Newborn kittens: photos of how they develop. How to distinguish newborn kittens by gender

• April 19, 2019
• Cats
• Svetlana Funtova

Even breeders with many years of experience are not always able to confidently determine the sex of newborn kittens (photos of babies can be seen in the article). The fact is that in newly born babies, gender differences are rather weakly expressed. However, if finding out the gender of a kitten is an urgent matter, you can do this using one of the methods listed below.

At what age can you tell the difference between genders based on behavior?

Newborn kittens, photos of which can be seen in the article, are no different from each other in terms of characteristic manifestation. They are all cheerful, active, mobile, and develop equally. In some cases, males may weigh more. This is especially noticeable in representatives of large breeds, such as Scottish Folds (photos of newborn kittens are presented below).

It is easy to determine the sex of a pet by behavior at an older age, when its character is formed, puberty sets in, and it becomes accustomed to the environment. This happens at 5-7 months of life. It is enough to observe the animal for some time for everything to become clear:

1. Cats are more active and independent. They are not so much interested in family members as in hunting and protecting their own territory. They are fond of playing with small objects and love to watch moving objects outside the window. If another pet appears in the house, the cat will jealously fight for its territory. Among other things, female cats are distinguished by great cleanliness and constantly lick their fur.
2. Cats behave differently. They make more contact with people, are friendly and affectionate. Most often, males are lazy; they like to bask in the sun or sleep in a soft bed. However, representatives of some breeds are playful.

When the moment of mating comes, cats mark the territory, which cannot go unnoticed due to the unpleasant smell. The animal's character changes dramatically and, if you don't let it go for a walk, it can scratch or bite its owner. In turn, cats emit loud screams at any time of the day or night, while becoming more affectionate.

How to feed a kitten from birth to one year

When puppies open their eyes after birth

Feeding kittens plays a vital role in their development. Their health depends on it. In the first three days after birth, babies feed on maternal colostrum, then from the 3rd day of life until 2-2.5 months - breast milk.

At 4–5 months, babies are fed five times a day

Complementary foods should be introduced closer to 1 month. It is best to give babies special food for kittens. It is advisable to choose premium and super-premium food or food from the holistic group. Children's meat pates, cottage cheese, and lean boiled meat, which needs to be finely chopped, are well suited as first complementary foods. At 5 weeks, a kitten needs 100–150 g of food per day.

Two-month-old kittens should be given 2-3 pouches per day, as well as a bowl of dry food. They should have six meals a day; if necessary, the frequency of feeding is increased to 7 times a day.

Important! The kitten must drink fresh, clean water, so you need to place a drinking cup next to the bowl.

At 8 months, cats can be sterilized

You need to know well what to feed a 3-month-old kitten: homemade food should be carefully selected. You cannot feed animals regular food from the human table. From natural products, finely chopped boiled turkey, chicken, and beef are suitable.

You should not give your kids fatty meats, pork, lard, or smoked meats. In addition, the diet should not consist only of meat. Kittens need to be offered porridge: buckwheat, semolina, rice, as well as boiled vegetables: carrots, broccoli, zucchini, beets, cabbage. Small cats love low-fat or low-fat dairy products: cottage cheese, sour cream, cream, fermented baked milk. Once a week you can give your kids a boiled egg or some lean boiled fish: cod, haddock, hake.

Having remembered what to feed a three-month-old kitten, you need to learn the list of prohibited foods:

• cow's milk;
• fish and meat with bones;
• smoked, salted, fried foods;
• sweets, baked goods;
• grapes, raisins, potatoes, legumes;
• food from the table.

When choosing what to feed a 3-month-old kitten, you need to decide on the type of diet: natural food or special food. To do this, you need to contact a veterinarian.

It is best to feed kittens wet food in pouches. An additional recipe is known: dry food is poured with boiled water.

The health of the kitten and its entire future life depend on proper nutrition.

Kittens under 3 months old should not be separated from their mother.

Watching kittens grow is very pleasant and joyful. But this is also a very responsible activity, because it will help keep the kids healthy.

How to find out gender at a very early age by external signs

It is easiest to determine the sex of a newborn pet (see photos of kittens in the article) immediately after its birth. The fur at this time is still wet and has not straightened out completely. When the baby becomes furry, it becomes more difficult to determine gender.

