Continuing from last month’s article on Kitten milestones…
Walking, Running, and Jumping
Over the first six weeks, they progress from not being able to walk to walking, running, hopping, and jumping.  By eight weeks they are able to execute every move we expect from cats, including advanced gymnastic maneuvers.
Teeth
Kittens should have all 30 adult teeth by seven months of age.  Your veterinarian uses eruption of deciduous (baby) teeth and their replacement by adult teeth to assess your kitten’s age.  The first teeth to erupt are deciduous incisors (the small teeth in front) at two to three weeks of age. The premolars and canines (fangs) follow at three to four week and three to six weeks respectively. Adult teeth start to replace deciduous teeth at 12 to 16 weeks of age, again starting with incisors and finishing with molars and canines.
When to Socialize
Social learning is critical to a kitten becoming a happy human companion. Their window of socialization is a narrow one, from two to seven weeks of age.  At least one hour a day is the optimal amount of time to spend handling a young kitten; this will increase friendliness later on. This one-hour can be split up into multiple shorter segments.  Slightly older kittens have been successfully socialized but it is much harder. When choosing a kitten, the ideal situation is a kitten raised by a socialized mother with the kitten receiving plenty of human contact from two weeks of age and up.
Puberty
The last important kitten milestone is puberty and the advent of sexual maturity. This occurs between five and nine months of age, depending on breed and season of year. Ideally, your kitten will be spayed or neutered by five to six months, avoiding unwanted kittens and “in heat” or tomcat behaviors.
If you are considering purchasing pet insurance, I recommend doing so as soon as you acquire your kitten or cat. In my opinion, this is one decision you won’t regret! Please see a veterinarian as soon as you adopt your kitten as there is important testing and vaccines to do.
If you have questions or need to schedule an appointment, please call 661-259-5288 or go to our website, www.catdoctor.com for a virtual tour and the ability to request an appointment online.