Why are kittens born with their eyes closed?

Excellent eyesight for a cat is a real weapon that helps in hunting. Many cats, especially indoor ones, retain the ability to see well into old age. But at the same time, babies are born with tightly closed eyes and poor hearing. Very rarely, kittens can be born with their eyes already slightly open.

Over a short period, the eyes of newborn babies begin to open slightly and, as a result, open completely, allowing the kitten to gradually get used to the world around them. Many cat owners who have given birth to offspring worry about small lumps and one of the common questions is “When will the kittens open their eyes?”

Signs of visual impairment

The owner can understand that the pet cannot see anything only when blindness occurs instantly. How can you check for gradual vision loss in a cat?

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Veterinarians recommend paying attention to behavioral manifestations of developing pathology:

preference for passive pastime (sleeping or just lying down) over active games;
reluctance to hunt birds and mice;
nervousness, fearfulness;
unsure movement in a familiar room;
long indecisiveness when exploring a new space, frequent bumping into objects;
replacing former agility, agility, and agility with clumsiness and timidity;
careful gait, no jumping;
an absent-minded, cloudy gaze that cannot fixate on a moving object;
attempts to examine objects with one eye (with one-sided blindness), for which the pet is forced to turn its head each time;
broken mustaches who took on the role of the main coordinator in space.

When keeping a pet that is not accustomed to the street, it is not easy to notice deviations in behavior. The mustachioed pet manages to adapt well to its native walls, remembering the location of pieces of furniture and resting places. Only with cataracts will a cat's impending blindness be revealed by clouding of the pupil.

About problems and the need to call a veterinarian

Don't panic if the kittens' eyes haven't opened within two weeks. Wait another week and then start taking action.

If the kittens’ eyes have not opened 3 weeks after birth, then you need to contact a veterinarian

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Fusion of eyelids

A long absence of eye opening in kittens may indicate fusion of the eyelids. If this problem occurs, the doctor will recommend a light massage. If it does not help, then a simple operation will be required, which is done under local anesthesia. An anesthetic is injected into the corners of the animals' eyes, after which a specialist cuts the eyelid with a sharp scalpel. At the end of the operation, the veterinarian recommends treating the eyes with a special solution (usually a 2% boric acid solution).

Suppuration

When suppuration occurs, the kittens' eyes are washed with tea leaves or medications from the pharmacy - saline solution, boric acid solution, etc. A veterinarian can tell you in detail how to use them. In some cases, he takes the discharge for analysis, thanks to the results of which it is possible to select effective drugs to treat the animal.

Birth of a blind kitten

Kittens are born blind in the full sense of the word quite rarely. If the baby was born blind, then over time his hearing and sense of smell will become well developed, which will allow the kitten to navigate in space and exist separately from its mother. It has been noticed that even the mustache of such animals is noticeably longer than that of their sighted counterparts. If the kitten was born blind, then surgery and treatment will not help.

Eye diseases in cats

Eye diseases in cats are a large group of diseases. Some of them are inflammatory (infectious), some are non-inflammatory (non-infectious).

Conjunctivitis

The most common inflammatory eye disease in cats.

Causes

May occur due to injuries, allergic reactions, foreign bodies, chemicals, infectious diseases, vitamin deficiencies, etc.

Symptoms

Conjunctivitis is indicated by:

milky pale film;
the animal constantly rubs its eye;
discharge from the eyes.

Treatment

Catarrhal conjunctivitis is treated with aqueous solutions of drops of 0.25% chloramphenicol, 10% sodium sulfacyl instilled into the conjunctival cavity, 2-3 drops 3-4 times a day.

For purulent conjunctivitis in a cat, wash the eyes with a solution of furatsilin (1:5000), solutions of antibiotics, sulfonamides. Use tetracycline, erythromycin and other ointments (place 2-3 times a day in the conjunctival cavity). Intramuscular administration of antibiotics is possible.

Conjunctivitis is a contagious disease. It is necessary to isolate the cat from other pets, and after contact with a sick animal, wash your hands thoroughly.

Injuries

The most common eye pathology is non-infectious. It is especially common in cats that go outside. If a family has several pets, then fights between them are possible.

