When can I take a kitten to a new home. At what age is it better to take a kitten home? When can I adopt a kitten from a cat

One of the most beloved and popular pets are cats. Almost all people are touched by the sight of a small, defenseless, fluffy lump. But at what age should a kitten be taken to a new home?

When can I pick up a kitten?

To answer this question, you need to know some of the nuances about the development of kittens. As you know, in one litter a cat can have from one to seven kittens. This fact, as well as the breed, affects the weight of newborns, which ranges from 70 to 140 grams.

At birth, babies are almost completely hairless, completely blind and deaf. But with a well-developed sense of smell and touch. It is by smell that they find the mother cat to feed on her milk. Already on the fifth day of life, kittens begin to hear the sounds surrounding them. And on the tenth day, they gradually open their eyes and begin to see.

After a few more days, babies can determine the direction of the sounds. Not confidently and cautiously, the animals learn to walk, and by the twentieth day they are able to move a short distance from the common bed.

By four weeks, the body of kittens is able to digest not only mother's milk, but also additional complementary foods. At this age, following the example of a cat, they learn to lick themselves and walk in a tray with soil or sawdust.

By the sixth week, most kittens become quite independent, can play with their brethren and go to the tray, milk nutrition is increasingly replacing complementary foods. By 7–8 weeks, all milk teeth grow in the animals, the coat changes and you can see their true color.

A very important condition in the development of a kitten is the presence of a mother and brothers to obtain the very first and necessary knowledge in life. The first months, all kittens do not move away from each other almost a single step. They sleep, eat and play in a friendly ball. educates them, teaching them to use a tray, a scratching post and hunt, if necessary, bites especially mischievous children.

Around the age of two months, mommy increasingly drives away the babies and sleeps on her own. Those, in turn, get used to an independent life and, under the guise of a game, can hunt each other, lying in wait in ambush. By three months, "fluffies" become completely independent, do not need mother's milk, know how to use the tray and reach a weight of one and a half to two kilograms.

They get used to the people around them and are not afraid to play with them and toys. During the period of carefree childhood, each kitten develops its own exceptional character.

From all this, we can make a simple conclusion that a kitten should be taken to a new home when he:

able to feed on their own;
will be able to lick, thereby will monitor their hygiene;
confidently uses a scratching post and a tray;
socially adapted, that is, received proper upbringing from a cat.

If these conditions are not taken into account, your pet may have digestive problems, infectious diseases. It will be too timid and shy, or, conversely, overly aggressive, which in the future can lead to sad consequences. Will not lend itself to learning to walk on the tray.

So that the baby does not have health problems, it is best to take him after vaccination. Kittens are vaccinated no earlier than six weeks.

Thus, the age of about two to three months is the most optimal for a kitten to change the house. Then the fluffy pet of the family will be properly educated and delight its owners, receiving love and affection from them. These requirements should be observed when the family consciously approaches the choice of a pet and is not limited in time.

But there are situations when a kitten is taken away from a cat before two months for a variety of reasons as a rescue of the “drowning”. In this case, the baby will need especially careful care and upbringing, which he did not have time to receive from his mother. For all the warmth and affection received, the kitten will be boundlessly grateful and will become another member of the family.

If you care about a mother cat and her kittens, you should start looking for good owners for them as soon as possible. Once you have the right fixture options, an important question arises:
When can kittens be separated from their mother as painlessly as possible?
Is it necessary to do this when they begin to eat any other food besides mother's milk? Or when they completely stop eating mother's milk? Or is there some other reinforced concrete criterion?
Many people who want to take or buy a furry friend into their family want to take a kitten while he is still a baby, because little kittens are so funny!

According to many members of the Cat Fanciers Club, one way to determine a responsible breeder is that a good and loving breeder will not sell a kitten younger than 12 weeks old.

Why was this particular age chosen?

