Maine Coon Kitten Growth l Birth to 14 Weeks

This is her job, and she typically knows what to do. We try not to intervene in this natural bonding process unless Mama Cat is struggling. First-time moms can sometimes be overwhelmed, and sometimes deliveries become complicated, so we are always on standby if needed.

Drinking Mama Cat's colostrum within the first hour or two of birth is essential for Maine Coon kittens to build immunity and be protected against disease. We observe to ensure this happens as quickly as possible after birth because the kittens that receive colostrum have a far better chance of living to six weeks. Colostrum is the "first milk" a mama cat produces, and it is packed full of protein, vital nutrients, and the oh-so-important protective antibodies babies need to have a fighting chance.

Newborn Maine Coon kittens cannot thermoregulate, which means maintain their own body temperature. Keeping them warm is critical to avoid hypothermia, illness, and death and we are diligent about it for the first few weeks of life. 

Like all newborn kittens, Maine Coon kittens are blind and deaf at birth, relying on their sense of smell to wiggle and squirm their way to Mama Cat, with our help when needed. They re born cute,  but they  don't look much like their parents yet.

Once the kitten is clean and dry and has had colostrum, we check and record its birth weight in grams. To measure Maine Coon kitten growth, we weigh kittens daily for the first three weeks. We expect them to gain a minimum of 10g per day. Any less, and we step in to ensure they get enough food and stay hydrated. We hope to see every kitten at least maintain its weight daily and double its birth weight by the end of the first week.

From days 1-5, the umbilical cord will be attached and dry. Around 4-5 days, it will naturally fall off on its own. Shortly thereafter, Kitten's ear canals will begin to open and it will slowly begin to hear certain distinct sounds, like Mama Cat's purr and some of our sweet whispers. 

Believe it or not, competition for rank and territory begins this early in a Maine Coon kitten's life. Kitten uses both its sense of smell and touch to drag itself around the nest and find Mama Cat's dinner plate, which it must squirm and wiggle to claim. Once in place, Kitten tries to stay latched to Mama Cat and eats as often as possible, at least every 2 hours. If there are more kittens than dinner plates or Mama Cat has a slow milk supply, keeping everyone full via boconsumes our life around the clock.

In these critical early days, the blind and deaf helpless newborn kitten sleeps 90% of the time, eats the other 10% of the time, and forms a deep bond with Mama Cat, who provides food and constant warmth. She will get up to use the box as needed and will slowly begin to eat a little more as the week progresses, but most of the time she is heavily focused on tending to her kittens, which is a full-time job that requires a tremendous amount of her energy.

Because the kittens cannot yet "go" on their own, Mama Cat stimulates them to release waste by grooming their abdomen with her tongue. God bless her, she also does all the cleanup, aka "Booty Duty," afterward. 

Our only role this week is helping Mama Cat when she needs us to. We focus on supporting her, so she can do a great job taking care of her babies. Our presence is sensed by Kitten, but no imprinting occurs at this stage.

In its second week of life, a Maine Coon kitten still cannot retract its claws or maintain its body temp. Along with its siblings, it remains in the 80-degree nest close to Mama Cat, who tends to babies every need.

With a large litter, competition for food gets fierce! Feeding these babies every 2-3 hours requires a tremendous amount of Mama Cat's hydration and energy. Out of necessity, she may leave the nest more often now for food or drink, but never too far or for too long. One whimper from a kitten, and she will be right back!

Two-week-old kittens will still need to be stimulated to go the bathroom and Mama cat will still be stuck with the dirty cleanup work.

Kitten begins to open its eyes sometime between days 7-10, possibly one at a time. Vision is blurry at first, and Kitten is VERY sensitive to light. Yes, all Maine Coon kittens have blue eyes at this stage, but none will stay that way. Unless they are white, blue-eyed Maine Coons do not meet the CFA, TICA, or LCWW Maine Coon breed standard. All of our cats will have gold, copper, or green eyes as adults.

