What Age Can Kittens Leave Their Mother
Many people prefer to adopt a kitten so they can get used to living in their new home from a young age.
What age can kittens leave their mother. Kittens rely on their mother s milk for proper growth and development. However before separating a kitten from their mother we must take certain factors into consideration so they can have the best physical and psychological development. In the wild kittens will usually stay with their mother until the mother becomes pregnant again when she will naturally begin to push them away in preparation for raising her new. So when should the separation be done and.
However because certain conditions may affect when kittens can leave their moms they must be well cared for when they leave their mother earlier than what is ideal. A kitten should stay with his mother until a minimum of 10 weeks but preferably 12 weeks. If their mother returns leave them be. They rely on mom for everything.
When can kittens leave their mother. Learn more about kittens and their needs as they grow in our kitten guide. It is especially common among cat owners with unspayed queens and animal minders in shelters where cat litters are common. Other times you may have encountered a feral or stray with her litter nearby and are probably wondering if there is anything you can do to help.
Learn what to do when you find kittens outdoors. While some kittens can go home earlier the closer you wait until 12 or 13 weeks the better off the kitten will be. That clever lady mother nature has designed cat mommies to encourage her kittens to leave the nest so that she can get busy with the next lot. Human care at that early stage may not compare to a feline mother s care but it can go a long way when combined with lots of love and dedication.
The perfect age seems to be between eight and twelve weeks. When kittens are first born they are completely helpless their eyes are closed their ears are folded and they can t stand keep themselves warm or eat on their own. Benefits of staying with the mother and siblings. In many cases kittens begin eating strictly solid foods at around 8 weeks and then may be ready to leave their mothers for good.
By the way don t worry about mommy being upset when her babies leave. The mother is the sole nutritional source for kittens until they re about 4 weeks of age although weaning often continues until the cuties are between 8 and 10 weeks according to the aspca. Your cat s chances of being healthy well socialized and properly developed are dramatically increased by allowing it to spend extra time with its mother and littermates. And those kittens won t.
In this animalwised article we re going to explain how soon kittens can leave their mother as well as the reasons behind. Ideally kittens should go to their new home around 12 weeks of age. Even though kittens are relatively independent by 8 10 weeks and can survive without their mother. So when can kittens leave their mothers.
There is considerable debate over what age it is considered to be appropriate to separate a kitten from their mother and allow them to go on to their new homes where they will live for the remainder of their lives. This is one question that cat lovers often ask.