By the time the kittens are 2 to 3 weeks old, their eyes have opened and they are able to move around the den. Their eyes are blue and their fur is spotted. They have five dark rings on their tails. The mother will gradually increase her time away and the distance she travels. After making a kill, she will eat as much as she can and will return to the den to nurse her kittens. Cougar milk has 6 times more fat than cow's milk and the kittens grow rapidly. By eight weeks they weigh about 4.5 kg, nine times their birth weight.

     Alone in the den kittens sleep and play. They chase each other and chew and exercise their teeth and claws by chewing and scratching vegetation.

     When they are about 2 months, kittens begin to accompany their mother on hunting forays. At first she hides them nearby while she hunts. After a kill, she leads them to the site where they all feed.

     By 6 months their spots are almost invisible and their blue eyes are turning brown. Gradually they are learning to hunt on their own. By 9 to 12 months they are catching small prey on their own. By 1.5 years they are still hunting small animals such as raccoon and armadillo as well as an occasional deer or hog.

     Events leading up to the separation of panther mothers and offspring are unknown. Panther researchers have located resident adult males near females and kittens just before the kittens dispersed. Males were probably attracted to the female's renewed sexual receptivity. Changes in her hormones may have caused her to encourage her offspring to disperse (Maehr 1997). In any case, by age 2 panther young have left their mothers to establish ranges of their own. Females will often establish a range that overlaps with their mother's range. Males will usually be forced out of their mother's range by other males.