4 Easy Ways to Find Out a Kitten’s Age
By: Drh. Mikeu Paujiah And Maryam Smeer
Translator : AWI Team
Baby kittens’ eyes will be closed when they are born. Their eyes will start to open at around 8-12 days of age. Kittens’ eyes will be fully open by the time they are 2 weeks old.
Read Also : Tips for Feeding Orphaned Kittens
Image 1 . Development Milestone of Cat
Here are some ways to estimate your cat’s age:
1. Cat’s Eye
Baby kittens’ eyes will be closed when they are born. Their eyes will start to open at around 8-12 days of age. Kittens’ eyes will be fully open by the time they are 2 weeks old.
2. Cat Weight
Apart from their eyes, we can also estimate their age by their weight. Kittens will continue to gain weight at a relatively steady rate until 10 weeks of age. If the animal is healthy, kittens will weigh 0.5kg at around 4 weeks old, 1kg at around 8 weeks old, and 1.5kg at around 10 weeks old.
3. Walking and Play Ability
Most kittens start walking at 3 weeks of age. However, at that time, eye, leg and other coordination skills are still developing. So it is safe to say that kittens should be able to walk, run and play by at least 4 weeks of age.
Read Also : Upper Respiratory Infection (URI) in Cats
4. The shape of a cat’s teeth
Teeth are an excellent age determinant for kittens. Cats have two types of teeth: baby teeth and adult teeth.
Baby teeth begin to appear about 3 weeks after the kitten is born.
The first permanent teeth will usually erupt around 12 weeks of age. The first permanent tooth is in the centre incisor position.
The second and third incisors appear at 14-16 weeks of age, Kitten teeth are so small that it is quite difficult to distinguish between baby and permanent teeth. However, the main difference is that baby teeth are slightly smaller and have sharp edges, while permanent teeth are slightly wider and have flat edges.
Permanent teeth will grow in place of baby teeth. By 6 months of age, all of a cat’s adult teeth have erupted. At this point, the condition of the cat’s teeth is no longer very helpful for us to estimate their age.
That’s how to estimate a kitten’s age. It is hoped that by knowing the age of the kitten, the feeding can be appropriate for its age.
Here are some ways to estimate your cat’s age:
1. Cat’s Eye
Baby kittens’ eyes will be closed when they are born. Their eyes will start to open at around 8-12 days of age. Kittens’ eyes will be fully open by the time they are 2 weeks old.
2. Cat Weight
Apart from their eyes, we can also estimate their age by their weight. Kittens will continue to gain weight at a relatively steady rate until 10 weeks of age. If the animal is healthy, kittens will weigh 0.5kg at around 4 weeks old, 1kg at around 8 weeks old, and 1.5kg at around 10 weeks old.
3. Walking and Play Ability
Most kittens start walking at 3 weeks of age. However, at that time, eye, leg and other coordination skills are still developing. So it is safe to say that kittens should be able to walk, run and play by at least 4 weeks of age.
Read Also : Upper Respiratory Infection (URI) in Cats
4. The shape of a cat’s teeth
Teeth are an excellent age determinant for kittens. Cats have two types of teeth: baby teeth and adult teeth.
Baby teeth begin to appear about 3 weeks after the kitten is born.
The first permanent teeth will usually erupt around 12 weeks of age. The first permanent tooth is in the centre incisor position.
The second and third incisors appear at 14-16 weeks of age, Kitten teeth are so small that it is quite difficult to distinguish between baby and permanent teeth. However, the main difference is that baby teeth are slightly smaller and have sharp edges, while permanent teeth are slightly wider and have flat edges.
Permanent teeth will grow in place of baby teeth. By 6 months of age, all of a cat’s adult teeth have erupted. At this point, the condition of the cat’s teeth is no longer very helpful for us to estimate their age.
That’s how to estimate a kitten’s age. It is hoped that by knowing the age of the kitten, the feeding can be appropriate for its age.
Image 2 . Cat Tooth Structure
Gambar 3. Cat Tooth Growth
Source :
aspcapro.org . How to Determine a Kitten’s Age.
Diakses pada 1 Agustus 2024, dari https://www.aspcapro.org/resource/how-determine-kittens-age
Franny Syufy. (2022, 26 Oktober). How to Determine Your Cat’s Age. Diakses pada 1 Agustus 2024, dari
https://www.aspcapro.org/resource/how-determine-kittens-age
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