Your little group of kindles is a miracle in progress. At birth, kittens are entirely reliant on their mothers for food and warmth. Their tiny bodies can’t regulate temperature very well and they often crawl over each other in a pile of kitty warmth. Kittens’ eyes and ear canals are closed during their first few days of life, rendering them unable to see or hear one another. Newborn kittens spend their first weeks eating, sleeping and cuddling in order to survive.

Between the ages of 10 and 21 days, your little fuzzballs will be able to see and hear the world around them. Their tiny eyes open, and while their sight remains clouded for another couple of weeks, they can finally see their siblings. Cats can see colors, although not as vibrantly as humans do. A kitten’s sense of smell also develops during this time, and she will begin to sniff her way around the room. Kittens are the perfect source of conserved energy, sleeping as many as 18 hours a day.

Source: Louise Lawson, Demand Media