Kittens should be plump, round and free of
any gross abnormalities of size or shape. (4:3) Working with your breeder
or veterinarian, you should be aware of the common congenital abnormality
problems your breed may present you.
Develop a system of observation and inspection
and then carefully follow it for each kitten. Generally, the exam starts
at the head and proceeds to the feet/tail. At all times you are looking
for normal and abnormal findings. The head should be mobile and the kitten
should exhibit a rooting reflex (pushing of the head into warm objects
like your hand). Look closely at the skull for evidence of an open fontanel
("soft spot"). harelip or cleft palate. Check the ears for size and position
and check the nose for the presence of accumulated fluid in the nostrils.
Gently open the mouth and inspect for evidence of a cleft palate (incomplete
closing of the "roof" of the mouth). The mouth should be pink and membranes
in the mouth should be moist. Sucking reflex should be present and strong.
Now look at the body in general to assess the
completeness of the hair covering. The kitten should be fully coated with
fur and the amount of hair may vary with some breeds. Check the entire
skin surface for wounds and signs of dehydration. If the skin is pinched
it should return to normal position almost instantly. "Sticky" skin or
skin that "tents" signals significant dehydration and veterinary intervention
is needed. The coat should be shiny and clean.
Breathing should be regular and not labored.
To assess the chest a veterinarian would use an infant size bell and diaphragm
on the stethoscope to assess for abnormal heart and lung sounds. These
sounds are very difficult to hear in the infant kitten (neonate).
Muscle tone should be strong but a newborn
kitten can't support its own weight until age 16 days. Look at the limbs
for position and any deformity. Gently palpate for (feel) the presence
of the long bones in the limbs. Look at the number and position of the
toes and foot pads. Move the limbs to make certain full joint mobility
is present.
After nursing, the kitten will have an enlarged
abdomen and should be calm and resting. If the abdomen is enlarged but
the kitten is restless, weak, limp, screaming or fully silent seek veterinary
evaluation as serious injury or illness may be present.
Observe the area of the umbilical cord carefully
for any signs of infection or abnormality of the abdominal wall around
the cord. Daily checking of the cord and surrounding area is recommended
and it any signs of infection occur notify the veterinarian for antibiotic
therapy. The cord generally drops off 2-4 days after birth.
Finally, check the tail, anus and genitals
to determine all are present and appear normal. Using a moist cotton ball
rub the anal area in a circular motion to stimulate urination and defecation.
Observe for any blood in the urine, diarrhea or constipation. Blood in
the urine will be evident because the urine will be pink , red or very
dark amber. Normal urine is clear straw yellow. Stool should be soft and
mustard color. Meconium (the very first stool) is dark brown-black, shiny
and very sticky. For the first stool this is normal.
At birth, the testes of the male kitten have
descended into the scrotum but may move up and down the inguinal canal
for a period of time. Sex differentiation is not difficult if one remembers
that the distance from the anus to the preputial orifice (urethra) in the
male is greater than the distance from the anus to the vulva in the female.
(2:288) With a millimeter ruler, this distance can be measured and at birth
the distance between landmarks on the male is 12.9mm (+/- 1.5mm) and in
the female 7.6mm (+/- 1.0mm). (2:288)
Generally, the care the queen gives the kittens
at the time of birth is crucial to the kittens survival and a topic of
some controversy among breeders. (5:426) Most queens are attentive to their
kittens- at birth they cut the cord, consume the placenta and clean up
the kitten. The queen then stimulates toileting and then encourages the
kitten to nurse. Some queens spend hours with their kittens attending to
every detail while other mothers leave the "nest" for a stroll once all
the kittens are clean, dry, fed and sleeping. First time (primiparous)
mothers are more likely to need help but even first time moms develop good
mothering skills in a day or two.
Knowing what to look for in kitten behavior
will help you know if you need to intervene or if mom is meeting kitten
needs.
After birth, the next critical period of time
is between birth and 2 weeks. During this neonatal period (the kitten is
technically known as a neonate) disease contracted in utero or during the
birth process manifest. Since infectious diseases are often very closely
linked with cattery design or management,, high neonatal kitten loss can
well point to a serious problem within the cattery requiring veterinary
intervention. (5:429).
Unfortunately, most kittens that die at birth
or during the first few weeks of life are seldom necropsied and the REAL
cause of death is seldom determined. If "why" isn't known, corrective steps
can't be taken. Disease that occurs in kittens 2 weeks of age and above
are the most easily prevented by good cattery design and management. (5:42)
If, in the past, you have not had very young kittens that died necropsied
(posted) due to cost, please consider that the procedure might well have
SAVED you money in the long run. If the kitten died of an infectious process
perhaps the littermates could be started on antibiotic therapy early and
increase their chance of survival. Also consider that a kitten born dead
and appearing grossly normal may conceal congenital problems internally
that should alert you to a problem breeding you might not wish to repeat.
