Caring for a Newborn Maine Coon Litter: Week 2

Days 8-14 is when kittens begin transitioning from completely dependent newborns to slightly more interactive, aware little beings. It’s subtle—but exciting as their senses begin to develop and their personalities start to peek through.

Lola’s kittens snuggle in a basket during their daily weigh in

Physical Development

• Eyes begin to open (typically days 8–12)
  - Usually the kittens lopsided for a day or two- one eye opens and then the other
  - Eyes appear blue and slightly cloudy initially
  - Vision is still very limited

• Movement shifts from scooting to early crawling
  - Wobbly, uncoordinated belly crawls, but they’re getting fast!
  - Beginning to push up slightly on front legs

• Ears are still low but beginning to change
  - Gradually loosening and starting to lift

Weight & Growth

• We continue doing daily weight checks- weight gain is the best indicator that kittens are healthy
  - We are looking for steady gains of at least 10g every 24 hours- these kittens are

• Body development
  - Kittens begin to lengthen slightly
  - Less newborn “blobs”, more defined kitten form

Coat & Color Development

• Color becomes clearer
  - Tabby patterns sharpen
  - Smoke/silver becomes more visible
  - Reds and creams deepen
  - Tortie patterns become more distinct

• More confident color identification is possible, though still developing

Behavior & Awareness

• Increased alertness and responsiveness
• Slightly longer awake periods
• Beginning to react to touch and surroundings
• Early, wobbly attempts to move with intention

This little black tabby kitten just opened his eyes

Handling & Early Socialization

• We continue gentle daily handling
  - Interactions with the kittens get longer, but we still keep them pretty short so mom doesn’t get anxious
  - We make sure to gently touch the kittens on their feet, bellies, backs, and heads to lay the foundation for confident kittens

Milestones: Sexing & Litter Names

• At the beginning of week 2, we confirm each kitten’s gender
  - Anatomy is easier to distinguish at this stage although mistakes are still possible

• We assign a litter theme and individual names to each kitten
  - We take into account the personality of each kitten when we name them
  - The kittens still wear colored collars

Photos

• End of Week 2: We start posting individual photos- look for kitten pics tomorrow of Aurora’s litter. Lola’s litter will be posted on Friday.
  - Faces are visible and expressive
  - Colors are more defined

Personalities

Around the middle of the second week is when the ktitens’ personalities start to emerge. It is so fun to see which ones show determination to move, which ones like to snuggle already, which ones notice what’s going on around them. It’s early—but this is when we start observing temperament, confidence, and curiosity.

I am so excited to share more pictures with you of these gorgeous babies in the next couple of days!

Lola’s “mini me”- she has had one each litter that looks just like her