Newborn kittens (owners often keep photos of funny babies in albums) have two excretory canals under their tails. The first is for the exit from the rectum, the second is for the exit of the urinary system.

First, you should carefully consider how they are located on the kitten. The distance between these exits in cats is about one centimeter. This is where the pet's scrotum is located. In a female, this value does not exceed three millimeters. These holes differ in shape among different sexes. In cats they are elongated, in males they are round or oval. Simply put, you can see a pronounced “colon” ​​under the male’s tail, while the female has something similar to an inverted exclamation point.

At 10 days of age, cats experience hair growth between the anal and genital openings. In cats, this area is practically devoid of hair. If the pet is a furry breed, it will be quite difficult to determine its gender based on this characteristic, since every day the fur covers the excretory canals more and more.

Why monitor the development of newborn kittens?

Knowing how a kitten grows and what skills it should acquire by a specific age, you can monitor your own pet. If you notice a deviation from the norm in any indicators in time, it is quite possible to eliminate it in the early stages of the problem.

The stages of growth and development of furry babies, from the moment of birth to one year, are associated with certain patterns. At the same time, each kitten is individual in its own way. Despite the fact that they go through the same stages of growing up, day by day and month by month. But they are all so different that it is impossible not to notice it even among the offspring of the same mother cat.

So, it should be noted that the first three months of a kitten’s life pass quite quickly for him. He is growing up quickly and gaining weight. This period is decisive in its further existence and development. Having overcome a kind of “critical” age threshold, most likely, everything will be fine in the future.

What should owners be wary of?

Care and attention are the most important things kittens need at this age. It is important not to miss the following points in the condition of a kitten up to 3 months:

• does not gain weight well;
• sleeps separately from the nursing cat and the rest of the litter of kittens;
• looks noticeably weaker than them;
• his mother ignores him;
• the kitten often experiences vomiting and diarrhea;
• discharge from the eyes, nose, anus.

If kittens have at least one of the above signs of pathology, they must be urgently shown to a specialist.

How to find out the gender of an animal older than a month

At this time, the genitals of pets are already more pronounced. In cats you can find the foreskin and testicles, in females you can find the anus and a narrow slit. Before deciding on the choice of a pet of a specific gender, they look under the tail to determine it.

The use of this method for recognizing the gender of a newborn kitten (photos of babies are presented in the article) is considered the most reliable. The probability of correct identification is 90%.

How to hold a kitten

To avoid injury and stress in the newborn, a visual inspection is carried out as follows:

1. The kitten is taken in the palm of your hand and warmed up for several minutes, allowing it to calm down.
2. Then carefully transfer it to a dry, soft surface on the tummy or back.
3. Then they carefully lift or move the tail to the side and examine the genitals.

If you scratch or massage the animal's rump a little, it will instinctively raise its tail. You should not disturb the kittens by carrying out this procedure if their mother is restless, otherwise she will begin to drag the babies from place to place, trying to cover them. If it was not possible to immediately determine the gender, it is better to try again the next day. Kittens quickly become hypothermic without maternal warmth, so examination should be done as quickly as possible. As a last resort, the genitals can be photographed, and then the gender can be determined without haste. You can see what newborn kittens look like in the photo below.

What not to do

Photos of newborn fold-eared kittens are touching pictures that you can look at endlessly. Despite this, there is no need to disturb the kids again. You should also follow some rules:

1. You should not tear your pet away from its mother while feeding.
2. You cannot lift a kitten by its tail.
3. If possible, you should try not to touch the babies until they reach three weeks of age. Some cats, sensing a foreign smell, abandon the baby.
4. It is prohibited to put pressure on the genital area during the examination.

We recognize affiliation by face and DNA

You can recognize the sex of newborn fold-eared kittens (photos of these fluffy pets are presented below) by carefully examining their face and body. This method is more suitable for experienced owners. Those who are dealing with representatives of the feline family for the first time may make a mistake.

Females have a more elegant, elongated and narrowed muzzle. In turn, cats are endowed with a large head and a muscular body. The disadvantage of this method is that it is only possible to determine sex in adult cats, when the characteristic features are more pronounced.

