What Age Can Kittens Leave Their Mother

How soon can kittens leave their mother.

What age can kittens leave their mother. The perfect age seems to be between eight and twelve weeks. A kitten should stay with his mother until a minimum of 10 weeks but preferably 12 weeks. 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. Expect to separate the kittens from their mother when they are around 12 weeks old.

At what age can you take kittens away from their mother. 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. Kittens rely on their mother s milk for proper growth and development. Even though kittens are relatively independent by 8 10 weeks and can survive without their mother.

The best time to separate a kitten from their mother and siblings is when they are 12 13 weeks old. By the way don t worry about mommy being upset when her babies leave. During this time the kittens will still occasionally nurse on their mother but they will also start to eat liquid kitten food. Despite this however you should ensure that the earliest your kitten leaves its mother is 4 weeks old.

The time varies from one kitten to another since several factors come to play. First of all there is no set age on when the separation should be done. 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. 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. 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. The weaning process usually continues for about another month until the kittens are fully weaned between eight and 10 weeks of age. Benefits of staying with the mother and siblings.

However a kitten is typically ready to leave his mother at about 8 to 12 weeks of age. More specifically there are three main reasons for our 12 14 week recommendation.