During their growth, kittens, following their mother and siblings, will learn some lifelong applicable skills. This usually exists in wild kittens, whose hunting skills also begin to develop at this time and benefit them for life.

　　1. The Growth Rules of Kittens

　　Kittens weigh about 100 grams at birth, and their weight doubles approximately two weeks later. Newborn kittens under two weeks have a normal heart rate of over 200 beats per minute, and a breathing rate of about 15 to 35 times per minute. Their body temperature is relatively low at birth, about 35–36°C, gradually rising within 1–2 weeks after birth, reaching about 37.7°C at four weeks old.

　　Kittens have pain sensation at birth, but their nerve-muscle reflex related to pain only fully develops at 7 days old. Their eyes open between 5–14 days after birth, showing a gray-blue iris, known as gray-blue eyes. Over the next few weeks, their eye color slowly changes to the colors typical of adult cats, and kittens develop normal vision around 3–4 weeks old. They start to crawl slowly between 7–14 days old, begin waddling to learn walking at day 16, and have more mature and steady steps by day 21.

　　Cats usually walk steadily after the third week; before this, they rely on their mother to move them. At two weeks old, kittens develop their first set of teeth, and by three weeks they can usually use the litter box independently. At this time, kittens also start playing. Four-week-old kittens play by biting each other and also learn how not to hurt one another. Kittens begin weaning at five weeks, start eating solid food, and become more independent. Their balance has fully developed by now, and they know how to groom themselves. This period is crucial for learning—they must learn to recognize themselves and other animals.

　　By two months old, kittens' muscles are fully developed, but they still need plenty of exercise to accurately judge distance, height, and speed. Hunting skills are also learned during this period. Generally, it is best for kittens to leave their mother after three months old, as they have developed territory awareness and a good sense of direction by then.

　　2. Skills Kittens Need to Learn During Growth

　　1. Learn to Hunt

　　When kittens are three weeks old and allowed outside by their owner, the mother cat starts bringing prey back to the den. At first, the mother cat brings back dead prey and eats it in front of the kittens. Later, she leaves the dead prey for her offspring to eat. Finally, she brings back live prey for the kittens to kill. She does not directly teach them how to kill; instead, she stays nearby to prevent the unfortunate prey from escaping. If kittens want to fend for themselves in the future, they must learn hunting and how to handle prey. Interestingly, whether fierce or friendly, kittens learn faster from their own mother's example than by watching other adult cats without blood relation.

　　2. Learn to Play

　　Like other young carnivores, kittens enjoy playing. Play has a practical role in helping kittens learn how to live independently when they grow up. Kittens practice attack and defense, train techniques like offense, pursuit, ambush, and killing, but never carry things too far or harm their playmates. Playtime is full of exaggeration, excitement, and courage, showing that kittens find the game itself fun. Play also helps kittens develop social awareness. Kittens that cannot play with others during development may become antisocial adults and sometimes show no interest in the opposite sex.

　　3. Learn to Roughhouse

　　If your kitten seems to be fighting, don’t panic. Usually, it’s just roughhousing. In fact, this simulated combat is meaningful because kittens learn how to attack and defend themselves.

　　3. Owners Should Prepare Toys for Kittens

　　1. Toys for Kittens

　　Although pet stores do sell toys designed specifically for cats, kittens are very curious and quickly find household items, like a ball of yarn, equally entertaining.

　　2. Provide a Safe Environment

　　Kittens like to climb into baskets, boxes, and other hollow objects to explore, so be sure to properly place items kittens might climb into.

　　If a cat is brought home very young, it usually won't have some hunting skills, because this is a learning process, not instinctual, so not all cats will learn hunting techniques. (Source：PetsZone)