Modern medicine makes it possible to accurately determine the sex of kittens at any age using a DNA test. Conducting this research will require significant financial expenses. However, if the animal has reached three months of age since birth, there is no need for testing.

The study can be carried out in a veterinary clinic equipped with appropriate equipment. The DNA testing method is used primarily by owners of breeding animals who breed and sell them. During the test, a sample is taken from the inside of the kitten's cheek. As a result, it is possible to identify not only the gender of the pet, but also its susceptibility to certain genetic diseases.

Beginning of the second month of life

In the fifth week, the crumbs become simply unrecognizable. It seems that these “hooligans” have nothing in common with those motionless babies who were located in the nest about a month ago: they already run deftly, improve their sense of balance, can bypass obstacles, sneak up from behind and attack. By this time they are already showing concern for each other.

5 weeks is a turning point in the kitten’s nutritional system. At this age, you can try offering him complementary foods. The ideal supplementary diet (the main one is still cat milk) is canned food for kittens.

Peculiarities of behavior of kittens aged 1.5-2 months

After a couple of weeks, by the middle of the second month of life, they still bear little resemblance to adult lazy cats. Kittens constantly communicate, move actively, run, play, and sharpen their nails. A month and a half is a great time to get your first worm vaccination. If there are potentially dangerous objects in the house within easy reach of animals, it is better to remove them. This is about:

• all kinds of chemicals, detergents;
• first aid kit with medications;
• needles, pins, pushpins;
• electrical outlets;
• poisonous indoor plants, etc.

If the pet, at the request and insistence of the owner, is expected to engage in grooming in the future, then the basics of this area must be taught at 7-8 weeks. You should start with simple procedures, let the baby get used to bathing, combing fur, and cutting nails. Of course, by 2 months his claws have not yet become dangerous to others, like those of an adult animal, so there is no need to really trim them. It is important at an early age to accustom the kitten to the position in which this procedure will then take place.

At 8-9 weeks, all baby teeth are usually in place. With breastfeeding, many owners try to separate the babies and completely switch the kittens to “adult” food. Games and contact with people are especially important for small pets, so it would be better if all family members find at least 15-20 minutes every day to communicate with their pet.

How to find out gender by coat color

The color of a cat's baby can also indicate its gender. In this case, newborn kittens can be distinguished by gender (photo below) taking into account the following features:

• The tortoiseshell color combines three colors - black, white and red. As a rule, its owners are female representatives of the cat family. This fact is due to the transfer of color by the X chromosome, and for the manifestation of all three tones, a pair of them is needed. Only cats have them in such quantity; males have only one X chromosome. In nature, tortoiseshell cats are found only if they are susceptible to rare genetic diseases.

• Mainly males are distinguished by their red color. If a born kitten has this color, there is a 99% chance it will be a boy, but there are exceptions to the rule.

If we talk about the thickness of the fur, it differs only in the location of the genital organs - males have much more of it, but in females it is almost completely absent.

Animal size and folk methods of determining ownership

You can often find out the gender of a newborn kitten (the photo below demonstrates this well) by size and weight. As a rule, females are smaller than males, more graceful and graceful. However, based on these signs alone, it will not be possible to determine with one hundred percent probability the gender of a newly born pet.

One of the popular methods says that if a kitten looks around warily and is rather indecisive, it is most likely a female. Cats, on the contrary, are characterized by courage and self-confidence. However, this rather depends on the nature of the animal.

Another method of determination is based on the pet’s habits. A bowl of food is placed in front of him and his behavior after feeding is observed. If the tail is raised up, it is a cat; if it is modestly lowered, it means a cat.

other methods

If it was not possible to distinguish newborn kittens by gender (see photo in the article) while they are very small, you should wait until the babies are a little older. In the end, if a new family member has won the heart of the household, what difference does it make whether he is a male or a female? Photos of newborn kittens - Persian, Siamese or any other breed - prove that it is impossible not to love these babies. If gender is of fundamental importance, you can try to determine it in the following ways:

1. A tricolor kitten is most likely a female. Cases of the birth of tortoiseshell cats are considered an anomaly. In addition, they end up being infertile.
2. It is extremely rare to find a red cat; as a rule, they always turn out to be cats.
3. Male representatives of this family behave unceremoniously, are very active and lively.
4. Cats are more careful, calm and leisurely.
5. Males have sharp and large features, while females have a more subtle and smooth muzzle.
6. Cats have a narrower chest and thinner paws. Males, on the contrary, are larger and stockier.
7. The urine of cats has a sharp and unpleasant odor, unlike cats.

