What Age Should Kittens Leave Their Mother
The earliest a kitten can leave its mother.
What age should kittens leave their mother. Once the kittens are fully weaned around 10 to 12 weeks old they are old enough to move away from their mama. The perfect age seems to be between eight and twelve weeks. While some kittens can go home earlier the closer you wait until 12 or 13 weeks the better off the kitten will be. What age can a kitten leave its mother.
However a kitten is typically ready to leave his mother at about 8 to 12 weeks of age. So when can kittens leave their mothers. By the way don t worry about mommy being upset when her babies leave. The time varies from one kitten to another since several factors come to play.
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. Why the wait is necessary. More specifically there are three main reasons for our 12 14 week recommendation. And those kittens won t stay kittens for long soon they ll be busy with kittens of their own unless they re neutered.
Despite this however you should ensure that the earliest your kitten leaves its mother is 4 weeks old. At what age can you take kittens away from their mother. Twelve weeks is the optimal time to allow the kitten to have its first two vaccinations and be litter trained. 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.
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 rely on their mother s milk for proper growth and development. Also kittens should receive their first vaccinations prior to leaving their birth home something that cannot be achieved at eight weeks old. 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.
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. But in their forever homes the little.