Unique Kitten Facts

Looking for kitten facts? Well, look no more. Here are some quirky feline facts.

• Kittens hate dirty litter boxes and will often refuse to use a filthy box.

• Most kittens develop 26 deciduous (baby) teeth: 6 incisors, 2 canine, and 5 premolars.

• A newborn kitten’s heartbeats about 200-300 beats per minute.

• White kittens with blue eyes are prone to congenital blindness.

• Kittens are born with three blood types: AB, A, and B.

• Maternal deficiencies in copper and taurine can cause low birth weight in kittens.

  Photo by Sirtrentalot @ flickr.com

• Nasal congestion can cause kittens to refuse to eat.

• Almost all kittens are born with blue eyes except Korats.

• Kitten eyes are reflective at night due to the cell layer called the tapetum lucidum.

• Kittens purr when they’re happy, sad, hurt…

• The Jacobson’s Organ located in a kittens’ nose helps them detect pheromones.

• Kitten fleas can’t survive in altitudes greater than 5,000 ft.

• Kittens can only have sweat glands in the pads of their feet.

• The number of bones in a kitten’s body depends upon its breed.

• Kittens should never be given Tylenol.

• Newborn kittens take about 15-30 breaths per minute.

• Kittens can become severely anemic by eating onions or garlic.

• Ingesting small amounts of poinsettia plant is not poisonous to kittens.

• Kittens think in 3D: they love to climb high points.

• Yeast dough can ferment and turn to alcohol (ethanol) in a kitten’s stomach.

• Calivirus & Herpesvirus cause more than 90% of upper respiratory infections (URI) in kittens.

• Kittens fed solely pop-top canned food have an increased risk of developing hyperthyroidism.

• It is probable that kittens cannot detect sweet-tasting substances.

• About 1/3 of Maine Coon kittens carry the gene for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

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• Domestic kittens have 38 chromosomes.

• Male kittens can produce sperm as early as 6 months of age.

• Female kittens can go into their first heat as early as 5 or 6 months of age.

• One feline year of life is equal to 15 or 16 human years.

• Yes, kittens do dream while asleep!

• Classical music is very soothing to kittens.

• Grapes and raisins can cause kidney failure in kittens.

• Type A blood is present in greater than 90% of kittens.

• Kittens lack the salivary enzyme (amylase) required to breakdown carbohydrates.

• Kittens can tolerate baths after 3 months of age.

• When kittens are exposure to increased amounts of sunlight, they shed more fur.

• The best time to adopt a kitten is around 12 weeks of age.

• Oral antifungal medications given to pregnant cats can cause severe birth defects in kittens.

• Without added warmth, a newborn kitten’s body temperature ranges from 95°F to 99°F (35°C to 37.2°C).

• Kittens have roughly 473 taste buds. Humans have 9,000.

• A kitten sleeps roughly 12 hours per day.

• A kitten’s range of hearing is from 45hz to 64,000hz. Human range of hearing is 20hz to 20,000hz.

• Cat gestation ranges from 60-68 days.

• At birth, a healthy newborn kitten weighs between 2 to 4 ounces.

• Kittens can be affected by cat and dog fleas.

• It is believed that kittens are farsighted. However, they have excellent peripheral vision.

• In the Northern Hemisphere, the feline mating season is from March through September. In the Southern Hemisphere, the season is from October through March.

• Depending upon the breed, there are typically 4 to 6 kittens in a single litter.

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