Of course, many of the listed methods for determining gender raise some doubts. They are indeed not very accurate, however, they can be used in conjunction with other, more reliable methods.

Development in the first week of life

Newly born babies weigh no more than 100 g, but already in the first week of life they practically double their weight. Too much or too little of this value directly affects the development of the animal, so it is important to provide careful care and weigh it regularly.

After 3-5 days, the kittens’ umbilical cord falls off, and the mother cat takes care of it independently. To exclude possible inflammatory processes, it is first recommended to lubricate it with a weak manganese solution.

Newborn kittens (photo below) are born blind and deaf. Deafness disappears already on the fifth day, vision appears only after three weeks. It is very important to properly arrange a place for a cat that has given birth, so that babies can easily find her by smell.

Development in the first weeks of life is rapid. It is at this time that kittens receive a complex of necessary vitamins and minerals from their mother’s milk to form a strong immune system.

Your kitten: 4 weeks

• Physical development : At 4 weeks of age, kittens' vision and hearing will improve significantly. The kitten's teeth will continue to develop. The long teeth next to the incisors, called canines, will begin to extend through the gums. The claws will be retractable.
• Behavioral Development : Four-week-old kittens will confidently learn and develop coordination that allows them to walk, run, and even begin to play. With enhanced senses, they will be noticeably more responsive, making frequent eye contact with caregivers and reacting to sights and sounds in the environment. Their caregiving skills may be limited, but they are improving. They will use a litter box.
• Average temperature : 37-38 ℃. Continue to provide a source of heat for 4-week-old kittens, although they will likely only use it when resting. The kitten's environment should be comfortably warm and should never be below 21-23 degrees Celsius.
• Average weight : 450-550 grams
• Care information : Four-week-old kittens belong to their mother. Orphans this age should be bottle-fed every five hours, including at night. Four-week-old kittens will usually use a litter box and can be trained to use toys.

What happens from the second to the fourth week

At the initial stage, the kitten's weight increases to 250 g, he begins to hear the call of his mother and the meowing of his brothers and sisters. At this time, the active development of the animal’s character begins.

In the third week, the babies' eyes open, but their vision is still quite poor. All organs of smell and touch continue to form, the skeleton is strengthened, and teeth appear. The jaw will not fully develop until two months of age. At this time, you can take the kittens in your arms, accustoming them to human care.

By the end of the fourth week, the animal already has 26 teeth, is able to move independently on straight legs and can switch to complementary feeding. During this period, changes in appearance occur less clearly, the kitten continues to grow and gain weight.

Development at 5-6 weeks

During this period, it is recommended to carry out the following activities:

• show it to a veterinarian for the first time, who will record the level of development and prevent developmental delays;
• The baby should be actively transferred to artificial nutrition and given no more than 100 grams of wet food daily;
• organize your own place for each of the kids;
• show kittens to direct buyers or purchase a baby by booking it in advance at the nursery.

During this period, it is recommended to organize six meals a day, which will include no more than 100 grams of food per meal. Such nutrition will allow the baby to correctly go through all stages of kitten development and become sufficiently strong. It is recommended to be attentive to the prevention of various parasites and carry out timely vaccination and deworming.

Development from month to year

Starting from this age, the gastrointestinal tract of kittens is actively developing; already in the eighth week, weaning from the mother occurs and the transition to independent food five times a day occurs. Deworming is carried out.

At three months, pets begin to look for a new owner. Parting with the mother and other kittens is not so painful if you devote enough time to the baby. Repeated deworming is carried out and the kitten is trained to use the tray.

Up to six months of age, the animal continues to eat kitten food. At six months, the pet’s teeth begin to change, and he is transferred to three meals a day. According to experts, this time is optimal for castration. The third deworming is performed.

At seven to eight months, cats continue to develop self-care skills. At nine months of age, the pet is considered fully formed; it continues to grow and gain weight. It is important to monitor the condition of the animal’s nails and cut them in a timely manner. During this period, they begin to gradually transfer the pet to food for adult cats, gradually mixing it into their usual food.

