Kitten Age Chart: How to Tell a Kitten's Age by Week

Kitten Age Chart: How to Tell a Kitten's Age by Week

Quick answer: Use four ASPCApro checks: eyes, weight, walk, and teeth. A 1-pound kitten is about 4 weeks old, and a 2-pound kitten is about 8 weeks old. After week 10, trust teeth more than the scale.

ASPCApro’s published checks say a 1-pound kitten is about 4 weeks old and a 2-pound kitten is about 8 weeks old.

This page is a desk comparison of ASPCApro age signs, AAFCO label rules, and maker feeding windows. It is not a litter weigh-in, a feeding trial, or a clinic exam.

Age-Window Rule: a food enters this article only if the maker page lists a numeric age window that maps to an ASPCApro week. Adult-only foods, treats, and products with no age window stay out.

Scan the chart first, then read the four checks.

Week-by-week kitten age chart

This table is the whole scan: one row per ASPCApro week, with no invented gram weights.

ASPCApro does not publish a gram for every week on that page. Empty weight cells mean the page gave no single figure.

Read left to right, and if two columns disagree, trust teeth after week 10. A skinny or fat kitten can break the pound rule, because ASPCApro limits that rule to good body condition.

The four ASPCApro checks

Four published questions beat a single photo guess, so ASPCApro asks four things when a kitten arrives with no history.

• Are the eyes open?
• How much does the kitten weigh?
• Is the kitten walking and playing?
• How do the teeth look?

Eyes come first because the window is narrow, and kittens are born with closed eyes. ASPCApro says eyes begin to open around 8 to 12 days and are fully open by 2 weeks.

Weight comes next, and only if the body looks well-fleshed. ASPCApro says the gain rate is most reliable until about 10 weeks.

• About 1 pound: about 4 weeks
• About 2 pounds: about 8 weeks
• About 2.5 pounds: about 10 weeks

Movement is the third check, and ASPCApro says most kittens start walking around 3 weeks. A kitten that walks well and plays is at least 4 weeks old.

Teeth close the set, and ASPCApro says baby teeth start around 3 weeks. Permanent middle incisors appear at 12 weeks, the second incisors follow at about 14 weeks, and the third follow at about 16 weeks.

ASPCApro also notes that age guides vaccines, deworming, flea products, foster care, and surgery timing. This page does not set those clinic dates.

Social age matters too, because ASPCApro flags the period before 8 weeks as the harder window to miss.

How to read teeth after week 10

After week 10, teeth are the published age tool that still moves.

ASPCApro warns that kitten teeth are tiny. Baby incisors have pointed tips, while permanent incisors are a little wider, with flatter edges. A mixed set is easier to read than one lonely tooth, so compare both types when you can.

Use this order, as ASPCApro lists it:

• About 3 weeks: baby teeth start
• About 12 weeks: middle permanent incisors
• About 14 weeks: second permanent incisors
• About 16 weeks: third permanent incisors

Do not age a 14-week kitten by the 1-pound rule, because ASPCApro already said weight aging fades after about 10 weeks. If you cannot see the mouth clearly, stop the guess rather than force a small jaw.

What to feed once the week is set

Food follows the week, and the week does not follow the bag.

PetAg lists KMR Kitten Milk Replacer Powder as a complete diet for kittens up to 6 weeks old. After that window, the same powder is only a top-dress, not a sole meal.

PetAg mixing and dose figures are specific:

• Mix 1 part powder into 2 parts warm water
• Do not use a blender
• Do not mix more than the kitten will drink in 24 hours
• Feed 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of mixed liquid per 4 ounces (115 g) of body weight each day
• Split that daily amount into even meals
• Feed every 3 to 4 hours
• Warm the mix to room or body temperature

PetAg lists 40.0% minimum protein and 28.0% minimum fat. The powder is 4,494 kcal per kg, or 12.4 kcal per tablespoon after a 1:2 mix.

An opened can may sit at room temperature for up to 2 months, then in the fridge for 1 more month. Frozen powder keeps up to 6 months, and mixed liquid keeps in the fridge up to 24 hours.

For nursing mothers, PetAg lists 2 teaspoons (4 g) of powder per 5 pounds (2.2 kg) daily. For weaned kittens, the top-dress drops to 1 teaspoon (2 g) per 5 pounds.

Daily split math also appears in the how much food should I feed my dog guide. Weigh first, then divide the daily amount.

Royal Canin Mother & Babycat Dry Cat Food is labeled for the queen and for kittens from 1 to 4 months. The maker page lists 32.0% minimum protein, 23.0% minimum fat, and 484 kcal per cup.

Royal Canin’s dry-only cups for a 6.6-pound (3 kg) adult target are:

• 1 month: 1/4 cup (24 g)
• 2 months: 3/8 cup (38 g)
• 3 months: 3/8 cup (49 g)
• 4 months: 1/2 cup (53 g)

Royal Canin Kitten Dry Cat Food is labeled for 4 months to 1 year. The maker page lists 34.0% minimum protein, 16.0% minimum fat, and 367 kcal per cup.

