Preface

During the growing up process, kittens will learn some lifelong skills along with their mothers, brothers and sisters. This usually exists in kittens. The hunting skills of kittens also begin to learn from this time and benefit them for a lifetime.

1、 The growth pattern of kittens

The weight of kittens at birth is about 100 grams, and after about two weeks, their weight will double. Kittens under two weeks of age have a normal heart rate of over 200 beats per minute and a breathing rate of approximately 15-35 breaths per minute. Newborn kittens have a lower body temperature, around 35-36 ℃, which gradually increases within 1-2 weeks after birth until reaching around 37.7 ℃ at four weeks of age.

Kittens have pain sensation since birth, but the neuromuscular reflexes related to pain sensation do not fully develop until 7 days of age. At 5-14 days after birth, the eyes will open and the iris will appear gray blue, also known as gray blue eyeballs. In the coming weeks, the eyes will gradually turn into the colors that cats will have in the future, but kittens will only have sufficient normal vision when they are about 3-4 weeks old. At 7-14 days of age, crawling gradually begins, and on the 16th day, one will start to learn to walk by swaying. By the 21st day, the pace becomes more mature and steady.

Cats usually need to walk steadily until the third week, before which they can only rely on the mother cat's movement. Cats will grow their first set of teeth at 2 weeks old and can basically go to the bathroom by themselves at 3 weeks old. At this point, cats will also start playing, with cats around them biting and playing with each other, and learning how not to harm each other. Kittens start weaning at the fifth week, consume hard foods, and become independent. At this point, the cat's sense of balance has fully developed and they also know how to comb their hair. This period is the stage of cat learning, where they must learn to recognize themselves and other animals.

After two months of birth, cats have fully developed their muscles, but they still need to exercise more to accurately determine distance, height, and speed. The skills of hunting were also learned during this period. Generally speaking, it is best for kittens to leave their mother after three months of age, as cats already have a sense of territory and direction at that age.

What skills do kittens need to learn during their growth?

cat

2、 What skills do kittens need to learn during their growth process

1. Learn to hunt

When the kitten reaches 3 weeks old, the mother cat, who is allowed by its owner to go outside the door, begins to bring the captured prey back to the nest. At first, the mother cat brought back the decease prey and ate it in front of the kitten. In the future, it will leave its decease prey for its children to eat. Finally, it will bring back the live prey and let the kitten put it down. It does not directly teach the kitten how to put it down prey, but stays with the kitten to prevent unlucky victims from escaping. If kittens want to make a living on their own in the future, they must learn to hunt and how to deal with their prey. It is interesting that both strong and friendly kittens learn faster from their own mother's demonstration than observing other mature cats without blood ties.

2. Learn to play and frolic

Like other young carnivores, kittens also enjoy playing and frolicking. Games have a substantial role in helping cats learn how to live independently when they grow up. Kittens practice attacking and defending, training in techniques such as attack, pursuit, ambush, and culling, but they never transport things too far and do not cause harm to their companions. When cats are playing, there is an exaggerated, excited, and courageous atmosphere. This clearly shows that they believe the game itself is also very fun. Games also have the function of developing group consciousness in kittens. During the growth and development stage, kittens that cannot play with other partners will become solitary cats in adulthood, and sometimes become cats that are not interested in the opposite gender.

3. Learn to play around

If your kitten seems to be in conflict, don't panic. Usually it's just for fun. In fact, this simulated battle is very meaningful because cats can learn how to attack and defend themselves from it.

3、 The owner needs to prepare toys for the kitten

1. Toys for kittens

Although pet stores do sell toys designed specifically for cats, kittens have a strong curiosity and will quickly discover items in their homes, such as a ball of yarn, which are also very fun.

2. Provide a safe environment

Kittens like to crawl into baskets, boxes, and other things with holes to explore, so it is important to place things that the kitten may crawl into properly.

summary

If a cat is brought home and raised at a young age, it usually does not have some hunting skills because it is a learning process and not instinctive, so not all cats will learn hunting skills.