Kitten Age progression
Birth to 1 Week old
Kittens are born with their eyes and ear canals closed. They do not have any sight or hearing. They are not able to regulate body temperature. The kittens will root towards their mother’s body heat and huddle with siblings for warmth.
Week 2
Eyes may begin to open at the inner corners, but vision will be blurry. The kitten will start to develop its sense of smell. Still huddling for warmth, not interactive yet. Still cannot recognize sound, ear canals are starting to open. They begin uncoordinated walking and they are becoming more aware of their siblings.
About 2 1/2 weeks
They will be able to orient to sound, but do not recognize it yet. Eyes will be fully open between 9 and 14 days.
They are still just interested in nursing and staying warm. Starting Now; the kittens are being held several times a day, being petted and talked to. They cannot yet retract their claws.
They are still just interested in nursing and staying warm. Starting Now; the kittens are being held several times a day, being petted and talked to. They cannot yet retract their claws.
Week 3
The kitten may have blue eyes at birth, but this will change as the kitten ages IF it is a traditional Siberian. Colorpoints keep their blue eyes. The kittens’ ear canals have opened completely and hearing begins and starts to improve, and you may notice that loud or abrupt noises scare the kitten. With the change in hearing, the kitten’s ears will begin to stand up. The sense of smell continues to improve. They will hiss at unfamiliar scents or sounds. The kitten is starting to walk. Kittens can now be sexed unless they have super fuzzy butts then I wait so there are no surprises from the "Sex Change Fairy".
Week 4
The sense of smell is fully functional. Depth perception is developing, the kitten will start working on balance and will walk more. The kitten will begin to explore the surroundings. They are climbing small cat scratch posts and the walls of their enclosure. They are beginning to learn social play. The growth of baby teeth (deciduous) begins. Some of the kittens are starting to try the wet and dry kitten food. Mom has started Litter box training. The kittens usually try to eat the litter and we are always wiping their mouths out. Now the Ridgeback socialization begins! The dogs are now moving freely in and out of the cats rooms with the kittens safely behind their mesh wall watching and listening to everything the dogs are doing and what is going on in the rest of the house.
Week 5
The kittens are stalking, hiding and pouncing, and digging—instinctual behaviors ingrained in all cats.
Week 6
Dry food is being free fed and canned food is provided 1x a day. Siberians are very slow to mature. Although starting a solid diet Siberians are still nursing until 8-10 weeks old. There is sometimes that one lazy baby that would rather make his way to Mom's Milk Bar than actually chew its own food and will nurse longer. The kittens can fully regulate their body temperature now. Social play is fully rambunctious. Momma cat and us begin teaching the kittens how to play with toys, letting them know that human hands are not for biting or scratching. We start introducing the brush to the kittens. Using baby wipes on the kittens faces. Personalities are starting to just barely peek thru. We always see who is bold first. The kittens are now proficient at cleaning themselves, having learned it from mom. They are also grooming each other, reinforcing the bond between siblings.
Week 7 * Personality time
We start handling their paws. Their coordination has improved. They are engaging in vigorous and exhaustive play, running around and exploring until they quite literally fall asleep right where they are usually their food bowl. Play is an important part of kitten socialization because it helps them bond with each other and build confidence around people. They do however have the attention span of a Gnat. The kittens are now beginning to demonstrate their individual personalities: Bold, Reserved, Playful, The Buddy (Every-bodies friend), The Hunter AKA "Trouble",
Week 8
This is when the kitten gets it's 1st shot. The boys are usually the biggest babies. Giving this shot is difficult because there is not much extra skin to grasp. The kittens are testing the limits of their acrobatic prowess, but they are still accident prone at this growth stage. If allowed they would climb the wall with no thought to how they would then get back down safely. The kittens will begin understanding and displaying cat body language, especially during play-fighting.
Week 9
Weaning is well under way except for those lazy ones. Mom's milk is starting to actively dry up. Even when the milk is gone kittens are still suckling. Kittens get wormed. They are beginning to test their physical limits.
Week 10
1st Vet appointment. They are pretty self-sufficient at this point but still get comfort from mom.
Week 11
The kitten increases its playing and socializing time and will be actively roughhousing with fellow siblings. At this time the kittens is going thru a growth spurt and may have a long lean ungainly physique, not unlike 15-year old human teenagers. The Siberian will not reach full size until 5 years old. They will however bulk up quickly after being spayed and neutered making it appear as if at 1yr old they can't possibly get any bigger. Traditional kittens with blue eyes will change after going home at about 14-16 weeks old.
Week 10-12 *Go Home time!
The kittens get their 2nd shot a few days before they go home if they stay till 12 weeks old.
The kittens personality will change going from my home to their new environment. My cats and kittens have big 10' X11' rooms that they feel very cozy and safe in. Siberians are attached to their environment 1st and their humans 2nd until they develop that bond that comes with time. So when you come to my home to pick your kitten you are entering their environment and they don't know you so will act differently to you as a stranger than me who they see constantly. They may even hide. So please don't take this as "Oh thats a skittish kitten" I as the breeder can tell you about each kittens individual and unique personality and will guide you through the best new home transition possible.
The kittens personality will change going from my home to their new environment. My cats and kittens have big 10' X11' rooms that they feel very cozy and safe in. Siberians are attached to their environment 1st and their humans 2nd until they develop that bond that comes with time. So when you come to my home to pick your kitten you are entering their environment and they don't know you so will act differently to you as a stranger than me who they see constantly. They may even hide. So please don't take this as "Oh thats a skittish kitten" I as the breeder can tell you about each kittens individual and unique personality and will guide you through the best new home transition possible.