What Age Can Kittens Leave Their Mum
It is very important for kittens to remain with mom until weaning is completed.
What age can kittens leave their mum. 4 5 weeks kittens begin eating small amounts of food which should be soft such as canned but they are still very much dependent on their mother s milk. Despite this however you should ensure that the earliest your kitten leaves its mother is 4 weeks old. Most kittens can be taken from their mothers to go to new homes when they are 6 weeks old. Ideally kittens should go to their new home around 12 weeks of age.
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. More specifically there are three main reasons for our 12 14 week recommendation. 6 8 weeks kittens are now eating 4 small meals a day but still nursing from mum. However a kitten is typically ready to leave his mother at about 8 to 12 weeks of age.
So if you can leave them. Kittens rely on their mother s milk for proper growth and development. 2 dharma66 may 3 2010. At what age can you take kittens away from their mother.
Even if you re hand raising the kittens no mother is around you should still wait 8 weeks before giving them away. 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. While some kittens can go home earlier the closer you wait until 12 or 13 weeks the better off the kitten will be. 9 12 weeks some kittens may still be nursing at this age but can survive without her milk.
The earliest a kitten can leave its mother. Laws about how early you can sell kittens vary so check your state s laws. Why the wait is necessary. If you can convince your friend to hold on two them for an extra weeek or two they are likely to end up more well adjusted than if they leave at 7 weeks.
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. But the longer they stay with mom the better cats they ll be when grown. 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.
But as you say ideally the kittens shouldn t leave mum until at least 8 weeks. In many cases kittens begin eating strictly solid foods at around 8 weeks and then may be ready to leave their mothers for good. In general try to wait until the kittens are weaned about 8 weeks. This way you ensure they re getting proper medical treatment and socialization.