How Long till Kittens Open Their Eyes? How to Caring for Kittens With Closed Eyes

What if you could predict exactly when a kitten would wake up? What would you do differently?

Most kittens’ eyes are shut when they’re born. The eyelids protect the newborn’s eyes while she gets used to the bright world around her.

But soon she’ll begin to open her eyes, and then you’ll be able to see that she’s ready for the world. Kitten eyes are ready to open between two to seven days old.

When do baby kittens open their eyes?

Kittens are born blind and deaf, but their eyes open during the first two weeks of life. This normally happens when kittens are between eight and 12 days old.

Your new fur baby will have sparkling blue eyes when they first open, but their eye color is extremely likely to change as they age.

However, cats with full white or light hair are more likely to keep their baby blues, as the gene responsible for their white colouring is a dominant feature.

Is it bad if a kitten opens its eyes too early?

While kittens normally open their eyes in the first week or two of life, it’s not unheard of for kittens to open their eyes as early as three days old.

The newborn kittens eyes are particularly sensitive to light, and young kittens are especially prone to eye illnesses. If your cat opens her eyes while she’s just a few days old, she may suffer irreversible harm to her vision.

Contact your veterinarian, and keep your infant kitten in a dark place to protect her vulnerable eyes.

A kitten’s vision and hearing are feeble at first, but your fur baby will acquire night vision six times higher than ours, combined with incredibly sensitive hearing, within a matter of weeks.

Can you force a kitten’s eyes open?

A kitten’s eyes should never be pried open until she is emotionally and physically ready. You may give her an eye infection that would permanently impair her vision. Some of the signs of an eye infection are:

If you think your kitten has an eye infection, you should take her to the clinic right away.

Your kitten may recover from an eye infection with medications, but if the illness is allowed to progress uncontrolled, it may cause irreversible blindness in one or both eyes.

What to do if a kitten does not open their eyes

Concern may arise if you observe a kitten taking an unusually lengthy time to open its eyes. Here’s a rundown of what to do, however some cats will inevitably take more or less time depending on their individual circumstances.

If only one eye has opened

A kitten may occasionally open one eye. If this happens, look for yellow pus behind the closed eye. If you can, please take the kitten with you to the vet.

If no pus is present, try a cotton ball wet with warm water or weak chamomile tea to gently wipe the closed eye.

Tea made from chamomile flowers has been shown to have a calming effect on the eyes, and this should help eliminate any sticky substances that are blocking the eye from opening.

You should visit the clinic if the kitten’s eye continues to be closed.

If both eyes are still closed

If a kitten does not open its eyes at all by 2 weeks of age, take them to the clinic. Never, ever try to wake up a sleeping kitten.

Eye issues in kittens

Kittens are especially vulnerable to eye infections in their early weeks of life because their immune systems are still maturing.

Keep an eye on how they’re doing and see if anything seems off. Having crusty, crusty, or goopy eyes is a symptom that should never be ignored.

Before the eyes open

Before their eyelids fully open, kittens might already be experiencing problems with their eyes. When you close your eyes and see a bulge there, it’s likely because pus is accumulating there due to illness.

A trip to the vet is in order, whereby he or she will carefully open the eyelid, remove the pus, clean the eye, and administer medicine.

Even when we send you home with medication, you’ll need to wipe the eye and administer it yourself.

After the eyes open

Once kittens open their eyes, they are susceptible to a host of vision issues. This includes, but is not limited to:

Conjunctivitis. Inflammation of the conjunctiva, the thin mucous membrane that lines the inside of the eyelid and covers the outside of the eyeball, is the most frequent form of feline eye disease.

Squinting, excessive blinking, discharge, and puffy conjunctiva are all symptoms.

Pus in the Eyes. The clarity of this might change from transparent to pus-like. It’s possible that your kitty will close one eye or squint. The typical location of the third eyelid, at the inner corner of the eye, may also be compromised.

Damage to the cornea. Eye injuries are common and can be very painful, especially scratches from play fighting or blowing dust.

Your kitten may try to hide from the light, squint, or avoid it altogether. Contact your vet immediately if you suspect an eye injury, even if you think it’s only minor.

When do kittens start to see?

Kittens mature at varying speeds, but typically between 2 and 16 days of age, when they first open their eyes. During this stage, they should begin to see more clearly, however their eyes might not develop at the same rate.

By the time most kittens are 3 weeks old, both eyes have dilated to roughly the same size, and many can concentrate with either eye.

Kittens’ eyes are always blue when they’re born, but their real hue doesn’t emerge until they’re around 8 weeks old.

Caring for your newborn kitten’s eyes

As their eyes continue to grow, young kittens should be protected from harsh lighting.