Causes

scratches (claws, hard objects);
falling from a height;
attack by aggressive relatives and dogs;
foreign body entering the eye;
punctures;
bruises;
bites;
lacerations.

Symptoms

redness of the eyes;
tearfulness;
pain syndrome;
swelling;
discharge from the eyes.

Treatment

Treatment comes down to antibiotic therapy, anti-inflammatory and painkillers (ointments, eye drops). In difficult cases, surgery may be required.

Entropion and eversion of eyelids

Causes

Turning inward or turning outward of the edges of the eyelids occurs due to injuries, inflammatory processes, burns, and with a reflex spasm in acute conjunctivitis.

Symptoms

the eyelashes and the edge of the eyelid are turned inward;
wet eyes;
severe lacrimation;
redness of the conjunctiva.

Why don't my cat's pupils react to light?

It is generally accepted that cats' main senses are smell and hearing, but healthy eyes are an equally important factor for cat health. It happens that owners notice extremely dilated pupils in their pet, but when the light is turned on, no reaction occurs.

Dilated pupils may indicate a problem.

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I am a veterinarian in one of the clinics in the city of Gomel (Belarus). I myself am an experienced cat lover, I have two Don Sphynxes. I love these animals very much and they love me back. These are charming cats - Marfa and Petrovna.

When does eye color appear?

For several days after opening, the kitten’s vision organs have a cloudy bluish tint. The baby does not see, but distinguishes between light and darkness. After a week, the delicate pupil begins to adapt, and it becomes easier for the kitten to tolerate bright light. At this age, everyone's eyes are the same color. Individual pigmentation begins to form at 4 weeks of life and becomes noticeably visible after 3 months.

Full vision appears at the age of about a month.

At approximately 3 months, it begins to change based on the breed and color of the animal. For each breed, this period is individual and can fluctuate up or down. The final color of the eyes is formed by six months of the animal’s life. In Siamese kittens it is brightest during adolescence and fades as they grow older.

Why don't kittens' eyes open on time?

Eye opening does not always occur on time for the following reasons:

Conjunctivitis - inflammation of the mucous membrane may begin before opening. In this case, the microbes are transmitted by the mother. The owner is to blame for not vaccinating the cat in a timely manner and feeding it inferior food. The owner is given the opportunity to correct the error. The mother is transferred to super premium food intended for juniors or kittens over a month old. Inflamed organs of vision are washed with Diamond Eyes drops or analogues.
Fusion of the eyelids: the problem can only be resolved by a veterinarian surgically or with the help of therapeutic massage.

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Munchkin

An unusual breed of cat with big eyes. The peculiarity of the animals is that they have short paws, the length of which is almost three times less than that of other cats. It is for this reason that they are called dachshund cats. This feature is the result of a genetic mutation.

Breed Features:

representatives of the Munchkin breed have a cheerful, friendly and cheerful disposition;
they have a remarkable habit - when they want to look at something, they sit on their hips in a comfortable position, while they use their tail to maintain balance;
the body has a flexible spine, and the length of the paws does not affect the mobility and activity of representatives of the cat family.

How long does it take for kittens to open their eyes?

It is impossible to say for sure on what day the eyes open. Everything is very individual. Some babies begin to see sight already on the 5th day after birth. For others, the process is delayed for two or even three weeks. The average period is 10-12 days. There are several factors that determine when kittens begin to see:

breed;
developmental features;
the course of pregnancy in a cat;
living conditions of the cubs.

Kittens with open eyes Interesting fact: post-term babies develop much faster than their peers. Consequently, their eyes open much earlier (sometimes already on the second day after birth).

Do I need to do anything with the eyes while they are closed?

Immediately after birth, babies are very vulnerable to infections, so if the mother cat cannot cope with their hygiene on her own, she needs help. Keep your eyes clean by wiping them with a piece of bandage or soft cloth soaked in tea leaves. You can also use chamomile decoction, a weak solution of furatsilin or potassium permanganate. This simple measure will help avoid inflammation and suppuration even after the eyes have opened.

Particular attention should be paid to the eyes of Persians, exotics, and Britons - due to the proximity of the lacrimal canals to the nose, they are more likely to experience inflammatory processes.

