11 Fun Facts About Kittens

Hey, cat lovers! This one is dedicated to all the little bundles of cuteness out there. That's right, we're talking about kittens! And by kittens, we're referring to cats under the age of 1 because once a kitten reaches 1 year old, they are considered an adult. Besides their irresistible charm, there are many interesting facts about kittens. Some of these facts might even surprise you, so let's get started.

• They need help going potty. We apologize in advance, but we're about to get TMI here. Believe it or not, kittens can't pee or poop on their own until they are three to four weeks old. Until then, it's up to mom to make potty time happen. To do this, the mother will lick the kitten's stomach and rear to stimulate their digestive system and move things along. Oh, that's nasty! This motion allows the kitten to do their business.
• They can't thermoregulate. For the first few weeks of life, kittens can't thermoregulate, which means they can't regulate their own body temperature. This means that during their early development, kittens are extremely vulnerable to the cold. So, to keep warm, they need to snuggle close to their mom and siblings. Kittens require this source of heat for their first two to four weeks of life, but after they reach about five weeks old, kittens should finally be able to regulate their own body temperatures. So, kittens actually need to have warm snuggles, which I'm sure no one is opposed to.

• Their mom boosts their immunity. Kittens don't produce their own antibodies in the first several weeks of life, but their mother comes to the rescue yet again. That's right, the mother's milk not only has vital nutrients but also antibodies. This is why they receive immune-boosting colostrum from mom in the first 24 to 48 hours after birth. The colostrum contains potentially life-saving antibodies to disease. Without colostrum, the kittens would not develop a healthy immune system, which would leave them susceptible to infection.
• They are born blind and deaf. A lot of cat lovers know that kittens are born with closed eyes, but they don't always realize that the kitten's ear canals are also closed. After birth, their eyes usually open between 7 and 14 days. On the other hand, their ear canals open between 10 and 14 days. But even after a kitten's eyes and ears open for the first time, their vision and hearing take time to fully develop. In the following weeks, their vision and hearing slowly improve and are fully developed by the time they are about six weeks old.

• They are all born with blue eyes. Did you know that all kittens are actually born with blue eyes? That's right, even cats with dark eyes start off with blue eyes as kittens. This is because melanin, which is a pigment that gives eyes their dark color, doesn't move into the eyes until they reach 7 to 12 weeks old. As a kitten grows, its eye color continues to develop. You might even see a range of colors during your kitten's first years before their eyes reach their permanent color. Some breeds, such as the Siamese, keep their blue eye color, but more commonly, cats develop different eye colors, such as green, hazel, or even yellow.
• They need to stimulate milk. If you own a cat, chances are you have seen them knead – you know, that cute little thing they do with their paws that looks like they're making pizza dough. It turns out that kittens need their mother to stimulate milk flow. This kitten instinct is carried into adulthood because they associate eating with the comfort they once felt from nursing. If a cat is kneading you, it could be their way of showing you love and affection. It could also be that they have chosen you as a mother figure and are seeking comfort. But here's my theory – they're just pretending to make pizza.

• They need to eat every two to three hours. From birth to about two weeks of age, kittens need to eat about every two to three hours. But in all seriousness, kittens, especially under the age of three months, have not fully developed their ability to regulate their blood sugar levels. So, if a kitten doesn't get enough food, it can lead to hypoglycemia, which is a condition in which the blood sugar level is lower than normal. This condition can be life-threatening to a kitten. But the risk wanes as the kitten ages because older kittens can go four to six hours between feedings, and once they reach six months old, most cats can be fed just two meals a day.
• Kittens can have kittens. The average female cat will go into her first heat cycle between six and nine months of age. As we stated earlier, kittens aren't considered adult cats until they reach a year old. This means that technically, kittens can sometimes have kittens. But this fact gets even more interesting and alarming. According to WebMD, a female can be as young as four months old when she starts her first heat cycle. This means that it's possible for her to get pregnant as young as 4 months. Although there is no way to know for sure when a female cat will hit puberty, certain factors, such as breed and being exposed to unneutered males, can increase the chance of a female kitten maturing early.

• A litter of kittens can be from multiple fathers. Believe it or not, a litter of kittens can sometimes come from multiple fathers. This phenomenon is known as superfecundation. So how can it happen? Well, if a female cat mates with more than one male during her fertile period, her eggs can potentially be fertilized by more than one partner. If a litter of kittens came from multiple fathers, they might be a range of different colors and sizes. They might also have different characteristics from each other. But in a case where the mom and father are purebreds of the same breed, all of the kittens could look pretty similar. In that scenario, the only way to know if superfecundation occurred is a DNA test.
• They are susceptible to flea anemia. Although very uncomfortable for a pet, it's hard to imagine that a flea could actually be life-threatening. But the reality is that fleas drink blood, and since kittens are so small, they don't have a lot of blood to spare. Sadly, fleas can cause life-threatening anemia in younger kittens. Anemia is a condition in which the blood doesn't have enough healthy red blood cells. What makes things even more alarming is that most flea medications are not safe for cats less than 8 weeks old. So if a young kitten does get fleas, usually a gentle dishwashing soap has to be used instead.

• Kittens made a world record. On August 7th, 1970, a four-year-old Burmese Siamese mix named Tarawood Antagon (sorry if I butchered that name) gave birth to 19 kittens. You heard that right. Tarawood, who lived in Oxfordshire, UK, made the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest litter of domestic cats. She gave birth to 19 kittens. For comparison, the average number of kittens for a cat of this type is only four to six. Sadly, four of the kittens were stillborn, but the remaining 15 included 14 males and there was only one female kitten in the entire litter.

Which of these fun facts about kittens did you find the most interesting? Let us know in the comments below!