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My young kittens have brown stains on their faces. Is this normal?

Updated On September 23rd, 2025

I have just been to visit two kittens that I will be taking home with me on the 9th December. They are currently 4.5 weeks old. There were 6 kittens there in total but my two have brown/orange staining around their mouth and nose. The person I'm buying from said it is from the milk. Could you advise? I'm worried something else is going on here as I haven't seen this before.

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1 Answer

Most Helpful Answer

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Answered By Linda G, MS, DVM

Veterinarian

Published on November 3rd, 2018

Hello. This is totally facial staining seen in white/light colored kittens from nursing their mothers. It is not uncommon to see this type staining on the nipples of white nursing queens, & it often is seen on the kittens faces as well. It will clear up once the kittens are eating on their own & there is nothing to worry about. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

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2Pet Parents found this answer helpful

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