The helpless newborn cubs and kittens spend nearly all of their time on their bellies, their heads pressed against the ground. They don't have the strength to stand. The intensity of their early feeding, however, brings quick physical results. Although their limbs will not fully support them for some time yet, week-old domestic cats may crawl as much as a few feet at a time, usually to rejoin siblings in the perpetual huddle for warmth.
- Most cats can stand at around 3 weeks of age.
- At about the same time as the kittens’ first teeth emerge, domestic mothers begin to wean their young to solid foods.
- When they start to eat solids, the mother stops consuming their bodily waste and the kittens begin to bury their excretions in the ground or litter box.
- Not yet fully coordinated but with decidedly more stable limbs, domestic kittens at about 4 weeks of age slowly but surely begin to walk. Their tails, until now limp and of little use, also may become upright, assisting the new walkers in maintaining their balance on shaky feet.
- Before long, as their bodies fill out, the kittens start to run, jump and climb with frenetic intensity.
- By 6 or 7 weeks of age, domestic kittens usually are fully weaned and eating only solid foods.
- At 8 weeks of age, many are taken from the litter to new homes, but 12 weeks is a better time for this separation — the extra time spent with the feline family is important for social development, as long as there is also interaction with humans.
