What Age Can Kittens Leave Their Mother Rspca

I foster moggy mother and kittens and orphaned kittens for a shelter not the rspca.

What age can kittens leave their mother rspca. Rspca australia considers the minimum acceptable age for a kitten to be removed from the mother cat for adoption or purchase to be 8 weeks of age. We advise that kittens should be alert and engaged with bright eyes and a sociable nature and that they shouldn t be removed from their mothers until the 8 9 week mark. Kittens learn from their mothers through observation and so a mother who uses the litter box is likely to teach her kittens the same. 9 12 weeks some kittens may still be nursing at this age but can survive without her milk.

Kittens gradually wean off their mothers milk around 8 12 weeks of age. By this time they are ready to eat kitten food and are spending most of their time away from their mother. It is important to note however that a mother would still require a private litter box for her use. I my experience 6 weeks is way too young for rehoming definitely.

This usually happens at the age of 3 4 weeks. If you choose to buy a kitten from a breeder make sure that the cats are well looked after. But also it is too young just to be separated from their mother siblings. 4 5 weeks kittens begin eating small amounts of food which should be soft such as canned but they are still very much dependent on their mother s milk.