When Can a Kitten Leave Its Mom. Kittens should be taken from their mothers as early as 8 weeks of age, according to popular belief.
This, however, can lead to developmental and health problems in the future. Mother cats should instead keep their kittens with them until they are 12-14 weeks old.
So they can learn everything a kitten needs to know about living outside the nest for the rest of their lives.
When Can a Kitten Leave Its Mom
Many people choose kittens as their first pet because they may become accustomed to living in a home environment at a young age. When adopting or purchasing a kitten, keep in mind that the cat will need to be socialized with humans from an early age in order to grow up to live peacefully both inside and outside of your home. The article Why Do Kittens Require Their Mother by AnimalWised tackles the subject of why kittens need their mothers and what elements should be examined before taking this step.
Continue reading to learn more.
Separate a Kittens
Around 12-13 weeks is the optimal time to separate a kitten from its mother and siblings.
This is because they will need to stay with their mother to suckle on her nourishing milk and to gain crucial social skills from their siblings.
This provides the kittens with the best potential physical and physiological growth.
Social Skills
When kittens are young, they learn from their mothers and siblings, as do most mammals. And, as we all know, there’s no better way to learn these talents than from your family.
Kittens grow up to be cats with highly developed behaviors such as body language, grooming, litter box care, how to play with other pets or people in the house, and limits when it comes to interacting with others in the home setting.
To lessen your odds of fostering a misbehaving kitty as a result of poor early socialization and to better nurture a well-rounded cat yourself, spend as much time as possible with mom, littermates, and human caretakers.
Breastfeeding
Cats require their mother’s milk for optimum growth and development. During the first few days after birth, the feline secretes colostrum.
The first milk, which is high in nutrients but also contains immunoglobulin, a chemical that boosts your kitten’s immune system by providing some protection against diseases that are already prevalent in young kittens.
Lactation milk also contains enzymes, hormones, and other nutrients that are essential for your kitten’s proper development.
Immunity
Kittens receive antibodies that help to keep them safe from infections as early as 8 weeks, following three injections spaced 4 weeks apart.
Ideally, two of these injections will have been administered by the time a kitten goes to its new home.
To protect kittens’ lives and health, it is vital that they follow the correct vaccination schedule throughout their lives since vaccinated kittens are less likely to succumb to some diseases like panleukopenia.
FAQs
Is it OK to Take a Kitten At 8 Weeks?
Kittens can be adopted at most shelters and rescues starting at 8 weeks of age. Breeders will often wait until the kitten has been with their mother for at least 12 weeks, with many breeders waiting until 14 weeks.
Kittens benefit greatly from being raised by their mothers and littermates prior to adoption as they become more socialized and more prepared to go into a new home.
Conclusion
Kittens should remain with their mothers until they are at least six weeks of age in most circumstances, which is why we recommended this above. However, if you happen to have a good reason for taking your kitten away from its mother, then it’s important to ensure the little one gets lots of love and attention when it does leave. A human source of care alone is not enough to properly sustain a helpless young creature.