What Age Can Kittens Leave Their Mother
So when can kittens leave their mothers.
What age can kittens leave their mother. We have collected all the information you need to know about kittens between the time of their birth to the time when they are considered ready to leave their mother for your perusal. It is very important for kittens to remain with mom until weaning is completed. A kitten should stay with his mother until a minimum of 10 weeks but preferably 12 weeks. This first stage is all about basic survival.
However a kitten is typically ready to leave his mother at about 8 to 12 weeks of age. By the way don t worry about mommy being upset when her babies leave. While some kittens can go home earlier the closer you wait until 12 or 13 weeks the better off the kitten will be. Why the wait is necessary.
Even though kittens are relatively independent by 8 10 weeks and can survive without their mother there are health and social benefits to staying with the mother and siblings. 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. 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. Expect to separate the kittens from their mother when they are around 12 weeks old.
The time varies from one kitten to another since several factors come to play. She will clean them keep them warm and safe and stimulate the bowl movements and bladder to help them urinate and defecate. Kittens rely on their mother s milk for proper growth and development. 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.
Until they are about 4 weeks old the kittens are completely dependant on their mother. Your cat s chances of being healthy well socialized and properly developed are dramatically increased by allowing it to spend extra time with its mother and littermates. Ideally kittens should go to their new home around 12 weeks of age. Despite this however you should ensure that the earliest your kitten leaves its mother is 4 weeks old.
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.