When Can Kittens Leave Their Mother
First of all there is no set age on when the separation should be done.
When can kittens leave their mother. As a way to prepare for her new litter she will start to distance herself from the old litter. The earliest a kitten can leave its mother. Kittens can leave their mother by the eighth week and by this time they would have developed socially physically and emotionally. 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.
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. By the way don t worry about mommy being upset when her babies leave. But at this age they still have valuable skills to learn and they also have to receive their first vaccinations. Expect to separate the kittens from their mother when they are around 12 weeks old.
Kittens rely on their mother s milk for proper growth and development. It is very important for kittens to remain with mom until weaning is completed. 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.
So when can kittens leave their mothers. Despite this however you should ensure that the earliest your kitten leaves its mother is 4 weeks old. 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. However a kitten is typically ready to leave his mother at about 8 to 12 weeks of age.
The perfect age seems to be between eight and twelve weeks. While some kittens can go home earlier the closer you wait until 12 or 13 weeks the better off the kitten will be. Ideally kittens should go to their new home around 12 weeks of age. The time varies from one kitten to another since several factors come to play.
This process could take from a few months up to a year and would be the natural way for a kitten to be separated from its mother. The best time to separate a kitten from their mother and siblings is when they are 12 13 weeks old.