There are two main factors to consider when deciding when to separate a kitten from its mother:

The kitten should be young enough to get used to the new home easily. Kittens will take much less time to get used to new surroundings and new people while they are young. Their brain develops and it is easier for them to perceive everything new. They still don’t have many memories of the place where they were born, so having received a lot of love and care in the new house, they can easily survive parting with their mother. In fact, there is no specific point in time when kittens or cats can no longer adjust to a new home. With enough time and the right care and attention to character when caring, even old cats can become beloved pets and great friends for new owners. However, as a general rule, the younger the cat, the faster and easier it is to form a bond between cat and human.

A kitten should spend enough time with her mother and siblings to learn "cat etiquette". Feline behavior is determined by several factors. Some behaviors are based entirely on instincts. Others are based on training. Some have to do with both instinct and experience. The best teacher for a kitten is a mother cat. Some kittens will instinctively accept positive behaviors, but others need their mother to lead by example. In addition, interaction with the mother and with their siblings helps establish their ability to communicate with other cats later in their lives. For a cat to acquire good feline manners, they must spend several weeks playing and interacting with their siblings. In this way, they learn to control and regulate biting and scratching, for example during play.

How long does it take to pick up kittens from a cat? What if earlier?

Yes, ideally it should be 12-16 weeks. This is the age range where the kittens have already had enough time to learn how to behave, but they are still young and flexible to quickly adapt to a new home. If, for whatever reason, you can't wait until the day your kittens are 12 weeks old, at least try to keep them with their mom until they are confident. eat solid food(usually this is at least 8 weeks old). If you can delay their separation from the cat family, any extra day you give them will benefit their mental and social development.

By the way, you can read how to feed small kittens.

Are there exceptions to this rule?

Yes. The exception is wild kittens. These are the kittens that were born to street cats and never had any contact with humans. In this case, the need to learn to live with people outweighs their need to communicate with their mother and siblings. If they stay with their mother too long, they will only learn to be afraid of people. If you care about the prodigal cat and her kittens, it's best to take the kittens home. at 8 weeks. At this age, they can already eat on their own, but are young enough to overcome their fear of people and successfully socialize. Some experts even suggest 6-8 weeks as a suitable time frame, depending on the specific situation and whether you can keep both mother and kittens at home with you at the same time.

“Oh no, I got my kitten when he was only 4 weeks old!”

Sometimes kittens enter the family at a very young age. Rescued kittens may even be newborns separated from their mother for unknown reasons. In other cases, irresponsible cat owners who allow a cat to breed may not be aware of the rules for caring for kittens and separate them from their mother too early.

If you already have a kitten at such a young age, all you can do is learn about kitten care and try to provide your pet with the right environment and care it needs.

Future owners of fluffy creatures, having chosen their pet, often ask breeders a question: when can I take a kitten from a cat? On the one hand, I really want to quickly settle a mischievous cub in my house. On the other hand, they are concerned about the health and socialization of the future tenant. Experienced breeders are advised to responsibly approach this problem.

Read in this article

Kitten life stages

To have an idea of when it is possible to wean kittens from a cat, it is necessary to know the features of the physiological development and behavior of the cubs from birth to the moment of independent life of the young. There are the following periods:

