As they get more acclimated to a world of light from total darkness, kittens open their eyes gradually. Kittens are especially susceptible to eye infections during the first few weeks of their lives any signs of discharge or crustiness warrant a trip to the veterinarian. The other lesser-known fact is that all kittens are born with blue eyes. While adult cats have a variety of eye colors, they all started with some shade of blue, and their eye colors begin transforming around 6 weeks old to their adult hues.
Knowing what to do if you find an orphaned kitten who still has his eyes closed can mean the difference between life and death for the vulnerable kitten.
The first thing to do is get him to the veterinarian. Neonatal kittens with their eyes closed need around-the-clock care. Below is a quick guide to how much and how often to feed them.
Feed kittens from a bottle with their bellies facing downward. Kittens with their eyes closed further require assistance eliminating their waste and regulating their body temperatures. Kittens are born with only two senses — touch and smell. Moving him about in a gentle way mimics what his mother does. The very act of feeding him is letting him know you are his caregiver. Helping him eliminate by stimulating his bottom area with a warm cloth is not just serving as an important function but also a form of bonding.
You are his surrogate mother and all your interactions with him are communicating this message loud and clear. Kitten season means shelters are full, and caring individuals are the lifeblood of creating more positive outcomes.
I have a dear friend, who was in a similar situation only luckier. She found an abandoned newborn kitten minus the cord and placenta. She brought the kitten home, with the hope that her 2 yr old feline would adopt this kitten. I say she was lucky, because her cat had recently given birth to a litter of 4 kittens. As it turned out, her cat did in fact adopt this precious new baby. ExcitedCats is reader-supported. When you buy via links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you.
Learn more. Did you know that kittens are born deaf and blind? In this article, we will discuss why kittens are born with their eyes closed, how they communicate with their mothers at an early age, and what you should do if you find a newborn kitten with its eyes closed. When a kitten is born, its eyesight is not yet fully developed.
It takes some time for very young kittens to adjust to light after total darkness, and they may not open their eyes all the way at first. Kittens will try to avoid light for two or three days after their eyes open because their pupils aren't able to constrict. The first three weeks of kitty's life she's especially dependent on her mother. Not only are her eyes not real useful, but her hearing isn't fully developed. As well, she's just beginning to get her legs moving, so she's not as mobile as she soon will be.
Because her eyesight is still rather poor, she relies on smell, touch and sensing body heat to find her mother and littermates. When Kitty's about three weeks old she's got more blood flowing to her eyes, so her vision has begun to improve.
In another week she'll start getting some depth perception, so she won't bump into things quite so much. But make sure to never use soap! Change their bedding frequently to help minimize contagions. Learn to Spot the Symptoms. By Doug Jimerson October 27,
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