How Long Before Kittens Can Leave Their Mum

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.

How long before kittens can leave their mum. Ideally kittens should go to their new home around 12 weeks of age. However the governing council of the cat fancy gccf recommends that thirteen to fourteen weeks is even better particularly in the case of foreign breeds of cat that are not native to the uk. While some kittens can go home earlier the closer you wait until 12 or 13 weeks the better off the kitten will be. The ideal age to adopt a kitten.

And those kittens won t stay kittens for long soon they ll be busy with kittens of their own unless they re neutered. The perfect age seems to be between eight and twelve weeks. The time varies from one kitten to another since several factors come to play. But in their forever homes the little ones won t.

Why the wait is necessary. 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. When kittens are first born they are completely helpless their eyes are closed their ears are folded and they can t stand keep themselves warm or eat on their own. They rely on mom for everything.

Learn more about kittens and their needs as they grow in our kitten guide. How soon can kittens leave their mother. 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. The best time to separate a kitten from their mother and siblings is when they are 12 13 weeks old.

By the way don t worry about mommy being upset when her babies leave. 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. Expect to separate the kittens from their mother when they are around 12 weeks old. So when can kittens leave their mothers.

8 weeks the organization cats international recommends keeping kittens with their fellow litter mates and mothers until about 8 weeks in age. 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. Despite this however you should ensure that the earliest your kitten leaves its mother is 4 weeks old. Kittens rely on their mother s milk for proper growth and development.

However a kitten is typically ready to leave his mother at about 8 to 12 weeks of age. In many cases kittens begin eating strictly solid foods at around 8 weeks and then may be ready to leave their mothers for good. If their mother returns leave them be.