How to Separate Kittens from a Mother Cat for Adoption
Expect to separate the kittens from their mother when they are around 12 weeks old., Be sure the kitten has learned to use the litter pan before removing her from her mother., Introduce the new owner’s scent to the kitten., Introduce the kitten’s...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Expect to separate the kittens from their mother when they are around 12 weeks old.
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.Socialization is the process whereby kittens explore their surroundings and accept what they find as normal.
A well socialized kitten is bold, confident and friendly.
Separating a kitten from its mother too early, on the other hand, may lead to poor learning skills and aggressive behavior.A kitten will start learning at about 3 weeks of age and continues to soak up experiences until 12-14 weeks when her ability to adapt to the unfamiliar tails off.
The implication of this is that a kitten will benefit greatly from learning from its mother until 12 weeks of age.
However, if re-homing is delayed too long after that, the kitten is much more likely to be fearful and hide from the new owner. -
Step 2: Be sure the kitten has learned to use the litter pan before removing her from her mother.
Kittens learn to use the litter pan at different rates, but most will have learned by 12 weeks.
Be sure the kitten has learned this crucial skill from her mother before she is adopted out., Kittens learn a lot about their environment by scent.
They recognize their mother, littermates and nest by smell.
Using this knowledge can ease a kitten’s transition from her mother to a new home.
Do this by:
Having the new owner provide an old T-shirt that smells like the person.
Because kittens are so smell-oriented, placing a piece of the new owner’s clothing in the kitten’s bed or favorite space will get her used to the person’s scent (this is called a ‘scent introduction’).
When the kitten moves to the home, she will already be familiar with one of the scents so she will feel safer. , Likewise, if the home already has a cat, give him a piece of bedding with the kitten’s smell on it.
Doing this will give the established cat a scent ‘hand shake’ prior to setting eyes on the new kitten.
This will start to diffuse potential tension between the two animals. -
Step 3: Introduce the new owner’s scent to the kitten.
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Step 4: Introduce the kitten’s smell to a cat already living in the new home.
Detailed Guide
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.Socialization is the process whereby kittens explore their surroundings and accept what they find as normal.
A well socialized kitten is bold, confident and friendly.
Separating a kitten from its mother too early, on the other hand, may lead to poor learning skills and aggressive behavior.A kitten will start learning at about 3 weeks of age and continues to soak up experiences until 12-14 weeks when her ability to adapt to the unfamiliar tails off.
The implication of this is that a kitten will benefit greatly from learning from its mother until 12 weeks of age.
However, if re-homing is delayed too long after that, the kitten is much more likely to be fearful and hide from the new owner.
Kittens learn to use the litter pan at different rates, but most will have learned by 12 weeks.
Be sure the kitten has learned this crucial skill from her mother before she is adopted out., Kittens learn a lot about their environment by scent.
They recognize their mother, littermates and nest by smell.
Using this knowledge can ease a kitten’s transition from her mother to a new home.
Do this by:
Having the new owner provide an old T-shirt that smells like the person.
Because kittens are so smell-oriented, placing a piece of the new owner’s clothing in the kitten’s bed or favorite space will get her used to the person’s scent (this is called a ‘scent introduction’).
When the kitten moves to the home, she will already be familiar with one of the scents so she will feel safer. , Likewise, if the home already has a cat, give him a piece of bedding with the kitten’s smell on it.
Doing this will give the established cat a scent ‘hand shake’ prior to setting eyes on the new kitten.
This will start to diffuse potential tension between the two animals.
About the Author
Timothy Long
Experienced content creator specializing in lifestyle guides and tutorials.
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