Most of us know about the fact that kittens are delicate, and we need to instruct children to handle them gently and appropriately. But, did you know that kittens need help from their mother to use the bathroom? Their mother will gently lick their nether regions to stimulate the kitten to urinate or defecate. This assistance is critical to a kitty’s life! When kittens are orphaned, the human caregiver can perform the same stimulation with a moist cotton ball, thank goodness.

No, you can’t clean with them, but when we say kittens are like sponges, we mean that they are impressionable and soak up knowledge about their world like a sponge from birth to about 12 weeks old. During this time, they learn how to act like a cat from their mother from grooming, to eating, to using the litter box. They become socialized and learn how to play and fight with their brothers and sisters. In order for kittens to bond with humans, it is important that they are handled and played with frequently during this short learning period.

Another cool fact about kittens is that they are born into this world completely blind. They will rely on instinct and the mother’s help to feed on her milk. In about 7-10 days, the kitten will open its eyes for the first time, but its vision will remain poor until about 5 weeks old.

Many human babies are born with blue eyes, but the color of the iris develops over their first year or two, and they are likely to change eye color as they get older. One of the most fun facts about kittens is that they are also born with blue-gray eyes. Some breeds, like Siamese, will retain their blue color, while most will change pigment during the first year of life. After one year, they should have grown into their permanent eye color.