Estimating My Former Feral Kittens' Ages

[beckbjj]

When I adopted my two former barn kittens on June 7, we estimated their age to be 4 weeks. They didn't want solid food yet, didn't pee on their own (only the first couple of days), and seemed very tiny. One drank formula from a bowl, the other (ironically the larger one) wanted it from a bottle. But they weighed 1 lb, 3.75 oz and 1 lb, 5.75 oz respectively, which from charts I've seen is heavy for 4 weeks.

Now 11 days later they eat solid food (FF kitten) but still want formula in a bowl. Oddly they don't like the FF mixed with formula. Weirdos. Now they weigh 1 lb, 12 oz and 1 lb, 14 oz respectively. Again, from charts I've seen that's heavy for 5.5 weeks...but they seem SO tiny to me. Their eyes are that murky blue-olive color.

Vet gave them a clean bill of health on everything other than raging ear mites (I also suspect mange or something)...they didn't even have fleas or worms!

They don't hold still long enough for me to take portrait style pics, but I'd love to entertain any theories you kind folks might have about their ages based on the attached video. The brown one, MJ, is the smaller one. The black one, Indy, is a touch bigger. Are they actually big 5.5 week olds (notwithstanding my thinking they're tiny), or are they small older kittens?

Thanks!

 

[denice]

I know teeth are a good way to tell how old small kittens are. Did you notice if they had baby teeth yet when you first adopted them. Baby teeth start coming in around 3 weeks, the permanent teeth start coming in between 3 and 4 months. Just from the picture I would guess them to be around 6 weeks, they are cuties and look alert and healthy.

 

[beckbjj]

LOL! Don't I feel stupid with that same pic attached so many times! I didn't think it was working so I kept doing it, then *thought* I gave up...but apparently it worked every time. Oh well!

Anyway, thanks much Denice for the reply! They had quite a few teeth when I got them, and in fact Indy, who insisted on the bottle for a few days, chewed the end of the nipple right off! It's good to know we're in the right general ballpark on their age. The biggest reason I'm trying to figure it out (besides just being a nervous mom wanting the best for them) is that they are in dire need of an ear mite remedy, and the one my vet carries (Revolution) requires them to be 8 weeks old. In the meantime he had given me Quadraclear, which as you may have seen in my panicked thread the other day, isn't (or is no longer) safe for cats. They're okay after being on it daily for a week, but I'm not to give them any more and the ear mites are still there...along with bald, flaking ear edges that may be mange. Their next appointment, to deal with the mites and to start vaccinations, is July 7, by which time they'll have hit 8 weeks.

 

[orange&white]

Are their eyes changing still? I fed a kitten recently from 5 weeks to 8.5 weeks old and watched his eyes change weekly. He had a tiny bit of green/yellow close to his pupils with a lot of blue still around the rims. Every day, he lost some of the blue as the yellow adult color filled in from the center outward.

 

[beckbjj]

They are definitely still changing. Right now they're that weird murky blue-olive. I haven't looked at them really closely, but I will now so I can see the changes as they happen. Their actual (and we believe probably full rather than half) sister Grace, who is 3.5 years old and is chocolate brown like MJ, has fairly standard olive green eyes similar to what a lot of black cats have. (Side note: Barn cat mom was finally caught after all these years cranking out brown kittens, at the same time the rescuer got MJ, Indy, and one other male black kitten. Mom will be spayed and then go back to her barn and the farmer who really went the extra mile to help save her and the kittens.)

 

[foxden]

There is a seriously cute picture chart with a guide to kitten ages here:
How Old Is That Kitten? Kitten Progression: At-a-Glance

 

[beckbjj]

That's one of the ones I looked at. Is that cute or what?!!

The 6 week behavior does match up. But it doesn't show them being 2 lbs until 8 weeks, and my little porkers are already zeroing in on 2 lbs, and their brother that I didn't take (rescuer is homing him) was so big that the farmer nicknamed him Chunky, LOL. And here I was scared MJ and Indy were underweight. Not so much! So yeah, I'm guessing 6 weeks is probably pretty close to accurate.

all!

 

[orange&white]

The little one I fed hit 32 ounces at 7 weeks and a day. Like you, I also started out querying his age, but teeth, eye color, weight, and how "clumsy or skilled" he was with playing and pouncing got a fairly good "guess"-timate.

 

[Sarthur2]

They are little chunkies! They look close enough to 8 weeks to me! They should be fine with ear mite treatments now.

 

[irishmammy]

Have they been checked for ringworm? One of my foster kittens had flakiness at the edge of her ear and it turned out to be ringworm. It's a fungal infection rather than a worm.

If you have a uv torch (like the ones for checking counterfeit bank notes) and you shine it on the area, it glows green if it's ringworm.

I currently have a teeny tiny foster kitten who is approaching 7 weeks (I've had him since birth) and he's only 280g but his eyes turned fully green by about 3 and a half weeks!! Luckily I know his age as he'd be a nightmare to work out lol.

 

[beckbjj]

Thanks much for the reply! Whatever the yucky ear issue was, it cleared up after being given a dose of Milbe-mite Otic along with a course of Tresaderm, thank goodness. The hair on their heads and ears is coming back already too!

They're getting a little lankier now and don't look so chubby anymore, but Indy should be a bit over 3 lbs and MJ I'm thinking is about 2.75 lbs. Today was weigh-in day but I was running around and didn't get to do it so I will tomorrow.

MJ is still super finicky about wet food and will barely eat it. I've now tried a million different kinds, seemingly. Baffling. She mostly licks it and only rarely and with a couple of flavors will take an actual bite. But she has no problem, and in fact seems to enjoy, crunching dry food. I don't keep dry food in the house normally, so I had to go out and get it just for her as I figured kitten feeding is not the time for me to get all stubborn about principles.

 

[Sarthur2]

It's fine to feed dry if that's all they want. I have a cat who only eats dry. There's plenty of wet food but she has always refused it. Just keep plenty of fresh water available!

 

[beckbjj]

My big blonde boy had a blockage several years ago, so I'm a bit paranoid about dry food, but MJ is a very stubborn little cutie so she gets what she wants.

Plenty of water is no problem as I had to get a cat bubbler...not for MJ, but for Indy who couldn't for the life of him figure out how to drink plain water (i.e. water not mixed with food or formula) out of a bowl. As soon as I got the bubbler, he started drinking out of that and he loves it. I always say, there's nothing more expensive than a "free" kitten! But OMG, they're so cute!