When Should Kittens Leave Their Mothers

By the way don t worry about mommy being upset when her babies leave.

When should kittens leave their mothers. 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. First of all there is no set age on when the separation should be done. 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.

The time varies from one kitten to another since several factors come to play. Ideally kittens should go to their new home around 12 weeks of age. In many cases kittens begin eating strictly solid foods at around 8 weeks and then may be ready to leave their mothers for good. Why the wait is necessary.

The perfect age seems to be between eight and twelve weeks. Nevertheless during this period they will continue to need and depend on their mother. More specifically there are three main reasons for our 12 14 week recommendation. Despite this however you should ensure that the earliest your kitten leaves its mother is 4 weeks old.

Kittens rely on their mother s milk for proper growth and development. To learn more about this period we encourage you to also check out our article on weaning kittens. From 4 weeks of age your keep will begin weaning this is when they will begin to transition into eating solid food. The earliest a kitten can leave its mother 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.

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. 8 weeks the organization cats international recommends keeping kittens with their fellow litter mates and mothers until about 8 weeks in age. At what age can you take kittens away from their mother.