Ragdoll Newborns: Day 1-14

Описание: Ragdolls are born fluffy and white, then their colour comes in (ears first as you can see in this video) and they continue to darken quite a lot in the first year—you can see glimpses of how dark the mother is!

Their eyes are closed for the first week, and open gradually over several days (see 0:39)—but they still can't see well until four weeks of age. They have Yoda eyes (all pupil) for a while after opening, but they're really blue (and will stay blue for life).

Leave the umbilical stumps alone—they will drop off after about four days. You can see one at 0:35.

The two most important things for kittens from birth to four weeks are warmth and milk. Even in a room heated to thirty degrees Celsius, you can clearly see the kittens seeking warmth from each other (and of course mum) several times in this video.

It is important to weigh them daily (often more) which means you need to be able to tell them apart! I use hairdresser's scissors to cut patches of fur so I can distinguish them until they're big enough for collars. They gain about 10g per day and their weight is the simplest way to tell if something is wrong.

They're very wriggly and hard to photograph, plus most newborns don't want to be separated from mum or the nest at all (although these kittens were very chill as a rule). They cannot poo or wee on their own (one reason fostering orphan kittens is NOT for the faint-hearted), so their mother takes care of that... but there's often a bit of poop that isn't cleaned perfectly, especially if it's loose (I tried very hard never to photograph it, but you can see some smeared on the legs at 0:35). Don't wash them yourself unless you consult with an expert first, because getting them wet is dangerous.

From birth, they will fight each other, and can move and climb (over their mother) and hiss (2:19). They often hiss as their senses develop, because the sight (for example) of a human is strange even after their smell has become familiar. They don't have teeth yet, and their claws are soft (a kitten can do a surprising amount of damage to a human at about four weeks).

NEVER separate kittens under four weeks of age from their mother unless you are an expert AND have an extremely good reason. They will probably die. Even at four weeks, it is very risky.

Most experts recommend wearing disposable gloves at all times if handling kittens (so their mother doesn't reject them); I prefer to sanitise my hands with F10 before and after handling them (and to rinse my hands before handling them so it doesn't get on their fur—it is safe for adult cats but kittens are extremely fragile).