What Age Do Kittens Have To Be To Leave Their Mother

The time varies from one kitten to another since several factors come to play.

What age do kittens have to be to leave their mother. First of all there is no set age on when the separation should be done. Kittens this age can start to eliminate waste on their own without the help of mom or a caregiver. Kittens rely on their mother s milk for proper growth and development. By waiting until the kitten is 12 14 weeks old you will have minimized the risk for health and behavioral issues and maximized the chance for getting a healthy and happy cat.

However a kitten is typically ready to leave his mother at about 8 to 12 weeks of age. Despite this however you should ensure that the earliest your kitten leaves its mother is 4 weeks old. Twelve to thirteen weeks of age is the time that is almost universally considered to be the optimum earliest time to remove kittens from their queen and by this age the kittens should be ready to go out into the world and begin the next stage of their learning development. At what age can you take kittens away from their mother.

More specifically there are three main reasons for our 12 14 week recommendation. While some kittens can go home earlier the closer you wait until 12 or 13 weeks the better off the kitten will be. Poor health and poor social behavior could result in being removed to soon. Now that the kittens have reached this milestone it s time to start litter box training.

The earliest a kitten can leave its mother. 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. In many cases kittens begin eating strictly solid foods at around 8 weeks and then may be ready to leave their mothers for good. Kittens are usually weaned at six to seven weeks but they may continue to suckle for comfort as their mother gradually leaves them for longer periods of time.

While you may want your kitten to stay as long as is needed with the mother the conditions on ground may leave you with no option. Ideally kittens should go to their new home around 12 weeks of age. Orphaned kittens or those weaned too soon are more likely to exhibit inappropriate suckling behaviors later in life such as sucking on blankets pillows or your arm. 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.

Why the wait is necessary.