By the age of one year, the pet has completely completed its development. He is accustomed to go into a litter box or outside, has all the necessary skills of an adult animal, and has an established and formed diet. It is important to visit a veterinarian promptly for vaccinations and monitoring the health of your pet.

Stages of kitten development by month

When kittens open their eyes: how many days after birth

Once born, kittens grow and develop during the first year of life. “Coming of age” in cats occurs at 12 months. At each stage of growth, the baby requires appropriate care: nutrition, weight control, medical examination, vaccinations, etc.

Stages of development:

1. Prenatal period - during the cat's pregnancy.
2. Neonatal - from birth to 10 days.
3. Transitional - from the 10th to the 20th day of life.
4. The period of socialization is from the third to the tenth week of life.
5. Juvenile - at 2.5–5 months.
6. Puberty occurs between 5 and 12 months.

Immediately after birth, every day of the baby’s life is of great importance. Starting from the age of 7 days, the count goes into weeks. When the baby reaches the age of 2 months, developmental stages are counted in months. A six-month-old kitten can already be called a teenager. He continues to grow and develop rapidly and becomes an adult cat closer to the age of one year.

First 7 days of life

You need to take care of the health of kittens when they are still living in the womb. A pregnant cat needs to be well fed and protected from stress. It is advisable to equip her with a warm nest where she can rest. A year before pregnancy, the cat must be vaccinated.

Week-old babies are growing rapidly

Kittens are born blind and deaf. Each baby weighs about 60–100 grams. At this time, the baby’s nervous system continues to form. For the first 7–10 days of life, they sleep and suck their mother's milk. In the first three days, babies receive colostrum - a nutritious fluid containing antibodies to all diseases.

For your information! Colostrum is unique and irreplaceable: with it, kittens receive not only food, but also their first vaccination. It is very important that babies eat colostrum: it strengthens their immunity.

The mother cat spends all the time with her children, only leaving occasionally to eat. In the first days after birth, kittens navigate only by smell and touch: they can find their mother at a distance of 60 cm. They can squeak, and a little later they learn to purr.

Newborn kittens have reflexes responsible for their vital functions:

• Sucking - allows you to feed on mother's milk. If this reflex is impaired, the kitten may die.
• Perineal - responsible for urination and defecation. To stimulate it, the cat licks the kittens' tummies. If the babies are orphaned, then this should be done by the owner who feeds the pets.
• Cover reflex.

The kitten begins to hear 5-8 days after birth. But despite this, he still does not know how to navigate by sound. It is necessary to place the kittens in a quiet room so that they are not frightened by noise.

If a kitten refuses to suckle breast milk, he needs to be given an injection of Gamavit or Aminovit. You can put 2 drops of Travmatin in your mouth.

Week-old kittens eat only their mother's milk. At this age, they already hear, but do not see yet. They must be weighed twice a day and weight gain must be constantly monitored.

Important! Violation of the sucking reflex is a condition that threatens the life of the baby. A common cause of this is a cleft palate (cleft palate). The kitten tries to suckle, but the milk pours out through the nose. In such cases, the baby is most likely doomed.

Second week of life

On the 10th or 14th day of life, kittens' eyes open. At this age, all babies have blue eyes. Their color changes closer to 3 months.

Kittens at 2 weeks weigh almost twice as much as at birth - about 200–250 g. You need to carefully monitor their diet and weight. At this age, they still feed on their mother’s milk and need her care.

Two-week-olds open their eyes and ears

You can see how adult cats trample a soft blanket with their paws and purr. This indicates that the cat is happy and content. This reflex has been preserved since childhood, when newborn kittens knead their mother’s belly to get milk.

Third week of life

The musculoskeletal system of kittens gradually strengthens, and three-week-old babies become more active: they begin to crawl over each other and begin to play. Closer to the 20th day of life, kittens stand on 4 legs and try to walk. Their weight increases to 250–350 g. At the same time, they begin to teethe.

Kittens develop a feeling of attachment to their mother and to each other. In the same way, they become attached to the owner. The cat begins to teach the kids.

