When Do Kittens Start Walking? Feline Development Explained (Vet-Verified)

Few things are more exciting than watching a kitten grow and develop. But while you might be familiar with human development timelines, developing kittens can throw you for a loop.

Most kittens start walking around 3 weeks, but this isn’t a hard-and-fast rule. Also, just because they’ve started walking doesn’t mean they have the best coordination.

But if kittens only start walking around 3 weeks, how do they get around before that? When do they appear more coordinated? We answer both these questions before diving into more developmental milestones here.

Can Kittens Move Before 3 Weeks?

Yes. While a kitten might not start walking around until the 3-week mark, that doesn’t mean they’re immobile before then. Even as newborn kittens, they’re extremely curious and want to start exploring their surroundings.

They use their paws to make slow, paddling movements to move short distances. However, while they might try to explore the world, their mother doesn’t let them get far. Momma cat will nudge them around, and if needed, she’ll pick the kitten up by the nape of their neck to put them back in place.

When Do Kittens Gain Coordination and Balance?

From three to four weeks, a kitten's sight is more developed. While kittens first find their feet and start trying to walk, right around the 3-week mark, they don’t have a very good balance. You’ll notice that they stumble all over the place as they gain coordination.

While this is an adorable stage, it doesn’t last long. Most cats find their balance and coordination by the 4-week mark. They’ll still be a little clumsy until they reach full cathood, but it’s nothing compared to their initial unsteadiness as they learn to walk.

When Can You Start Holding Kittens?

Newborn kittens are adorable, and it’s only natural to want to snuggle up with them and hold them as much as possible. But just because they’re cute, that doesn’t mean you should handle them.

Unless you need to hand-rear a kitten or look after them medically, you should do your best not to handle them at all until they’re around 2 weeks old. After that point, not only is handling fine, but it’s also actually recommended for short sessions!

Kittens benefit from positive human interaction from three to four weeks of age to get and stay super cuddly throughout their entire life. This is especially important after the 3-week mark, but you can definitely start as early as 2 weeks! However, it’s important not to overdo it, as this can lead to frustration, and can even have the opposite effect, with cats that do their best to get away. Always leave them wanting more!

When Can Kittens See and Hear?

When kittens are born, they’re all blind and deaf. When they first open their eyelids and when they start hearing what’s going on around them are huge developmental milestones.

Kittens will open their eyes for the first time between the 1-week and 2-week mark. If they haven’t opened their eyes by the time they’re 2 weeks old, that’s a cause for concern.

Meanwhile, kittens’ ear canals start to open up by the 17-day mark, so if their ear canals are not open by this stage, it’s important to get them checked by a vet.

However, it might be hard to tell if your kitten can hear at this point. Kittens don’t usually start responding to sights and sounds till just after the 3-week mark, at 25 days. It’s at this point that they’ll begin to become aware of the world around them, even if they’ve already had all their senses for more than a week.

What Does a 3-Week-Old Kitten Look Like?

It’s at the 3-week mark that your kitten starts to develop features that make them look more like a cat. At first, they will have blue eyes and extremely small ears, but after 3 weeks, their eyes will change color and those small ears start to point up.

Your kitten will also start to develop their first teeth! Once their teeth begin to come in, you can introduce solid foods, starting with wet food first.

Between the development of their first teeth, their ability to respond to external noises and sights, and the fact that they’re just starting to wobble around, identifying a 3-week-old kitten is a relatively straightforward process!

What Do Kittens Do at 3 Weeks Old?

Kittens of all ages are curious, and a 3-week-old kitten is no different. They focus most of their energy on learning to walk, but the driving motivation behind wanting to walk is that they want to play.

Whether it’s with toys, littermates, humans, or their mother, a 3-week-old kitten is a bundle of energy and curiosity. They want to explore, play, and eat!

But while they want to do all this in the 3rd week, they won’t start to master it all and really start to explore and play until about the 4-week mark.

Final Thoughts

Having kittens around brings a certain amount of inexplicable joy, but they’re also a huge responsibility — for both momma cat and you. Having a thorough understanding of what to expect at each milestone is critical, and the 3-week point is a huge milestone.

Not only will they start walking at this point, but they’re also a little less fragile, and their chances of survival have skyrocketed dramatically. It’s the perfect time to start bonding and cuddling with them!

Featured Image Credit: rihaij, Pixabay