When Should A Kitten Leave Its Mother
However a kitten is typically ready to leave his mother at about 8 to 12 weeks of age.
When should a kitten leave its mother. The time varies from one kitten to another since several factors come to play. 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. How soon can kittens leave their mother.
Why the wait is necessary. Ideally kittens should go to their new home around 12 weeks of age. Kittens rely on their mother s milk for proper growth and development. Despite this however you should ensure that the earliest your kitten leaves its mother is 4 weeks old.
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. Once the kittens are fully weaned around 10 to 12 weeks old they are old enough to move away from their mama. When in doubt keep them with their mothers as long as possible. The best time to separate a kitten from their mother and siblings is when they are 12 13 weeks old.
You want the most amount of time that kittens can grow big and strong. Expect to separate the kittens from their mother when they are around 12 weeks old. Most people agree that at least 8 weeks is the minimum age that kittens can leave their mothers. In the wild kittens will usually stay with their mother until the mother becomes pregnant again when she will naturally begin to push them away in preparation for raising her new litter.
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. Even though kittens are relatively independent by 8 10 weeks and can survive without 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.
This is because they will need to stay with their mother to feed on her nutritious milk as well as stay with their siblings to learn valuable social skills.