If this happens- she will begin
to loose weight- and the babies will not
gain properly. If this starts to occur-
add wet food to moms diet- A/D is a good
choice. The opposite tends to happen at
the weaning stage- mom tend to over eat
and then has a very loose stool.
About 10-14 days after birth- eyes will
open. If they are pus filled- express
the puss- clean the area and treat it
with an antibiotic ointment- you can get
this from your vet. Do keep a close eye
on kitten eyes- even before they are open
to avoid infection.
About 3 weeks of age- kittens learn to
sit up ad some are even ready to tackle
climbing gin and out of bed and the litter
box.. Watch your kitten at this age to
insure he doesn't eat litter. Litter is
normally registered about this timeframe.
4th week- they know how to get in and
out of bed and use the litter box. Kitten
area needs to be cleaned more often for
they begin playing with toys and balls
pretty good at this age.
5th week- kittens began to play very
hard and even rough with each other, watch
nails and eyes. Kitten butts are sometime
seem at this age. Kitten butt is where
they get in the litter box and they poop-
but some of it remains on the fur. Sometimes
they sit back into it and you need to
be extra aware to have butts checked daily
and keep them clean.
6th week- first vaccination is due. Check
to verify kitten is healthy first, clear
eyes and check the bite for teeth and
gum issues.
7th week- this is the time to begin teaching
kittens grooming skills, the first bath
can be given at this time (as you can
see from this photo- fur is separating
and a bath is in need)- but do make certain
to dry them completely. During this stage,
kittens will also begin to nurse slightly
less, both mom and kittens may get a loose
stool. And once kittens do begin to eat
reg food, watch the stools even more closely
to avoid pooped butts.
8th week- moms began to teach kitten
socialization skills beginning in the
eight week and going into the 12th week.
First de-worming is given as a precaution.
9th week- second vaccination is due.
Toys are a big pleasure!
10th week- bath 2 is needed to help teach
kitten bath routines. Nails are also clipped.
Second round of de-worming is given as
the final round for precaution.
11 weeks- vet appointment is sch'd to
verify health.
12th week- final bath and nails due.
Final vaccination is also given before
kitten goes to his new home. Paperwork
is gathered.
Try to let mom wean the babies when Mom
a and baby is ready- some breeders wean
at a certain age. Here at Purrinlot, we
believe in mom and baby knows best- for
every kitten, every mom cat, and every
litter is different.
Persian Kitten Resource and References
The author Laura Thomas, http://EzineArticles.com/expert/Laura_Thomas/61498
Laura Thomas is an author and designer
for a better you. More information can
be found at the Castle Baths Web Site-
www.castlebaths.com Her hobbies include
breeding and showing Pedigree Persians
www.purrinlot.com , writing and sharing
inspirational messages.
PERSIAN IMAGE By Nickolas Titkov from
Moscow, Russian Federation
[CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)],
via Wikimedia Commons
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