Royal Canin Maine Coon Kitten Dry Cat Food is labeled for that breed’s long growth, up to 15 months. The maker page lists 34.0% minimum protein, 21.0% minimum fat, and 430 kcal per cup.

At 3 to 4 months, Royal Canin lists 5/8 to 1 cup for a 3.3- to 7.9-pound kitten.

Age-window foods compared by listed attributes

The table below is an attribute grid, not a ranking. No price column appears here, so compare only what the maker pages print.

Royal Canin states that Mother & Babycat, Kitten, and Maine Coon Kitten meet AAFCO Cat Food Nutrient Profiles for growth. Mother & Babycat also names gestation and lactation.

AAFCO’s label page is the rulebook for those claims. AAFCO requires four basic guarantees on a pet food:

• Minimum crude protein
• Minimum crude fat
• Maximum crude fiber
• Maximum moisture

AAFCO defines crude protein as nitrogen times 6.25, and the Cat Food Nutrient Profiles list 44 required nutrient specifications. The Dog Food Nutrient Profiles list 37, and AAFCO notes that FDA labeling rules apply to animal food that crosses state lines.

If a bag skips the life-stage line, do not guess “kitten.” AAFCO says snacks and treats can skip a full adequacy statement. Those bags stay out of this chart.

How to weigh a kitten without guessing

A scale reading is only useful if the body condition matches the ASPCApro rule. Weigh at the same time each day, and use grams if the scale allows it.

ASPCApro’s pound marks convert as:

• 1 pound: week 4 check
• 2 pounds: week 8 check
• 2.5 pounds: week 10 check

Write the number down, because a single weigh-in can lie and a three-day run shows direction.

If the kitten feels bony, do not apply the 1-pound rule. ASPCApro limited that rule to good body condition, so a thin 1-pound kitten may be older and underfed. A plump 1-pound kitten may be younger than 4 weeks.

Fit gear the same way you would size a dog. A dog harness size guide uses chest girth, not a photo.

A dog crate size by breed chart uses body length. This chart uses week, teeth, and a stated pound mark.

Steps for a clean weigh-in:

1. Zero the scale with the empty box or towel.
2. Set the kitten in that same box.
3. Record pounds or grams, plus the date.
4. Check eyes, walk, and teeth on the same day.
5. Pick the week only after all four ASPCApro checks agree.

If the checks split, stop. A 2-pound kitten with closed eyes is not an 8-week kitten, so re-check the scale and then the eyes.

When an age guess should stop

An honest chart also names the weeks it cannot settle.

Stop using weight as the main clue after about 10 weeks, because ASPCApro already drew that line. Stop using this page as a clinic plan, because vaccine and surgery timing need a clinician and a live animal.

Stop using a food bag as an age test. A 4-month Royal Canin Kitten bag does not prove the kitten is 4 months old.

Stop after one conflicting sign. Closed eyes plus a 2-pound scale reading means the data set is broken, so do not average the two clues.

If a product has no numeric age window, it does not enter the food table. If ASPCApro gave no gram for a week, that cell stays blank.

FAQ

How can I tell a kitten’s age in one minute?

Start with eyes, because ASPCApro says they open at 8 to 12 days and are fully open by 2 weeks. Then weigh the kitten if the body looks well-fleshed. A 1-pound kitten is about 4 weeks, and a 2-pound kitten is about 8 weeks.

What does a 3-week-old kitten look like?

ASPCApro says walking starts around 3 weeks, and baby teeth start then too. Eyes should already be fully open, because that happens by 2 weeks. ASPCApro does not give a single 3-week weight on that page, so do not invent one.

When do kittens get permanent teeth?

ASPCApro lists the first permanent teeth as the middle incisors at 12 weeks. The second incisors follow at about 14 weeks, and the third follow at about 16 weeks. Baby teeth start much earlier, around 3 weeks.

When should I stop milk replacer?

PetAg lists KMR as a complete diet only up to 6 weeks. After that, PetAg lists the powder as a 1-teaspoon-per-5-pound top-dress for weaned kittens. Royal Canin Mother & Babycat starts at 1 month and runs through 4 months.

Why does my 10-week kitten not match the pound rule?

ASPCApro says the weight method is most reliable until about 10 weeks, and a 2.5-pound kitten is the last clean mark. After that, use the 12-, 14-, and 16-week incisor sequence. Body condition can also break the pound rule at any week.

Can I age a kitten from a photo alone?

A photo can show open or closed eyes, but it cannot give a trustworthy weight. ASPCApro’s 1-pound, 2-pound, and 2.5-pound marks need a scale and good body condition. Treat a photo as a first sort, not a final week.

What label line proves a food is for kittens?

AAFCO says the nutritional adequacy statement is the key matching line. Look for growth, gestation, or lactation in that statement. A flavor claim or a kitten photo is not that statement.