Death of any kitten is traumatic and why not gain all the information possible
from the event.
NUTRITION
Although newborn kittens have glycogen stores
in their livers at birth, these kittens need to be fed within 12 hours
of birth to avoid hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) and hypothermia (below
normal body temperature).
Ideally, the queen stays near the kittens after
birth to provide a source of warmth as well as the 2-3 ml of milk they
nurse every 3 hours. (Note: ml=cc) By age 2 weeks, a kitten suckles 5-7
ml of milk per meal and the queen may stay out of the box for longer periods
of time. Colostrum is the antibody rich milk produced the first 24-72 hours
after birth. The intestinal tract of the kitten can absorb the antibodies
directly into the blood stream from the gut during this time frame and
acquire what's known as "passive systemic immunity". If ,for whatever reason,
the kitten does not ingest this colostrum during the first few hours of
life the kitten is left without blood antibodies. Kittens without these
antibodies are very susceptible to infections that enter the blood through
the skin or mucous membranes of the respiratory, digestive or genitourinary
system. Passive local immunity is established for as long as the kittens
are nursing . Even after the queen is no longer producing the colostrum,
her milk still contains appreciable levels of antibodies. Though these
antibodies are no longer absorbed into the kitten's bloodstream they act
locally within the oropharynx, esophagus, stomach and intestines to prevent
local invasion by microorganisms ingested with the food. Passive local
and systemic immunity are both essential for survival of the newborn kittens.(5:427)
After each meal, the queen licks the kittens
perineal region to stimulate urination and defecation with the queen ingesting
the urine and feces. At age 3 weeks the kittens are more active, playing
and learning to eliminate "away from the nest". By imitation they learn
to use the litterbox.
At age 4 weeks, the kittens may be offered
some supplemental food such as small pieces of meat, canned food or baby
food but weaning is NOT started at this time. Kittens do however learn
to "lap" liquids at about 3 weeks of age and this is a skill they need
to posses before they can begin to bite and eat.
The composition of the queens milk varies during
the nursing period. During the four week period we are reviewing, the protein
content increases from 6.5 to 10 % and the fat content decreases. (2:285)
With newborn kittens artificial feeding may
be necessary to supplement queens milk in the case of a large litter or
to fully feed a kitten(s) if the queen becomes ill or dies. There are many
recipes available to replace queens milk but most texts recommend the use
of a commercially prepared queens milk replacement due to the complex nutritional
needs of the kitten.
If a kitten is hand-raised the feeder also
has to assume the toileting responsibilities. Once the kitten is fed, urination
and defecation are accomplished by stimulating the perineal area with a
moist cotton ball. Once the kitten toilets, clean up the kitten and replace
the kitten in a properly warmed "nest". Environmental temperature should
be about 90 degrees for the first 2 weeks and 80 degrees after that. Care
to maintain the kittens body temperature is most important as hypothermia
(below normal body temperature) is the primary cause of death in infant
kittens.
To assess kitten growth, weigh kittens daily
on the most sensitive scale you can afford. A weight increase of 10 grams
or more daily is ideal.
SENSORY DEVELOPMENT
The kittens visual system needs time after
birth to develop. At birth the kittens ocular (eye) development is about
equivalent to that of a 5 month human fetus. (1:15) At birth the eyes are
sealed until age 4-15 days. At first the eyes open slightly and may appear
slit but by day 17 both eyes are fully and completely open. Early handling
can speed up this process by about 24 hours. (1:15) If the eyes open and
then close again be very observant for signs of infection.
Some reflexes associated with vision are present
even before the eyes are open: (A) palpebral reflex- starts at about 3
days of age and by 9 days is a fully adult level reflex. This reflex stimulates
closure of the eye when the eyelid or cornea is touched(B) light blink
reflex disappears about age 21 days of age probably because acute pupil
control develops at this time. This reflex stimulates the kitten to turn
its head away from a light source. This might be an important point to
remember if using flash to photograph young kittens. Pupil response to
light normally appears within 24 hours of the eyes opening and takes 2-3
days to develop normal speed. (1:16)
Visual acuity develops independently of the
eye opening. Visual pursuit first happens as an eye with head turning movement
about 11 days of age when a kitten will first follow people or a moving
object. (1:16) Angles and arcs of vision continue to develop for the entire
first month. Visual placing of the forelimbs first occurs between day 22-28.
This development is significantly related to good visual acuity in the
kitten (1:16) Depth perception is well developed in the kitten by 4 weeks
of age. As the kitten grows and its vision matures it then learns to avoid
running into objects and can visually find its food.
Eye color starts to change at about 3 weeks
of age although early handling can speed this slightly. (1:17)
Adult cats respond to a silhouette of their
own species as they would an actual animal. Adult cats are apparently threatened
by the shadow on first sight and react by standing hair on end (piloerection).