Kitten's ear canals will be completely open at some point this week, and its hearing will improve. What you will see change is that its ears will now appear small and rounded on the side of its head, like a cute baby bear cub. This is an adorable milestone in Maine Coon kitten development, so we love to take pics at this stage! Don't worry; those ears will sit up right where they're supposed to soon enough!

By the end of this week, Kitten has learned how to cry for help if it is feeling distressed and may even try and hiss at unfamiliar smells and sounds, which always makes for a good chuckle. 🤭 

Kitten is very familiar with me by now-- my scent, as well as the sound of my voice, and the warmth of my hand. I have been taking daily weights, supplementing meals as needed, changing box linens, snapping group photos, arranging dinner plates, and whispering sweet nothings, day and night. Now I get the joy of bringing Kitten and siblings to the world stage in the form of a birth announcement! 

While Maine Coon kittens still depend on  Mama Cat and siblings to maintain their warmth, Mama can leave for slightly more extended periods. Sometimes, I am even allowed to babysit!

Kitten is still completely dependent on nursing, eating less frequently now (5-6 times per day) but consuming far more milk with each feeding. 

This week Kitten will begin to develop balance, learn to stand, take its first wobbly steps, start to purr, and even begin to groom itself! We are getting ready for several new firsts this week!

As Kitten begins to walk late this week, they will quickly transition from having to be stimulated to go to the bathroom to going on their own to learning how to find and use the litterbox, just like Mama Cat.

KItten's ears will now stand up tall on their head, kinda like a miniature Maine Coon cat. Kitten is too adorable to resist at this stage.

When kittens are four weeks old, Mama Cat and babies move from our maternity ward to our kitten nursery, a cozy room with plenty of kitten-sized litter boxes , mess-proof flooring, and a ton of things to stimulate their curiosity and help them build their confidence. 

At this point, all the kittens have deciduous (baby) teeth and really begin to look like super fluffy, miniature Maine Coon cats. Simply adorable! Now is when all of our pre-approved adopters begin to get an idea what each kitten will grow up to look like, and some attachment to images of certain kittens may begin to form. 

This week begins with Kitten being introduced to warm formula in a dish, followed by gruel, which is a sludgy mixture of warm kitten wet food and formula mixed together. Kitten is still nursing four times a  day but is learning to satisfy its increasing appetite with gruel

By now, kittens can urinate and defecate on their own. Now they must learn how to recognize the "Uh-oh, I gotta go!" signs and make it to and inside the box. Yes, it's true that once there, most kittens instinctively know how to use the box, but learning to do so consistently (not just when its convenient) and to bury their waste properly requires a little practice and repetition. Our goal is to go from sometimes using to always properly using the box this week! 

Up until now, Kitten likely tolerated or accepted our presence, but paid us little to no attention most of the time. Now, Kitten is beginning to recognize us as sources of food, fun, and cuddles and the more outgoing Kitten is by nature, the more often it will begin to seek our attention. This is one of the milestones we evaluate in the temperament assessment we deliver with every kitten.

Mama is going to deliver tough love for the first time this week by increasingly denying Kitten access to her milk and encouraging them to be more independent. Mama Cat will also begin to correct unwanted behaviors.

Five-week-old KItten is now eating wet kitten food 4x daily, has constant access to Royal Canin dry mother & baby kitten food and water, and is continuing to nurse, but only 1-2x a day. 

 By now, Kitten's sight is crystal clear, they can right themselves, leap and run, place their feet precisely, avoid obstacles, stalk and pounce, and catch “prey” with their eyes. They are developing hunter instincts.

By six weeks, a Maine Coon kitten's deciduous (baby) teeth will all be in place and Kitten will be proficient at eating wet food and beginning to enjoy dry kibble. This stage of weaning is a stressful time in Kitten's life when he or she really starts to imprint on us. Of course, we must closely monitor who eats what, provide supplemental gruel if needed to ensure Kitten is maintaining a healthy weight, staying hydrated, and in good overall condition.