Development periods	Characteristic	A photo
Newborn (from birth to 10 days)	When born, the weight of babies ranges from 70 to 120 grams. This is the most defenseless period of life. Kittens are blind, hard of hearing, practically do not move. Only the sense of smell is well developed. Immunity is provided by mother's milk. They don’t go to the toilet on their own, they are licked by a caring cat. Newborns are very sensitive to temperature conditions, hypothermia is dangerous for their life and health.
Dairy (from 10 to 21 days)	By this period, the kittens have grown stronger, their weight is approaching 400 grams. Babies have eyes that open, they are able to see, but they are poorly oriented in space. By the end of the third week, they begin to lean on all four limbs, the first teeth erupt. However, the main source of nutrition is breast milk.
Complementary feeding period (from 21 days to 1.5 months)	Babies actively move within the nest. During this period, complementary foods begin with solid food, since milk no longer provides all the nutritional needs of the growing body. This stage is very responsible in terms of adaptation of the digestive system to solid food. Approximately at the age of one month, there are already 26 teeth. On their own, cubs can find a bowl of food. Many future owners mistakenly believe that this is the right time to take kittens from the cat. From the point of view of physiology, the young at this age are already independent, well developed. But full socialization for an adequate existence in a new home, the right relationship with people and other animals has not yet been formed.
Stage of socialization (from 1.5 to 3 months)	Many breeders rightly believe that this period is the best time to separate kittens from a cat. By the 2nd month of life, babies almost completely switch to solid food, all their teeth grow. The immunity built up by mother's milk by this period is weakening, so the young must be vaccinated. At the same time, the kittens are very active, they love games and communication, they are well oriented in space, they easily find a bowl of food. They begin to care for their fur, learn to use the tray
The period of formation of young animals (from 3 months and older)	By this time, the animals have full immunity, a formed character. Toddlers received basic knowledge about the world from their mother, learned habits and survival skills.

Thus, the optimal age when kittens can be weaned from a cat is 2.5 - 3 months. During this period, the animal is fully socialized, the character traits of the future new resident are clearly manifested. By the age of 3 months, responsible breeders carry out the necessary course of deworming (treatment against worms) and vaccination according to the vaccination schedule. The animal is insured against dangerous infections, has a strong immunity to viral diseases.

The consequences of an early separation

Owners of future fluffy pets are often impatient and rush to take a small creature into the house immediately after the start of complementary foods, at the age of 1 - 1.5 months. Undoubtedly, kids are very interesting, touching, cause a lot of positive emotions. However, early weaning from the mother leads to negative health consequences and affects the behavior of the future adult animal. Among the unpleasant moments that owners often have to face when the kitten is not separated from the cat in time, the following should be noted:

Digestive problems. An undeveloped enzyme system still poorly absorbs solid food. Cubs deprived of mother's milk do not digest adult food well, they develop diarrhea, dysbacteriosis, which often leads to death.

Weak immunity. Mother's milk during this period, although it does not provide the growing body with nutrients, still contains a high level of protective substances. Untimely weaning leads to a weakened immune system, kittens become vulnerable to viral and bacterial infections.

Early weaning is accompanied by a strong stress response of the fragile organism. The connection between the cub and the mother at the age of 1 - 1.5 months is still very strong, and the animals have a hard time parting. Against the background of stress and a weak immune system, the risk of developing diseases increases.

Taking into the house a baby who has not passed the stage of socialization, the owners often face inappropriate behavior of the future pet. The kitten shows aggression towards the household, does not make contact, does not know how to play. An early weaned baby cannot get along with other animals, reacts incorrectly to dangers. An unpleasant moment for the owner may be the fact that the fluffy lump does not fawn, but attacks, tears up furniture and. This behavior is due to the fact that weaning occurred too early, and the cat did not have time to teach its offspring the rules of good manners and adequate behavior in society.

Experienced and responsible breeders advise future owners on what time it is possible to pick up a kitten from a cat, guided by knowledge of physiology and developmental characteristics. Most of them agree that the best age for weaning and starting an independent life in a new home is 2.5 - 3 months. By this moment, all body systems are fully developed, the animal has strong immunity, character traits and temperament are traced. The kitten is adapted to the environment, understands how to behave in the family and other animals.

Cat behavior after weaning

The period when the time has come to give away kittens from a cat is difficult and sometimes painful for both the baby and the caring mother. To minimize separation stress, knowledgeable breeders prepare pets for separation well in advance. Kittens begin to be left in a separate room from their mother, gradually reducing the time that animals spend together. As a rule, young animals quickly get used to such a situation, and if weaning occurs in a timely manner, then the babies adapt perfectly to the new environment.

