Being a newborn kitten isn't easy! Not only are you learning about the world around you (where everything is so much bigger than you are), but you're also stumbling around without really knowing which was is up. After all, some kittens don't even open their eyes until around the time they're two weeks old. And apparently, for some kittens, it can feel like a bit of a battle to nurse when you need to, especially if you think your brother is hogging all the milk!
Fortunately, the kitten in this TikTok video is ready to fight for his food... and he looks adorable doing it. My only question is this: Was this behavior warranted, or is this kitty being a bully?
Recently, breeder @wildmane_mainecoons and her cat Honey welcomed a new litter of kittens , and she's been sharing their adventures so far on TikTok. These Maine Coon kittens are less than one week old, but their personalities are already starting to show, as we can see in this video.
"We found the trouble maker of the litter," she wrote. "Beating his brother up for milk."
At the beginning of the video, we can see that some of mama's kittens are nursing drama-free, but then, this kitty comes along and decides that his brother needs to go away so he can have some milk instead, pushing and shoving him with his tiny kitten paws until his siblings make room for him.
Eventually, they're all three able to nurse at the same time, but of course, it wasn't easy getting to this point! I just know mama is so tired.
On Thursday, June 20, she shared an update that shows just how fast these kittens are growing, and it's pretty amazing to see the transformation in just five days. Looks like they all must be getting plenty of milk!
How Long Do Kittens Nurse?
While human babies who are breastfed can nurse for a long time — some even for a year or much longer — the same isn't true of kittens, who just need their mama's milk to get their start in life.
Most kittens will nurse for around four weeks before they're ready to start the weaning process. They'll start showing signs like being stable on their feet while holding up their own tail, they'll be more playful, and they'll have their canines and incisors.
According to WebMD, it'll take your kitten between four to six weeks to be weaned once they start the process, and that's when they'll need to start spending a few hours a day away from mom, helping them become more independent.
By the time the kitten is eight to 10 weeks old, they'll be fully weaned, and once they start trying to eat their mom's cat food, that's when they're ready to try some of their own, too (though at first, the mushier, the better).
Kittens grow up so fast... but seeing them reach each new stage is part of the fun.
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