What Age Can A Kitten Leave Its Mother Rspca

Use the kitten checklist.

What age can a kitten leave its mother rspca. They should stay with their mothers until they are around 8 9 weeks taking them away earlier than this can lead to behavioural issues. 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. 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. Rspca australia considers the minimum acceptable age for a kitten to be removed from the mother cat for adoption or purchase to be 8 weeks of age.

Why the wait is necessary. Kittens are generally ready to leave their mother and start eating regular food at about eight weeks of age. However a kitten is typically ready to leave his mother at about 8 to 12 weeks of age. 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. A kitten should be sociable and alert with bright eyes no visible health problems. But as you say ideally the kittens shouldn t leave mum until at least 8 weeks. Waiting until the kitten is at least 8 weeks of age will help to ensure that the kitten has received adequate amounts of milk from the mother cat.

Even though kittens are relatively independent by 8 10 weeks and can survive without their mother. Despite this however you should ensure that the earliest your kitten leaves its mother is 4 weeks old. Benefits of staying with the mother and siblings. While some kittens can go home earlier the closer you wait until 12 or 13 weeks the better off the kitten will be.

Until this age kittens get all the nutrition they need from their mother s milk although they may start tasting their mother s food at four weeks old. A pedigree kitten born to a reputable breeder will probably stay with its mother until it is 12 or 13 weeks old or until it has found a new home so seeing them together should not be a problem.