How to Determine a Kitten’s Age?

Sometimes a cat ends up in the house by chance: a person finds it on the street, or it is given away by neighbors. How can you determine the pet’s age in such cases?

It’s not too difficult to do this at home. By observing certain characteristics, you can easily figure out how old the kitten is.

To begin with, you should analyze the following:

• Weight.
• Teeth: Determine their number and type. Cats have both baby teeth and permanent teeth.
• Eye and ear color.
• The size of the animal.

These features, when examined closely, can help determine the pet’s age.

Typically, when a kitten is just two weeks old, it can fit into a person’s hand. It is very small. After two months, its body starts to take shape. Around four months, the muscles begin to develop. After another month, the kitten grows almost to its full size. By nine months, cats usually stop growing as their bodies are fully developed.



When determining age by the eyes, it’s worth noting that a kitten’s eyes fully open two weeks after birth. At birth, all kittens have cloudy blue eyes. Only after two months do their eyes begin to take on their natural color, making it easier to determine their age.

The easiest way to determine age is by analyzing the animal’s behavior. As they age, animals become more confident, their bodies gradually develop, which affects their behavior. Generally, during the first and second weeks of life, a kitten is barely active. It doesn’t respond to people, can’t move independently, or crawl. After a month, the kitten can stand up, crawl, and is easier to engage in play. By two months, kittens are much more confident. They move around actively, eat on their own, and are less fearful of their surroundings. By the end of their first year, their behavior fully matches that of an adult cat. They may begin to bite, act slightly aggressive, lunge, and meow angrily. This is also the time when they reach sexual maturity, which manifests as cats wanting to go outside, running quickly through rooms, or damaging items by scratching them.

It is not difficult to determine a kitten’s approximate age on your own. The key is to carefully analyze the kitten’s behavior, appearance, and pay special attention to its teeth and eyes.