How to Tell How Old a Kitten Is
Look for an umbilical cord stump., Examine the kitten’s eyes., Check the kitten’s ears., Examine the kitten’s baby teeth., Check for adult teeth., Weigh the kitten.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Look for an umbilical cord stump.
If you find one, you can be sure you’re dealing with a newborn kitten.The mother usually bites the cord until it breaks.
The remaining “stump” will be a small piece of tissue hanging off the kitten’s belly.
Cats’ umbilical cord stumps usually fall off in the first 3 days of life.
If your kitten still has a cord stump, it is likely only days old. -
Step 2: Examine the kitten’s eyes.
A kitten’s eyes will go through several developmental stages as the begin to open and then ultimately change color.
Looking at and watching for changes in the eyes can help you assess a kitten’s age.
Kittens do not open their eyes until they reach about ten to 14 days in age, but some do open their eyes as early as 7 to 10 days.
If your kitten has closed eyes, he is likely a newborn.
If your kitten has already opened its eyes, she is at least a full week old.If your kitten's eyes are just starting to open but still appear squinty, she may be in her second or third week of life.
When kittens begin opening their eyes, the eyes are bright blue in color, regardless of what color their eyes turn later as they grow up.
If you have an older kitten and you notice her eyes beginning to change color, she is likely around 6-7 weeks old.
At this time, the irises will begin to transition to their permanent, mature color.
Note that if the kitten is growing into a mature, blue-eyed cat, you may not be able to observe any color change to help you determine its age. , Like the eyes, a kitten’s ears go through developmental changes in the early stages of development.
You may be able to pinpoint the age of a younger kitten based on characteristics of or changes to the ears.
If your kitten’s the ears are stuck close to her head, she is probably less than one week old.
Baby kittens are born with their ear canals closed,which results in ears that appear flattened back against the head.
A kitten's ears will begin to open up at between 5 and 8 days in age.
Watch for the kitten’s ears to pop up.
The kitten’s ears will take longer to open than its eyes.
Though the closed ear canals begin to open at between 5 and 8 days, it takes longer for the ears to pop up visibly.
The ears will pop up sometime between the second and third week of your kitten's life., A good way to assess the age of both young and juvenile kittens is to check the presence and development of her teeth.
A kitten with no teeth is likely a newborn, younger than 2 weeks of age.
If teeth are present, you can still estimate the age based on the number and characteristics of the teeth.
The first deciduous (baby) teeth should push through the gums around 2 or 3 weeks of age.
The first teeth to pop through will likely be the incisors.
If you don’t see the teeth visually, you may be able to feel them by gently feeling the kitten’s gums.The deciduous canines begin growing at 3-4 weeks of age.
These are the long and pointed teeth that grow next to the deciduous incisors.
The deciduous premolars begin breaking through the gums at around 4-6 weeks.
The premolars are the teeth that grow between the canine and molar teeth.
If all of a kitten’s baby teeth are present but she does not yet have molars, she should be around four months of age.
She should have: 6 incisors in the top jaw and 6 in the bottom jaw 2 canines on the top jaw and 2 in the bottom jaw (one on either side of the last incisor) 3 premolars on the top jaw 2 premolars on the bottom jaw. , If you find larger, adult teeth in a kitten, it is likely four months or older.
The timing of the teeth may be a little less precise in an older kitten than it is in a very young kitten, but you should be able to get a good idea of the kitten’s age based on when her adult teeth come in.
The adult incisor teeth are the first to come in, around 4 months.
Between 4 and 6 months, the baby canines, premolars and molars are replaced by adult teeth.
If your kitten has all her adult teeth and all four molars, she is likely at least 7 months old.
Be aware that these guidelines are based on normal, healthy kittens; medical issues or accidents can cause teeth to be missing or come in late. , A prediction based on weight can be imprecise due to differences in size and breed, but the weight can be a factor that gives you more information about your kitten’s approximate age. .
The average healthy kitten weighs about
3.5 oz at birth, and gains about a quarter ounce per day.So, a normal kitten will weighing from
3.5 to
5.25 oz is in its first week of life. (Note that a kitten weighing less than
3.5 oz may be sick or undernourished.
Take the kitten to a veterinarian for evaluation.) A normal kitten will weigh from 4-6 oz (113-170 g) and be smaller than a human adult's hand at 1 to 2 weeks.
Most kittens will weigh from 6-8 oz (170-225 g) when they are 2-3 weeks old.
A kitten that weights .5 to 1 pound (225g to 450g) is likely around 4-5 weeks old.
A kitten weighing between
1.5 pounds to 2 pounds (680g-900g) is likely 7-8 weeks old.
The average cat aged three months or more will weigh one pound per month of age until its weight stabilizes at around 10 pounds.
So, a 3-pound cat will likely be 3 months old, and a 4-pound cat will be 4 months old.
Though this is a generalization, it's a useful rule of thumb for cats over 12 weeks in age until the cat reaches its adult weight, which is about 10 pounds for most cats. -
Step 3: Check the kitten’s ears.