Until the kittens are one month old, they should not be exposed to direct sunlight. To prevent the development of infection, the environment of babies must be kept clean.

First aid at home

If you find purulent discharge in a cat and for some reason cannot immediately contact a veterinarian, then help the pet yourself, using available means. For example, plain warm water may be suitable for removing pus. She needs to moisten a soft cloth, gauze or towel. The wet part is placed on the pet’s closed eye and held in this position for about five minutes.

Afterwards, carefully wipe the eyes. This method will not replace full-fledged treatment, but it will remove the pus and partially relieve the pet from discomfort.

To remove pus, use only a soft, lint-free cloth.

Causes for concern

Like all living beings, cats can develop developmental disorders and develop diseases, some of which are easily eliminated, others cannot be treated. The causes of developmental disorders can be exogenous, that is, acquired under the influence of external factors, or genetic – disorders in the animal’s chromosomes. Unfortunately, in the case of the latter, medicine is powerless, but there are cases where animals with genetic disorders happily lived to old age in a loving family.

If by the 15th day the kitten has not opened its eyes, the cause may be either ordinary conjunctivitis or congenital blindness.

In any case, if you notice alarming symptoms, you need to contact a veterinarian as soon as possible.

Only a specialist can assess the situation and prescribe treatment.

Care is necessary for the eyes of newborn kittens

Diagnostics of visual function

A pet showing signs of low vision should be seen by a veterinary ophthalmologist. Visual inspection is carried out using special optical instruments with magnification and lighting functions. Such diagnostics will allow:

determine whether the cat’s pupil reacts to light;
check the transparency of the lens;
notice changes in the optic nerve.

More complex methods - video ophthalmoscopy and electroretinography - will make it possible to diagnose the condition of the retina and identify degenerative processes occurring in it. Using tonometry, glaucoma is detected or excluded.

An ultrasound of the eyeball is prescribed to determine the position of the lens, a detailed examination of the retina, and detect tumors in the vitreous body. Sometimes, to obtain a picture of brain tissue and identify inflammatory processes in the internal structures of the eye, MRI is used.

Biochemical and laboratory tests of blood and urine complete the clinical picture. On their basis, chronic internal diseases such as renal failure, diabetes mellitus and other pathologies associated with blindness are diagnosed.

Causes of blindness

Veterinary statistics note: in 90-95% of cases, vision loss in cats is acquired. The main risk factors leading to blindness:

injuries that damage the tissues of the orbit;
ophthalmic tumors;
defects in the development of the optical system of the eye, the most dangerous of which are glaucoma (occurs due to excessive intraocular pressure) and cataracts (manifested by clouding of the natural lens - the lens due to impaired metabolism, infectious diseases, uncontrolled use of drugs);
retinal detachment, often caused by heredity;
inflammation of the cornea (keratitis), blood vessels (uveitis), nerves (neuritis);
damage to the organs of vision by chlamydia - the simplest microorganisms of urogenital nature;
pathologies and brain injuries that can lead to disruption of connections between the central nervous system and eye receptors;
diabetes mellitus, leading to many degenerative consequences, including low vision or complete loss of visual function;
vitamin deficiency, often observed in weakened, malnourished individuals;
old age, at which many cats with a low level of immunity become blind.

In some pathological conditions - strokes, injuries - blindness can occur at lightning speed. With others - diabetic cataracts, glaucoma, retinal atrophy, ocular neuritis - visual acuity is gradually lost. In the latter case, the animal has time to get used to and adapt to low vision and blindness. Other sense organs come to the aid of the eyes - ears, nose, whiskers.

Features of breeds

The breed of cat also affects the time when kittens first open their eyes:

In this series, the “foremost” are the sphinxes. Their cubs may already be born with open eyelids. As a rule, representatives of this breed begin to see clearly on the third day.
Thai and Siamese babies gain sight between the third and sixth days of their stay in this world.
In Siberian cats, the process begins 5-7 days after birth.
During this period, Persians also become sighted.
British babies are helpless until the 6th day of their life, and sometimes longer.
Oriental cats also gain vision on the 6th day.
The original record holders in this area are ragdolls, whose eyelids become unstuck no earlier than three weeks of age.
Scottish “fluffies” begin to open their eyes on the fifth to eighth day, finally gaining sight only on the 14th day.

