The Kitten – Birth to 4 Weeks of Age
THE KITTEN
BIRTH TO FOUR WEEKS OF AGE
Ginger Meeker, RN, Ph.D.
NEWBORN DESCRIPTION
Newborn kittens are fat and sleek, nursing frequently and sleeping contentedly. From birth on, weights should be carefully recorded and monitored at birth, twelve hours after birth and daily for the first two weeks of life using an accurate scale. A battery operated kitchen gram or ounce digital scale are available at most kitchen stores. Many breeders continue daily weights until kittens are beyond 2 weeks of age and this is a personal preference. At birth, kittens can be identified by their color/pattern or by using narrow colored ribbons or tape. A growth chart should be kept on each kitten so variation can be quickly spotted. Failure of weight gain often is the first sign of illness in a newborn animal