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Step 4: Examine the kitten’s baby teeth.
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Step 5: Check for adult teeth.
-
Step 6: Weigh the kitten.
Detailed Guide
If you find one, you can be sure you’re dealing with a newborn kitten.The mother usually bites the cord until it breaks.
The remaining “stump” will be a small piece of tissue hanging off the kitten’s belly.
Cats’ umbilical cord stumps usually fall off in the first 3 days of life.
If your kitten still has a cord stump, it is likely only days old.
A kitten’s eyes will go through several developmental stages as the begin to open and then ultimately change color.
Looking at and watching for changes in the eyes can help you assess a kitten’s age.
Kittens do not open their eyes until they reach about ten to 14 days in age, but some do open their eyes as early as 7 to 10 days.
If your kitten has closed eyes, he is likely a newborn.
If your kitten has already opened its eyes, she is at least a full week old.If your kitten's eyes are just starting to open but still appear squinty, she may be in her second or third week of life.
When kittens begin opening their eyes, the eyes are bright blue in color, regardless of what color their eyes turn later as they grow up.
If you have an older kitten and you notice her eyes beginning to change color, she is likely around 6-7 weeks old.
At this time, the irises will begin to transition to their permanent, mature color.
Note that if the kitten is growing into a mature, blue-eyed cat, you may not be able to observe any color change to help you determine its age. , Like the eyes, a kitten’s ears go through developmental changes in the early stages of development.
You may be able to pinpoint the age of a younger kitten based on characteristics of or changes to the ears.
If your kitten’s the ears are stuck close to her head, she is probably less than one week old.
Baby kittens are born with their ear canals closed,which results in ears that appear flattened back against the head.
A kitten's ears will begin to open up at between 5 and 8 days in age.
Watch for the kitten’s ears to pop up.
The kitten’s ears will take longer to open than its eyes.
Though the closed ear canals begin to open at between 5 and 8 days, it takes longer for the ears to pop up visibly.
The ears will pop up sometime between the second and third week of your kitten's life., A good way to assess the age of both young and juvenile kittens is to check the presence and development of her teeth.
A kitten with no teeth is likely a newborn, younger than 2 weeks of age.
If teeth are present, you can still estimate the age based on the number and characteristics of the teeth.
The first deciduous (baby) teeth should push through the gums around 2 or 3 weeks of age.
The first teeth to pop through will likely be the incisors.
If you don’t see the teeth visually, you may be able to feel them by gently feeling the kitten’s gums.The deciduous canines begin growing at 3-4 weeks of age.
These are the long and pointed teeth that grow next to the deciduous incisors.
The deciduous premolars begin breaking through the gums at around 4-6 weeks.
The premolars are the teeth that grow between the canine and molar teeth.
If all of a kitten’s baby teeth are present but she does not yet have molars, she should be around four months of age.
She should have: 6 incisors in the top jaw and 6 in the bottom jaw 2 canines on the top jaw and 2 in the bottom jaw (one on either side of the last incisor) 3 premolars on the top jaw 2 premolars on the bottom jaw. , If you find larger, adult teeth in a kitten, it is likely four months or older.
The timing of the teeth may be a little less precise in an older kitten than it is in a very young kitten, but you should be able to get a good idea of the kitten’s age based on when her adult teeth come in.
The adult incisor teeth are the first to come in, around 4 months.
Between 4 and 6 months, the baby canines, premolars and molars are replaced by adult teeth.
If your kitten has all her adult teeth and all four molars, she is likely at least 7 months old.
Be aware that these guidelines are based on normal, healthy kittens; medical issues or accidents can cause teeth to be missing or come in late. , A prediction based on weight can be imprecise due to differences in size and breed, but the weight can be a factor that gives you more information about your kitten’s approximate age. .
The average healthy kitten weighs about
3.5 oz at birth, and gains about a quarter ounce per day.So, a normal kitten will weighing from
3.5 to
5.25 oz is in its first week of life. (Note that a kitten weighing less than
3.5 oz may be sick or undernourished.
Take the kitten to a veterinarian for evaluation.) A normal kitten will weigh from 4-6 oz (113-170 g) and be smaller than a human adult's hand at 1 to 2 weeks.
Most kittens will weigh from 6-8 oz (170-225 g) when they are 2-3 weeks old.
A kitten that weights .5 to 1 pound (225g to 450g) is likely around 4-5 weeks old.
A kitten weighing between
1.5 pounds to 2 pounds (680g-900g) is likely 7-8 weeks old.
The average cat aged three months or more will weigh one pound per month of age until its weight stabilizes at around 10 pounds.
So, a 3-pound cat will likely be 3 months old, and a 4-pound cat will be 4 months old.
Though this is a generalization, it's a useful rule of thumb for cats over 12 weeks in age until the cat reaches its adult weight, which is about 10 pounds for most cats.
About the Author
Marilyn Howard
Writer and educator with a focus on practical hobbies knowledge.
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