Have you ever wondered why cats knead their paws on you when they’re content? It’s a response they developed when nursing as new born kittens, to speed the flow of milk from their mothers. It’s a pleasurable activity that will stay with them for their whole life.

Kittens are born with their eyes shut, and shouldn’t be exposed to bright light for at least a week. If the kitten is born with its eyes open (it happens rarely) then this is even more important.

People shouldn’t try to carry young kittens like the mother does, around the scruff of the neck. Always support its hindquarters with one hand and place your other hand around the kitten’s chest and just behind the front legs. The truth is that mother cats don’t really carry their kittens just by the scruff of the neck: they grasp them around the entire neck with their jaws. But that style of kitten transportation should be left to mama cat!