How to Care for Kittens and What to Expect - Kitten Development Week by Week

Posted by Jennifer Copley Sep 25, 2009

This series of articles provides information on normal kitten developmental milestones; care, feeding, and socialization of kittens; and dealing with problems such as fleas.

• Kitten Development - Birth to 2 Weeks - when kittens' eyes open, symptoms of illness, handling newborn kittens, caring for premature kittens
• Kitten Development - Weeks 3 and 4 - health, safety, and day-to-day care; safely removing fleas from kittens; socializing kittens
• Kitten Development - Weeks 5 and 6 - caring for kittens, continued socialization, play, weaning onto solid food, litter training
• Kitten Development - Weeks 7-12 - safety issues, first vaccinations, appropriate toys, continued socialization, bathing kittens
• Kitten Development - Weeks 13 and Up - continuing kitten development,socialization and training, dealing with biting, age at which kittens can become pregnant, age at which cats reach maturity

See How to Care for Orphaned Kittens for information on bottle feeding orphaned kittens, socializing abandoned kittens, emergency kitten milk replacer recipes, and more.