What Age Should A Kitten Leave Its Mother
However a kitten is typically ready to leave his mother at about 8 to 12 weeks of age.
What age should a kitten leave its mother. If you plan on bringing home a new furry little friend 8 to 12 weeks would be an ideal age. A kitten should stay with its mother for 8 weeks. The earliest that a kitten should leave it s mother is 4 weeks. As the kittens reach four to six weeks old the queen will begin to wean them and her milk supply will become more scarce as this happens.
Despite this however you should ensure that the earliest your kitten leaves its mother is 4 weeks old. First of all there is no set age on when the separation should be done. The weaning process usually continues for about another month until the kittens are fully weaned between eight and 10 weeks of age. That is how long we kept our kittens before we gave them away.
Benefits of staying with the mother and siblings. By this age our mother cat had already weened them herself they were eating kitten. The time varies from one kitten to another since several factors come to play. Even though kittens are relatively independent by 8 10 weeks and can survive without their mother.
By six weeks old kittens will almost always be eating only solid food and not relying upon their mother s milk for nutrition. A kitten should stay with his mother until a minimum of 10 weeks but preferably 12 weeks. 8 weeks the organization cats international recommends keeping kittens with their fellow litter mates and mothers until about 8 weeks in age. The next month of life is still full of essentials for a growing kitten even if it isn t consuming its mother s milk all of the time.
While most kittens are weaned by 8 10 weeks most experts recommend leaving kittens with their littermates until 12 13 weeks so they can be properly socialized. In many cases kittens begin eating strictly solid foods at around 8 weeks and then may be ready to leave their mothers for good. Eight weeks is the average age for weaning from the mother and introduction of solid foods. 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.
More specifically there are three main reasons for our 12 14 week recommendation. Why the wait is necessary. At what age can you take kittens away from their mother.