Some of us go as nuts about kitten milestones as parents do about baby milestones. Kitten parents are proud too! It’s a big deal when you are parent to a kitten, and you want to be assured that all the right developmental milestones are being reached. So, hold on to your seats and let’s explore the developmental milestones of kittenhood.

As any cat lover knows the first year of a kitten’s life is filled with rapid growth, both physically, and socially, too.

At one week of age a kitten’s only job is to keep breathing, sleep a lot and to process mom’s milk. The eye and ear canals of a one-week only kitten are not open yet. The kitten is totally dependent on mom to do literally everything for it, even to process the elimination of waste products.

At the end of the second week of life, the kitten’s eyes will be completely open. In the next week or two, all of the other senses, such as smell and hearing, will develop so that they become completely aware that there is another world outside of mom.

Week three finds the kitten learning how to stand, walk and purr. Mom will begin the process of weaning her kittens at this time because at this time their digestive systems are capable of trying kitten food that is moistened.

Week five will find mom cat doing some serious weaning. Cat owners should speak with a vet about appropriate kitten food, but most owners prefer to give a nutritious canned food or a moistened dry. Make sure that whatever type of food you give, that it is formulated for a kitten’s immature systems. The kittens will need to nurse from mom until they are approximately eight weeks old, because they will still have a need to suckle even if they are eating kitten food.

At about five weeks of age a kitten can begin the process of being litter box trained, and to socialize with other kittens in the litter. Kittens start to be more independent at this age. It’s at this time that kittens are old enough to make the adjustment to being with humans.

Socializing is the most important skill other than eating that a kitten must learn. A kitten should be socialized from week six onward. Kittens learn how to socialize through their play. If a kitten has not been introduced to a human by the time they are six weeks of age, it will be more difficult to make this social contact as the kitten ages. A kitten needs to be handled, and to accept the smell and handling of a human, in order to be a pet and to be seen by and handled by a vet.

A seven to twelve week old kitten is continuing to grow and play with both humans and other kittens in the litter. The play that a kitten does prepares a kitten for the skills they will need to be the predator in the cat and mouse game of life. Motor skills are improving and the kitten will now begin to sleep more like an adult cat. Before this age, kittens are more likely to just drop and sleep when they get tired. An adult cat will seek out a favorite nap place and curl up to intentionally sleep.

A kitten that is three to six months looks more like an adult cat than a kitten. The round puffball will look more long and lithe, and then will put on the weight as it nears an adult age. At around age four months the adult teeth will replace the baby kitten teeth. This is the perfect time to begin a massaging program of dental care because the kitten won’t mind you massaging gums that are tender from the baby teeth falling out. Remember that although your kitten will start to look like an adult cat, the kitten will still need kitten food because it has all the nutrients that a growing kitten needs.

Most cat experts agree that your kitten should be spayed or neutered between the ages of three and six months. Your vet can give you information about this procedure and the importance of having your cat spayed or neutered.

Just like human teens, your kitten from age six months to a year will test the boundaries and challenge his position in the household with other pets and with humans.

Depending on your breed, most kittens will look like they are full grown by age one but most breeds will still see growth until age two, with a some breeds not being full-grown until age four.

A kitten that has been properly cared for and socialized will be a perfect companion for you for years to come.