When Should Kittens Leave Their Mothers

Once the kittens are fully weaned around 10 to 12 weeks old they are old enough to move away from their mama.

When should kittens leave their mothers. More specifically there are three main reasons for our 12 14 week recommendation. From 4 weeks of age your keep will begin weaning this is when they will begin to transition into eating solid food. 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. At what age can you take kittens away from their mother.

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. Why the wait is necessary. Ideally kittens should go to their new home around 12 weeks of age. So when can kittens leave their mothers.

The perfect age seems to be between eight and twelve weeks. By the way don t worry about mommy being upset when her babies leave. 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. First of all there is no set age on when the separation should be done.

The time varies from one kitten to another since several factors come to play. To learn more about this period we encourage you to also check out our article on weaning kittens. Despite this however you should ensure that the earliest your kitten leaves its mother is 4 weeks old. In many cases kittens begin eating strictly solid foods at around 8 weeks and then may be ready to leave their mothers for good.

8 weeks the organization cats international recommends keeping kittens with their fellow litter mates and mothers until about 8 weeks in age. However a kitten is typically ready to leave his mother at about 8 to 12 weeks of age. While some kittens can go home earlier the closer you wait until 12 or 13 weeks the better off the kitten will be.