Kittens at age 4 weeks show no piloerection to the same shadow. (3:58)
SMELL
Smell is highly developed at birth and by age
2 days a kitten will react to and avoid offensive odors. (1:24) Smell (olfaction)
is well developed at this early age because of its importance in guiding
the young animal to the mammary glands for nursing. By age 3 days each
kitten establishes a preferred nipple position and primarily uses odor
to identify and follow previous paths to the specific nipple.
Distress caused by removing the young kitten
from its home area can be quieted by providing the smell of the area even
without physical contact. If placed near the home area, a tiny kitten will
crawl to it, guided by smell, and fall asleep.(1:24) When a kitten begins
to explore outside areas it's the odor cues for home that provide orientation
for its return. At about the age of 3 weeks, vision develops and the smell
cues become less important.
TACTILE (TOUCH)
The sense of touch is fairly well developed
at birth again because this sense plays such an important part in orienting
the kitten. At birth, a kitten does not have the ability to maintain body
heat so huddling is necessary for survival. For this reason, Rooting behavior
(pushing of the head into warm objects) is present until the kitten is
about 16 days of age. Many touch reflexes are present at birth and include:
(A) auriculonasocephalic reflex which determines that the kitten will turn
it's head to the stimulus side when the face is touched (B) Galant's reflex
which determines that the kittens head and trunk will turn to the stimulus
side when the flank region is touched. Take some time and watch how a queen
uses touch with her paw to direct her kittens. Physical contact with the
queen has a calming effect on the young and they will often bury their
heads in her fur. This behavior may even be carried over into the adult
cat that can be calmed by having it's face covered with a hand.
HEARING (AUDITORY)
Hearing development in the kitten is not fully
developed at birth with the external auditory canal beginning to open between
days 6-14 (average day 9)and completely open by day 17. A kitten's hearing
startle response to a sharp noise is highly variable from kitten to kitten
and appears within a few days of the ear canal opening. (1:21) Kittens
will begin orienting to a sound as early as day 7 and will investigate
a sound by age 13-16 days. Sound recognition of littermates or people develops
by age 3-4 weeks.
By age 2 days a kitten can purr and this act
actually functions as a form of communication between queen and kittens.
The communication is vocal for her and tactile for the kittens as they
only stop nursing to "purr" and swallow.
TASTE
Studied less than any other sense since it's
very hard to evaluate but by one day of age a kitten can detect NaCl (table
salt) in milk and by 10 days of age shows definite response to salt and
bitter tastes with possible responses to the tastes of sweet and sour.
The sweet taste response is minimal at best but some cats do develop strong
liking for foods with a high sugar content. In testing tastes, it was found
that maximum sensitivity to taste happened at 30 degrees C., the normal
temperature of the tongue.
LEARNING
Learning is defined as a change in behavior
as the result of an individual's experience. (1:37) Kittens can learn immediately
after birth and by age 10 days the kitten has learned to locate a preferred
teat for nursing, primarily through trial and error, but that's learning.
Also by age 10 days, kittens have learned to avoid or escape offensive
situations. (1:30) Handling kittens daily for the first month may improve
the kitten's learning ability. (3:57)
BEHAVIORS
Malnutrition can have an especially strong
influence on a kittens ability to learn and there is evidence the nutritional
deprivation may result in food-related emotional behaviors. In severe nutritional
deprivation in early kittenhood can result in a negative permanent affect
on neuron development and learning ability. (1:44) Runts in a normal litter
may suffer neurologically because of nutritional problems in addition to
possible psychological difficulties induced by intimidation from normal
size littermates. (1:44) Early separation from the mother can affect a
kitten in multiple ways. Commonly there is an increased amount of random
non-goal directed movement or activity, these kittens are more emotional
in various situations and the kittens are slow to calm down later. (1:44)
PLAY
Of all the developmental behaviors, play is
the most familiar and generates the most outward responses from humans.
Kitten play can be expressed through a wide variety of patterns. Self play
starts at about 2 weeks of age when a kitten will begin to bat moving objects
(like mom's tail). This batting play develops with muscle coordination
and age 3 weeks finds more social play aimed at pawing with occasional
biting. Leaping is a real variable play skill and will show between ages
17-43 days. "Belly-up" play is first seen about day 21-23 and describes
kittens on their backs with front limbs making a pawing motion and back
limbs treading in the air. In this posture, teeth are also exposed. "Stand-up"
play also appears about day 23 and this posture is where one kitten is
standing over a second kitten in the "belly-up" position. In stand-up play
both kittens may paw and bite each other.
Now, as you hold that tiny kitten be aware
that you are increasing his ability to learn and survive in the world,
you are speeding up his eye color change, and may be generally experiencing
an extreme sense of awe at the miracle Nature has shared with you.