Interestingly, according to statistics, girls acquire vision earlier than boys, and representatives of long-haired breeds lag behind short-haired and hairless cats.

Also, often the eyes of the first kitten born open earlier than the others.

The entire process of opening the eyelids does not occur in one day, taking up to three days.

Scottish kitten

The opening begins from the inside of the eye. First, a small gap is formed, which gradually increases and reveals to the world a dull blue iris.

But that is not all. Only after 5-10 days will babies gain the ability to see the outlines of objects. Therefore, for the first time after opening the eyelids, it is important to ensure that the kittens stay in a semi-dark place. Otherwise, the bright light may damage the developing pupils.

It is important to know how many days it takes for kittens to open their eyes. This will help you take timely action if deviations are detected.

The main symptoms of the disorder are the absence of the first signs of opening the eyes after 10-12 days. Particular attention should be paid to suspicious discharge from under closed eyelids in the form of mucus or pus. If they are present, you must urgently contact a specialist.

If obvious traces of inflammation are not found, then you just need to wait a few days. Perhaps the reason for the delay is one of the factors listed above, and soon the baby will look at this world with wide open eyes.

The birth of kittens is always a very responsible and difficult time, especially for novice breeders with little experience. In particular, they have no idea when the kittens' eyes open, and therefore often begin to panic if the pets remain blind for a couple of days after birth. On the contrary, beginners often do not show kittens on time, even if they have obvious eye problems.

Overcoming blindness from birth

A creature born without visual function or blinded early needs constant care. In an urban environment, it is not difficult to provide such care, especially since the kitten quickly gets used to a familiar environment.

It is important to rearrange furniture in the apartment less often. Free walking of the pet is also excluded

A tailed disabled person should exercise only with the owner guiding him with a leash.

Such a companion will follow the person always and everywhere, like a devoted dog. A blind pet's excellent hearing will allow it to instantly respond to its owner's voice. A blind animal will not refuse toys equipped with sound signals.

Blindness in cats is most often an acquired defect. Its occurrence can be judged by a change in disoriented behavior or a clouded look. Modern ophthalmological examination methods will allow you to confirm the diagnosis.

Accurate identification of the cause of the pathology increases the chances of vision restoration.

However, for pet purrs, blindness is not a death sentence. Owners will not have any special problems if they follow the rules for caring for a disabled pet.

Puppies lack two senses at birth: sight and hearing. It takes at least 10 days, and sometimes several weeks, for their development. Although the lack of vision and hearing may seem strange to you and me, puppies develop in a manner that is evolutionary and beneficial to their species. But why does this happen? And when do puppies' eyes open?

First aid

If the owner has not previously helped the pet in this process, then he may consider a completely alive and simply inactive baby to be dead.

Often a provocateur for the fact that small kittens have died is the fact of inexperience or illiteracy of the owner of the giving birth pet. Sometimes a person is not able to distinguish between the presence and absence of signs of life in a baby. Newborn kittens may not move or meow, causing the owner to decide that the baby is dead

To prevent a cat from giving birth to stillborn kittens, it is important to ensure safe gestation conditions, contact a veterinarian for assistance during childbirth, and also be able to provide first aid to newborn babies.

The algorithm of actions is as follows:

Remove the baby from the hymen, allowing it to breathe.
You can pinch the umbilical cord with your fingers, at a distance of 2 cm from the tummy, and cut it off with sterile scissors.
Wash the wound with an antiseptic.
Free the mouth and nose from mucus using a small syringe, and then turn the head down.
Help the kitten breathe by breathing “mouth to mouth” according to the rules:
insert into baby's mouth;
blow in a little air every 3-5 seconds.

To cut the umbilical cord, you must use a sterile instrument.

Usually, the mother cat frees the hymen by licking the lumps that appear. But, if this is not possible (the pet has abandoned the baby or is busy giving birth to other kittens), you can imitate the mother’s movements. To do this, wrap your finger in a napkin and do a light massage: from the forehead to the back, from the tail to the neck and along the area from the throat to the tail on the stomach. Some breeders use ammonia to revive it by placing a piece of cotton wool soaked in a small amount of solution to the spout. Trying to bring a baby back to life if it smells bad initially is not advisable, since the newborn kitten died in the womb.