It is your responsibility to keep newborn kittens clean and healthy if they do not have a mother or if the mother is not doing a good job of caring for them.

Use a warm, moist towel to wipe their faces down, and for heaven’s sake, don’t try to coax a kitten’s eyes open until its lids have opened on their own. Have patience!

Issues to watch for & how to treat them

A crust can form on a kitten’s eyelids shortly after birth, preventing it from opening. An infection with bacteria or a virus is a typical culprit in cases like these.

In order to prevent diseases from returning or spreading to other kittens in the litter, it is essential that their bedding and communal spaces are kept clean and sanitary at all times.

If your kitten develops a crusty, matted eyelid, you may remove the gunk by wiping the area with a cotton swab dipped in warm, clean water.

Just don’t use soap! Call your vet immediately if you notice any worsening or continued poor condition of your kitten’s eyes.

How a kitten’s vision develops

It may come as a surprise to learn that your kitten’s eyes will continue to grow even after it is born. Kittens spend the first two weeks of their lives essentially blind, even though they can see out of their eyes.

The protective fluid around your kitten’s eyes will look cloudy at first, but as it clears, your kitten’s vision will become increasingly sharp.

Your small fur baby will eventually be able to see well enough in your dark, snug bedroom to jump on your feet and demand food in the middle of the night.

What to do if an infection develops

Kittens can have eye infections even if they have a normal eye opening and you take good care of them.

You should take your kitten to the doctor if she gets an eye infection so that she may be examined and, most likely, given antibiotic eye drops.

If her eyes get crusty, clean them gently with a cotton pad soaked in warm water, and change her bedding frequently to avoid the spread of infection.

Keep in mind that it is important to keep any cleaning products away from your kitten’s eyes.

If you have more cats at home, you should be vigilant about monitoring their activities as well.

Eye infections are very contagious, and may quickly spread from one cat to another, so you should take extra precautions whether you are caring for Mama Cat and her kittens or if you already have a cat in your house.

Unless your veterinarian advises otherwise, you shouldn’t keep your kitten in isolation.

Feline health declines have been linked to removing nursing kittens from their mothers. Your kitten will benefit much from interaction with her littermates at this early age.

Take great care with your new kitten

Although nurturing a newborn kitten requires a significant time commitment, the rewards will last a lifetime.

Your kitten will associate you with comfort and affection since your face will be one of the first things she sees when she opens her eyes.

(Unfortunately, we can rule out the possibility that cats view us as their parents according to the findings of recent studies.) Let your kitten’s eyes open naturally, and if anything seems amiss, consult your vet.

Other tips on caring for kittens with closed eyes

Cats’ eyes are a good indicator of their age. They are quite young (less than 2 weeks old), and hence extremely susceptible (because of their closed eyelids).

These infants will need round-the-clock care. A cat found alone with its eyes still closed will require:

You can offer the finest care for your tiny tiger if you know when its eyes open. Shortly, their eyes will be wide awake, and you’ll have a furry bundle of boundless activity!

Warmth is important for newborn kittens

Kittens can’t control their body temperature as they age, which is why they congregate around their mother.

A heating disk placed in the crate or a heating pad set to a low temperature and covered by a blanket can assist maintain a healthy body temperature for a newborn kitten who does not have access to its mother or littermates.

Additionally, for the kitten’s comfort, you should create a little nest made of blankets.

You should check the temperature of the heating pad by feeling it with your fingers, and you should also provide a cool, comfy spot in your kitten’s cage or box so it may go there if it becomes too hot.

Because kittens are susceptible to hypothermia if they become too cold, you should keep their space heated to 85 degrees Fahrenheit (29 degrees Celsius) until they are around 6 weeks old.

Newborn kittens need proper nutrition

When taking care of a newborn kitten who doesn’t have a mother, it’s important to make sure they have enough to eat. You will need to bottle-feed your kitten with specialized kitten formula every 2 to 4 hours.

Your vet can advise you on the optimal kitten formula to use, as well as the appropriate amount and frequency of feedings.

Kittens need to gain around half an ounce (14 grams) each day, or 4 ounces (113 grams) per week, to develop normally.

Avoid giving your cat cow milk at all costs, and stick to a consistent formula. Your cat also needs to be kept warm so that it can properly digest the food you feed it.

Conclusion

How long till kittens open their eyes? There was only one kitten that didn’t open his eyes, but we had to wait around 30 hours for that one.

At this point, we’re just waiting for the second set of eyes to open and we’ll see if the treatment worked. So far, so good! We were very excited to see this one’s eyes open!

source https://catshint.com/how-long-till-kittens-open-their-eyes/