2–4 weeks
Sophomore
Eyes are open and the world just got interesting. Still bottle-fed and still needs help to the bathroom, but gruel, litter, and first steps all arrive in these two weeks.
2–4
weeks old
How to tell they’re a Sophomore
Eyes fully open, blue at first
Ears standing up
Walking, but still a little wobbly
First teeth coming in
250–450 g
What they need right now
Bottle every 3–4 hours
Overnight feeds can stretch a little now. Keep weighing daily.
Nest around 80 °F
Ease the heat down as they start to shiver less. Always leave a cool side.
Start gruel near 3½ weeks
Mix kitten milk replacer with a little wet food to a soupy texture. Expect mess — that is normal.
Litter tray goes down
A shallow tray with non-clumping litter. Keep stimulating them to toilet until they use it on their own.
First deworming at 3 weeks
Then every two weeks. Ask us before you dose anything.
Call us if you see any of this
Don’t wait to see if it improves. We answer 24/7.
Eyes crusted, swollen, or stuck shut
Sneezing, discharge, or noisy breathing
Weight stalls for more than a day
Diarrhoea that lasts past one feed
Fleas — at this size they cause fatal anaemia
Resource library
Everything that applies to this stage. Items marked in production are on the way.