In this situation, baby massage can be effective.

Eye care

Newborn kittens have virtually no immunity, so their eyes, in particular, are at risk. Therefore, it is recommended to help the cat care for the babies. While the eyes remain closed, you can wipe them with a soft towel dipped in chamomile infusion or a light solution of furatsilin.

Attentive attitude, as well as knowledge of how long it takes for kittens to open their eyes and what can affect this, allows the owner to track pathologies at an early stage, and, if possible, eliminate the causes of the problems by consulting a doctor.

When do kittens' eyes open after birth?

The first seven days for babies are spent in silence and darkness. During this period, babies should eat and sleep. To do this, they must not see or hear anything. On average, the opening of the eyes occurs in the second week of life. However, most cat breeds were bred by humans with specified properties, so the timing of eye opening and other development criteria changed along with the genotype.

Regardless of the breed, the following patterns exist regarding the timing of maturation:

the kitten born first opens its eyes earlier than others;
in animals with short hair, the eyes open earlier than in long-haired animals;
kitties gain sight faster than seals;
kittens from older cats open their eyes earlier;
There is an inverse relationship between the duration of pregnancy and the timing of maturation of the cubs.

How to train to go to the litter box?

If your baby lives indoors, he may not understand where to defecate. You should purchase an open, spacious toilet with high sides. To teach your baby to go to the litter box, you can purchase paper, wood or grass litter with small granules. They have a natural scent and will attract the cub. The kitten should be prohibited from playing in the basin, otherwise it will perceive the toilet as a place of entertainment. It is better to bring it often after each feeding and leave it for a few minutes. If it refuses, take it out and put it back in after a short period of time. If you mark the baby indoors, you need to scoop up his droppings, take them to the tray and place the kitten next to him. When keeping cats in a private house on several floors, you need to place trays on each floor, in several places. The toilet itself must be kept clean.

Why are kittens born blind?

A mother cat bears 2–8 cubs at once. A normal cat pregnancy lasts eight to ten weeks. Of course, the animal cannot carry such a number of kittens for a long time, which is why the kittens are born blind, and they learn to navigate in space and find their mother’s nipples by smell.

Newborn kittens are blind, they are also deaf and completely dependent on their mother cat.

After birth, kittens are deaf, cannot regulate body temperature, or empty their bladder and intestines on their own. Therefore, in the first days of life, babies are completely dependent on the mother cat.

Can a kitten be born with open eyes?

If the mother carried the cubs, then the early opening of the eyes can be called a natural process. But if the kittens were born with their eyes open, then it is better to show the babies to a veterinarian, who will determine whether their physiological development has completed. When this is not completed, he will prescribe special saline solutions to wet the eyes until the kittens begin to produce tears on their own (usually by two weeks of age). In addition, if necessary, you can use antibiotic ointments (for example, tetracycline ophthalmic ointment 1%). It is also important to ensure that the kitten is in a dark place, because bright light will be harmful to the eyes.

You can try to connect the eyelids with adhesive tape, so that the kitten's eye is closed with eyelids, as is the case in its natural state. Then the eyes will be properly moistened with tears.

It is imperative to care for the kittens at this time, since if there is no action on the part of the owner, they can go blind.

A kitten can be born with open eyes due to developmental anomalies, or in the absence of any abnormalities

It happens that the eyes of newborn kittens are open due to a congenital genetic anomaly. Unfortunately, in this case the animals are considered non-viable.

Toilet for newborn kittens

Kittens can be quite easily taught to use litter trays even before they are weaned from their mother, so you can and should start taking care of this as early as possible. Typically, a newborn kitten's eyes open 10 days after birth, and from that moment they begin to move around the nest quite actively. If the kittens are with the cat, then she herself will push them to the toilet (which, by the way, should be as close to the shelter as possible during this period) and will show and tell them what to do.