Fourth and fifth weeks of life

At the age of 1 month, the kitten moves confidently, sees and hears well, and loves to play. He has already grown 26 baby teeth, which will be replaced with permanent ones over the next 6 months. It is necessary to introduce complementary foods into their diet: canned food for kittens, boiled meat, cottage cheese. Kids learn to lap up water or milk from a saucer. The weight of a one-month-old kitten is 350–450 grams.

The period of socialization begins when the baby learns to interact with the world around him: with his mother, with brothers and sisters, with toys, with owners, with household objects. At this age, small cats are very active and playful. The owner must take care of the safety of pets.

At 1 month, kittens know how to wash themselves and love to play.

At 5 weeks, kittens can wash themselves and go to the litter box. Gradually they switch to solid food and drink breast milk much less often. They need to be weighed every day.

Two months of kitten life

A mother cat feeds her babies with breast milk for up to 2 months. Then they completely switch to the adult diet. Babies vitally need the whole complex of vitamins and minerals. At the age of 8 weeks, you need to take the kittens to the veterinarian so that he can prepare a diet for them, drive away worms and give them vaccinations. 3 weeks after the first vaccination, they are vaccinated again: this will protect the animals’ immunity for a long time.

Two-month-old kittens need to be petted and stroked frequently. During this period, their behavior changes and more activity appears. They will need toys and space to run and play.

Interesting fact! Boys grow faster than girls.

Three months of kitten life

Up to three months, the development of kittens varies from week to week. At this age, the claws become stronger and the weight reaches 1.3–1.5 kg. Blue eye color changes to green, yellow, amber or any other color that will remain forever. Bones, muscles, joints and tendons become stronger and stronger, so pets can run and jump for a long time. Kittens become independent, so at 3 months they can be separated from their mother and placed in good hands.

A three-month-old kitten comes up with different games and fun. He can climb up curtains, play with any objects, run and jump. It is very important that the owner finds mutual understanding with a child of this age. Both the upbringing and safety of your furry pet depend on this.

At 2 months the first vaccinations are given

A caring owner should know what to feed a 3-month-old kitten. Special food for kittens is perfect. You can give boiled meat, cottage cheese, pates. Babies are fed 5-6 times a day, a single serving should be 100 g.

Fifth month

At this age, permanent teeth grow in place of baby teeth. Favorite fluffies gain weight up to 1.8–2 kg. They need to be fed 4-5 times a day and weighed weekly. It is advisable to combine dry and wet food intended for kittens up to one year old.

Sixth month

In six-month-old animals, hormonal levels change and the process of puberty begins. They reach the size of an adult animal. It is necessary to give the kittens an anthelmintic again and take them to the veterinarian.

At this age, you can switch your pets to three meals a day. It is still necessary to feed babies baby food, because it contains many useful substances that a growing body needs.

Table No. 1. Kitten weight by week (medium sized cats)

After six months, the growth rate slows down slightly, and kittens gain an average of 100 g per week.

Seventh month

At 7 months, kittens begin to molt. At this time, it is necessary to comb the coat every day with a furminator or comb. Cats that shed often lick themselves, which causes fur to get into their stomachs, causing them to vomit. The formation of hairballs in the stomach is extremely dangerous, so cats need to be combed.

Attention! Timely vaccination will save kittens' lives.

After 3 months and before the first vaccination, babies' immune systems weaken, so they can become infected with an infectious disease. If your kitten's eyes are festering, or if he has become lethargic, you should immediately contact a veterinary clinic.

Eighth month

By this age, kittens have already grown enough and look like adults. Animals need to be sterilized at 8 months. You must first be examined by a veterinarian. An animal can be sterilized no earlier than a month after vaccination.

At 3 months, eye color changes, you need to switch to adult food

Development from 9 months to a year of life

This is the final period of childhood. Young cats at 9–12 months do not grow as quickly as before. Active, curious, playful pets still love to run and frolic.

Height, weight and development depend on the size of the animal, including the breed. It is necessary to take these nuances into account. The breed, which came to us from Scotland, has several distinctive features. The most noticeable of these is the floppy ears. All Scottish cats are born with straight ears. Only 18–20 days after birth can fold-eared kittens be recognized.

Big cats - British and Maine Coons - weigh a little more than others.

Table No. 2. Weight of Maine Coons, Scottish and British kittens by week