Growing Kitty Week One

Week One

We all know there are several stages a kitten goes through in the first few weeks of life but why are these stages so important and what happens during this time? In the next few blog posts I am going to explain the developmental changes a kitten goes through week by week until they are ready for their forever home.

A1 Savannahs Kitten

Hello World!

From the time the kittens are born mom is hard at work. She is cleaning, feeding and keeping her tiny tots warm. Throughout this week she is very protective of her young and if bothered too much she will try to relocate them to a more peaceful location. During this time, we do not interfere to ensure mom's stress level stays low and she feels cozy and comfortable in her nesting area.

Puttin' On the Ounces

Kittens, when welcomed to this world, typically weigh a whopping 3-4 ounces. Of course, as far as Savannahs go, the higher the generation the bigger the kittens. In this week, the kittens will typically double in size to about 6-8 ounces which is a lot for their tiny little bodies. Within about 2-3 days their umbilical cord will detach and they are ready for takeoff.

A1Savannahs Mom and Kitten

Help Mom

When born, kittens are completely helpless and solely rely on their mothers to care for them. Their eyes are tightly shut making it a bit hard to see and their ears are folded so they cannot hear a thing. They react to their mothers body heat for comfort and rely on their  faint sense of smell to find their favorite nipple at feeding time. 

Happy and Healthy

In the first 24-48 hours of arrival the kittens will receive colostrum from their mothers. This is a very vitamin and nutrient rich milk that is crucial to the kittens development. Given the mother has had her vaccinations, this milk allows the kittens to receive the mothers immunity to harmful diseases until they are old enough for their first set of shots.

Potty Time

Another thing kittens are incapable of at this stage is controlling their bowels. Mom will lick their bellies to aid in digestion as well as their bottoms to help stimulate them to defecate. Kittens also can not regulate their own body temperature so mom always stays near to be sure they are all snuggled up.

A1Savannahs Serval Kitten

A Whole Lot of Shut Eye

In order to for kittens to grow and develop as fast as they do, they need plenty of beauty rest. Kittens spend 90 percent of their time sleeping while the other 10 percent they are chowing down. Other than snoozing, fighting their littermates for a nipple is their top priority but Mom always makes sure there is plenty to go around.

What first week experiences do you have?

Until Our Next Cat Convo

- Amanda 

A1Savannah's

Hello and Welcome to A1 Savannahs.

Our cattery is USDA Licensed and a Preferred Breeder Registered with The International Cat Association (TICA). If you are looking for a Savannah Kitten, then you have come to the right place. A1 Savannahs has been breeding the finest Savannah Kittens since the beginning. A1 Savannahs, formerly New Horizon Bengals, was founded by Joyce Sroufe. Joyce started breeding Savannah Cats in the late 1980's and started to register her first litters in 1994. She is also well known among exotic cat owners and breeders as the original founder of the Savannah Cat Breed and an expert in the breeding and care of exotic cats. A1 Savannahs is now owned by Martin and Amanda Engster. Often imitated, we are the original founder of the Savannah Cat breed, and have many years combined of knowledge and experience.