When do newborn kittens open their eyes?

All these questions often concern owners, especially if they are waiting first offspring at your pet. But it is impossible to answer this question unambiguously. Most kittens are indeed born with tightly closed eyes.

Usually a week or 10 days after birth, the eyelids begin to slowly open.

Most often this does not happen immediately. That is, the kitten does not open its eyes to its full extent, but slowly, literally one millimeter a day, the eyelids begin to rise. Moreover, this process can take from one to three days. But it will also be the norm if the kittens “see the light” by the end of the second or third week of life.

Main differences and features depend on the size of the animal, sex and breed. It has been proven that cats begin to see before cats. And long-haired individuals are later than their short-haired counterparts.

A lot also depends on the breed. For example, proud sphinxes may even be born with their eyes already open. Or wide open them already on the 3rd day after birth.

British or Persians open their eyes on the 9th day, and ragdolls begin to see only by the age of three weeks.

True, to say that kittens are beginning to see is still wrong: at first, newborns distinguish only fuzzy shadows. If you look closely at the kitten’s iris, it will be slightly unclear. The keen vision inherent in these predators appears only by the age of one month. It is because of this that many veterinarians advise keeping newborn kittens in a slightly darkened room so that bright light does not injure the eyes.

By the way, many years of observational experience says that all these terms are completely individual. For example, kittens from overdue of pregnancy open their eyes earlier than their brothers born at term. Therefore, you need to start worrying about the vision of the offspring no earlier than 21 days after birth. Although, for reassurance, you can show newborns to the doctor already at the 2nd week of life, if the eyes have not yet begun to open.

An urgent visit to the clinic requires purulent discharge from the eyes. If the mother cat is infected, the kittens can catch conjunctivitiswhich will have a very negative impact on their vision in the future.

You should also consult a doctor if you notice that in newborns, the eyes do not open completely: for example, only on the left or on the right side. This may indicate a partial fusion of the eyelids, which requires the advice of a specialist.

Photo: Collection