If there is no cat, you will have to help the kitten yourself. Until the kitten is at least three weeks old, its toilet needs to be organized at every feeding. This is done in stages:

First, gently wipe the kitten’s body with a hard cloth slightly moistened in warm water (linen is best), imitating licking by a mother cat. During the “bath procedure,” gently massage your baby’s belly to improve digestion. Then give a light massage to the inner parts of the kitten's thighs - in places as close as possible to the urethra. This is very important, because the kitten needs to be induced to urinate for the first time as early as possible! If you do everything correctly and carefully, you don’t have to be afraid of any complications. As a rule, newborn kittens have regular bowel movements (with proper feeding and care) once every 2-3 days

Urination, of course, should be more frequent. If a newborn kitten does not poop, try to feed it a variety of purees and cereals rather than solid food, which is easy to do if you crush the usual product by mixing it with a small amount of warm water. And don't forget to massage your tummy. This will make bowel movements more regular

If you do everything correctly and carefully, you don’t have to worry about any complications. As a rule, newborn kittens have regular bowel movements (with proper feeding and care) once every 2-3 days

Make sure your kitten doesn't eat the litter! This is extremely dangerous for the baby's health. Most litters contain harmful chemicals, and litter stained with feces is a source of infection.

What determines the timing of eye opening in kittens?

The time it takes for babies to open their eyes is influenced by many factors.

Breed

It is genetically determined that in kittens of different breeds, the opening of the eyes takes a different period of time:

Newborn Ragdolls are characterized by extremely slow development of their visual organs - pets begin to see in the 3rd week of life and later.
Maine Coons begin to see sight 14-16 days after birth.
Cubs of Siberian breed pets open their eyes at 12-17 days, just like British ones.
Small Cornish Rex can see at 5-7 days.
Kittens of Siamese, Abyssinian and Sphynx breeds are sometimes born with open eyelids and vision becomes focused by 3-4 days.
Scottish Fold, British and Bengal newborns begin to see 7-9 days after birth.
Kittens of short-haired breeds develop faster than long-haired ones.

In female kittens, the process of opening their eyes is faster than in males. In addition, the stronger and more active the kitten, the sooner they will open. It is useful to hold babies in your hands or stroke them. The cat begins to lick the offspring more intensely and more often to get rid of foreign odors, thereby accelerating the development process of the kittens.

Date of birth

The period of gestation of babies affects the speed of their development after birth.

The longer a cat carries offspring, the faster the newborns open their eyelids, the higher the likelihood of them being born with open ones. In this case, it is necessary to pay special attention to moisturizing the membranes of the eye, otherwise the development of diseases is likely.

Health status

Healthy babies who have enough nutrients and are well-groomed open their eyes much earlier than those whose condition is worse. Viruses and the presence of congenital pathologies slow down the development process.

Why with open

When puppies open their eyes after birth

Most often, only sphinxes can be born with open eyes; in other cases, the birth of babies with open eyes is the result of a disorder during pregnancy. It looks a little strange or even scary, but you shouldn’t immediately rush into panic or sign the little ones’ death warrant. In this case, you need to move the cat with the litter to a dark place and protect the delicate tissues of the eyes from mechanical damage and light for two weeks, since small kittens do not yet know how to blink. You can even trim the claws of littermates so that they don’t accidentally scratch such a baby’s eyes. After fourteen days, eye formation will return to normal, and the baby will grow up sighted and healthy. If the situation has not improved or even worsened, then it is necessary to urgently contact a veterinarian, as vision-threatening diseases leading to complete blindness are possible.

To moisturize the cornea, it is best to use a special gel “Vidisik” (sold in a regular pharmacy). The application scheme is simple: wipe the kitten’s eye with a sterile napkin, apply one drop of gel and gently massage the eye (carefully place two fingers on the edge of the lower eyelid and move in a circular motion to the other side), and then repeat the above algorithm with the other eye. It will be enough to carry out this procedure three times a day to maintain an appropriate level of humidity. Sometimes breeders recommend covering the baby's eyelids with an adhesive plaster, but this may not always help. It is enough just to keep the vulnerable cornea from the harmful effects of bright light and keep it from drying out, and then the visual organs themselves will begin to form as they should.

