Why are newborn kittens blind and deaf?

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A Maine Coon longhair cat with cream and white fur sits beside a tabby shorthair cat in a garden with green foliage in the background. — cat Two kinds of domestic cats.

Newborn kittens are born blind, deaf, and helpless because they are born in an altricial state, meaning they are underdeveloped at birth and require significant maternal care to survive. Their sensory organs, specifically their eyes and ears, are not yet fully formed or functional when they emerge from the gestation period, which lasts approximately 65 days.

These senses typically begin to function about 10 days after birth, allowing the kittens to gradually interact with their environment as they mature.1