When Can Kittens Leave The Mother

Your furry friend had a litter of kittens and now those cuties are ready to find forever homes of their own.
When can kittens leave the mother. It s natural for kittens to leave the nest. 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. Kittens aren t fully weaned until 10 to 12 weeks old. By the way don t worry about mommy being upset when her babies leave.
Expect to separate the kittens from their mother when they are around 12 weeks old. A kitten should stay with his mother until a minimum of 10 weeks but preferably 12 weeks. 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. How soon can kittens leave their mother.
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. So when can kittens leave their mothers. The earliest a kitten can leave its mother.
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. You might worry how mom will handle losing her kittens after all the time they ve spent together. The perfect age seems to be between eight and twelve weeks.
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. 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. 8 weeks the organization cats international recommends keeping kittens with their fellow litter mates and mothers until about 8 weeks in age. Despite this however you should ensure that the earliest your kitten leaves its mother is 4 weeks old.
The best time to separate a kitten from their mother and siblings is when they are 12 13 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.