 Litter box training has taken hold with some, but very few, accidents,.

It's fun to see that Kitten is grooming his or herself all the time, using scratching posts , playing with toys, and climbing obstacles. It's not so fun trying to anticipate every move that Kitten will decide to make and keeping them safe. The willingness to take on new risks and to do so before all Kitten's siblings have done so is another behavioral marker we look for to identify our most fearless and outgoing kittens.

Kitten is easting wet food at scheduled intervals (twice per day) and has access to dry kibble and water at all times.

When our kittens are seven weeks old, they visit the veterinarian clinic for the first time. At this visit, Dr. Wright or Dr. Mann listen to their heartbeat and lungs, examine their boning and tummies, as well as their ears, eyes, and nose. Everyone that gets a clean bill of health and receives their first of three sets of core vaccines. Vaccines will be repeated again at Week 10 and Week 13, with the final series also including rabies. 

This is when things begin to get interesting, as Kitten is very well aware of when we enter the nursery, toddling or running towards us and competing fiercely with brothers and sisters alike for our time and attention. We are more than welcome visitors now; we are friends! A very exciting milestone in the Maine Coon kitten growth continuum!

Kitten has grown tremendously since birth and is now weighed once a week, in pounds vs. grams. The average weight for a female kitten at this age is about 2.5 to 2.75 pounds, while boys typically weigh between 2.75 and 3.25 pounds. Again, these are averages and Kitten weighing more or less at this age is not odd or concerning. Kitten is receiving everything it needs to reach its full adult potential.

At ten weeks, Kitten will become eligible for reservation by a loving family from our Approved Adopter’s list. In preparation for that, we will spend the next two weeks completing each Maine Cooon kitten's individual personality assessment to ensure we make a great match!

At this point, Kitten is eating and using the litter box reliably and can be allowed to explore the "big house" where we live, along with our alters and female Maine Coons. This is when Kitten begins to experience everyday life as a beloved household pet and learn what behaviors are and are not acceptable. We are teachers, but get a ton of help from our clowder, who expect more from the kindle of kittens than we do!

At ten weeks, Kitten and siblings return to the vet’s office for their second round of core vaccines in the three-part series they will receive before going home. At this vet visit, everyone is super curious, excited to meet the techs and doctor, and posing for some super cute photos for their new parents. 

At this age, kittens have received two rounds of vaccination and can begin to receive visitors to the cattery. Sometimes it is committed adopters who want to meet their kitten once before the big excitement of Gotcha Day! Sometimes it is neighbors, friends, or family who help provide important exposure to new smells, sounds, and sights which helps develop their confidence with a variety of folks and different circumstances.

Your Maine Coon kitten is now eating a well-balanced diet comprised of high-quality Royal Canin Mom & Baby Cat kibble, kitten wet food, and FortiFlora. Mama Cat has or will cut off any kind of nursing  since teeth hurt, and Kitten will become well-adjusted to the new normal.

At this stage, Kitten is completely confident living with people and pets  in the Big House, and uses all of its available awake time to explore its new environment, refine its hunting skills, and turn everything it can find into a toy or game. Each new activity helps build Kitten's confidence and they are becoming a very self-assured cat that can make a fairly easy transition to your home.

At 12 weeks, Kitten will receive their third and final round of core vaccines, along with their Purevax one-year rabies vaccine and go-home health exam. Kitten will grow quickly at this stage, average weight increasing from 3.5 pounds to 5 pounds for males and about 1/4 to 1/2 pound less for girls. 

Kitten will meet the new adoptive parent(s) in week 14 and make a huge leap from the known smells, sights and sounds of Maine Street to their new home. It is a major upheaval in Kitten’s life — both exciting but also stressful. Stress WILL temporarily affect appetite and immunity, so carefully following our integration instructions is very important to keep Kitten healthy for the next few  weeks.