When kittens open their eyes

Veterinary experts say that the average time it takes for kittens to open their eyes is from 5 to 18 days. The process of opening the eyes is not abrupt, but gradual. At the initial stages, a small gap appears, allowing you to analyze the brightness of the light flux, then the pupil adapts.

After birth, the nervous system of cats is also not fully formed, so the speed of impulses along the nerve fibers is slightly inhibited, which causes immobility of the pupils in babies. The timing of eye opening in babies depends on several factors:

Age of the mother cat. Young cats giving birth for the first time, as well as old animals, give birth to weakened offspring. Kittens born from a weak mother develop more slowly, open their eyes later, gain weight poorly and have a low immune status. Kittens born from a healthy cat open their eyes faster and grow stronger.
Duration of the gestation period for kittens. The average gestation period for a cat is 60-62 days. Premature kittens born prematurely may be quite viable, but their development continues after birth, so these babies open their eyes much later.
Gender. It has been proven that girls begin to open their eyes 1-2 days earlier than their brothers.
Breed predisposition. Cats with long hair begin to open their eyes later than their relatives who have naturally short hair. Animals of hairless breeds may be born with their eyes already slightly open.

Owners of newborn kittens should know that all babies in the first days after opening their eyes have a gray-blue iris color. This period is characterized by the fact that animals see everything blurry, without the ability to clearly focus on an object. But they are able to distinguish between light and darkness and the size of an object.

The permanent eye color in cats is formed only by the 3rd month, but it is possible to accurately say the eye color of kittens only six months after their birth.

What breeds of cats do kittens open their eyes when?

Pedigree cats carry pregnancies differently, and their kittens, in turn, are born with their own characteristics. The timing of eye opening will depend on the breed. First on the list are Maine Coon cats. These big cats are also babies when they are. In adulthood, the weight of the animal reaches more than 10 kg. But children lag behind their peers in development, especially mongrel kittens. The body of a purebred kitten requires more time to develop and grow. For the first time, Maine Coon kittens open their eyes no earlier than 2 weeks after birth.

Bobtail kittens are also characterized by a long process of opening their eyes. Short-tailed babies begin to open their eyes 1.5-2 weeks after birth.

Hairless Sphynx cats, on the contrary, are characterized by rapid development, opening their eyes after birth on the 3-4th day, sometimes on 2. The eyes of Siamese kittens also open quickly.

Fluffy beauties - Scottish cats and Persians, lag behind their relatives in development, opening their eyes 10-12 days after birth. Vision formation occurs completely on days 8-10.

But the real record holders for the duration of eye opening are ragdoll kittens. The mother cat does not leave her offspring for at least 2 weeks. Babies begin to open their eyes 2.5 weeks after birth.

How kittens develop further

Kittens usually develop their baby teeth at three weeks of age. A nursing cat may no longer be able to provide milk to her offspring, and the kittens should be gradually transferred to adult food, as well as litter box training should begin.

A four-week-old kitten weighs up to half a kilogram, is active in exploring the world through play, and can wash itself. At this age, the first prevention of parasites can be carried out.

It is very important to hold the cat in your arms so that it gets used to people and communication.

Since babies, like children, explore boundaries during this period, try not to get bitten or scratched hands while playing, otherwise this pattern of behavior will be left in the kitten, and in the future there may be problems with the manifestation of predator instincts towards humans. It is better to use strings, candy wrappers, and special toys for playing.

At 7-9 weeks, kittens' eye color changes, they can purr and try to explore all the most inaccessible places, so you need to pay attention to safety. The immune system has already developed, and the baby can receive its first vaccinations. Animals accustomed to the tray begin to look for their own toilet.

By three months, the kitten’s weight reaches approximately one and a half kilograms. Energy is in full swing and, being predators by nature, babies often play at night. In the fourth or fifth month, baby teeth fall out and permanent teeth grow in their place: first the incisors, then the canines. Inappropriate objects may get caught on the tooth, so you need to make sure that there is nothing to injure the kitten: you should limit access to hard, sharp objects, as well as to wires.

From the fourth to the ninth month of life - this period is individual for everyone - kittens enter puberty, their mood and character may change. And at this time, the owner can consult a doctor about the timing of sterilization; this usually occurs between the 9th and 15th month of life, depending on the breed and other factors.