How Old Should Kittens Be Before Leaving Their Mother

Eight weeks is the average age for weaning from the mother and introduction of solid foods.

How old should kittens be before leaving their mother. It is very important for kittens to remain with mom until weaning is completed. Ideally kittens should go to their new home around 12 weeks of age. The best time to separate a kitten from their mother and siblings is when they are 12 13 weeks old. If you plan on bringing home a new furry little friend 8 to 12 weeks would be an ideal age.

Despite this however you should ensure that the earliest your kitten leaves its mother is 4 weeks old. However a kitten is typically ready to leave his mother at about 8 to 12 weeks of age. And this they learn from playing and socializing with their mother and siblings. First of all there is no set age on when the separation should be done.

While puppies are usually fully weaned at the age of seven weeks old and are able to eat solid foods and no longer need to nurse from the dam there is a lot of merit in allowing the puppies to stay with the dam until they are twelve 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. 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. Why the wait is necessary as mentioned earlier felines just like other pets learn the essentials better early on in their life.

The time varies from one kitten to another since several factors come to play. Once the kittens are fully weaned around 10 to 12 weeks old they are old enough to move away from their mama. 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. Kittens rely on their mother s milk for proper growth and development.

The earliest that a kitten should leave it s mother is 4 weeks.