Mother cat is breastfeeding her kitten

Soon after birth, your kitten will begin to suckle - in the first three days of life, each kitten will develop a preference for which breast they feed on, and will remain so as long as their mother feeds them. Breastfeeding in the early days is especially important because kittens ingest colostrum, a substance that helps develop their immunity.

At five days old, the kitten will open its eyes, and after about a week the umbilical cord will fall off. They will begin to gain between 10g and 30g of weight each day, so it is important to weigh them daily and monitor the behavior of the mother if she is preventing feeding.