Very often people ask "At what age to take a kitten?" or "When is it too early to give away a kitten?"
There are those who are almost holy - the younger the kitten, the better and faster it gets used to the new environment, the stronger it becomes attached to the owner and in general. As a rule, these are people who took a kitten in its month (or even earlier), and everything is fine with them. They, these advisers, react to objections in this way: "I don't know anything, I took mine in so many weeks, and we had no problems."
Well what can I say? Someone even crosses the red light, and everything is fine with them ... but this does not mean that such actions are correct.
I’ll make a reservation right away that the following text refers to the situation when you take a kitten into the house as planned. Those. you have some choice, time, etc. Because there are situations when you need to pick it up urgently now, because ... (but the reasons can be very different, most often it is "saving the drowning")

You can pick up a kitten when, firstly, he is able to eat on his own, secondly, he confidently uses the tray and scratching post and takes care of his own hygiene, and thirdly, he is socially adapted. minimal requirements.
If, in general, everything is clear about the first two points, then what is "socially adapted" requires explanation.

According to my personal observations, somewhere from a month and a half (sometimes, but rarely - earlier), a cat begins to raise kittens. Yes, it is the cat, not the man, who prepares the kitten for life in the pride of people. A person can only help in this situation. A growing kitten begins to look for its place in the hierarchy. First, he sorts things out with his brothers and sisters. During this period, the mother cat, as a rule, does not interfere in the life of her children. Then the kitten begins social games with the mother. That's when inexperienced breeders get scared. After all, a cat brings up a presumptuous child rather harshly, sometimes it seems that she causes unbearable pain to a small one - he even cries! A mother cat can bite her children's whiskers, can drive them from their homes, beat a kitten (usually without claws). Having begun, the process of upbringing ends either with the kitten moving to a new home, or with the end of his claims to the place that the cat occupies in the pride.
Simultaneously with the clarification of the relationship with the cat, the baby can try "by the tooth" and the owner. What at first seems like a cute game (“he hunts my legs so funny!” And “hooligan! You stroke him, but he tries to bite, it’s so funny!”), Can lead to very, very serious consequences, when you already have quite an adult animal. This _breeder_ must remember. Yes, most likely, the grown-up cat-child will terrorize not you, but the new owners. But this is _your_ kitten, he was born in _your_ house. And you are responsible for its further destiny. You don't want to get rid of a cat because of inappropriate behavior, right? And an adult cat that bites and hunts legs rarely evokes a feeling of tenderness in anyone.
Personally, I send a kitten from its knees to the floor at the first attempt to bite on a finger. And then I don’t pick it up for at least half an hour. A kitten attacking my slippers will be lightly spanked on the ears and will hear my warning hiss in his address. The result becomes noticeable after 3-4 days. It should be noted that the educational process is always the "carrot and stick" method. Those. along with fairly tough punitive measures, I devote _very_ a lot of time to kittens. I constantly pick them up, pet them, tease them, throw balls at them, etc.
By the way, if you brought a kitten into the house and he tries to behave in a similar way (bites, "funny" pulls your hands with his hind legs, hunts for legs, etc.), start the educational process (the method described above is fine). Because it's only while this behavior is "fun", and then, seriously, it will not be funny.

Somewhere by two months, the kitten goes through primary social adaptation, and, in principle, can move to a new home.

But there are a number of other things to consider. The following applies more to those who take a purebred animal, for I realize that a breeder of outbred kittens gives them away for free and is unlikely to vaccinate small kittens (there are exceptions, and this is very cool!)
So, let's talk about the kitten's immune system.
With the mother's colostrum, in the first hours of life, the kitten receives a certain amount of antibodies. I note that this statement is valid only for those crumbs whose mothers were vaccinated in a timely manner and at the time of birth had active immunity.
These antibodies are in the blood of the baby up to 2 months of his life and protect the body from viruses (those that his mother was vaccinated against). That is why primary vaccination of animals obtained from vaccinated mothers is pointless before 2 months.
Thus, at the age of about 8 weeks, the kitten needs the first vaccination (it protects against diseases such as rhinotracheitis, calicivirus, panleukopenia. Depending on the vaccine, it can also protect against chlamydia). This first vaccination requires a re-vaccination after 3-4 weeks, because any primary vaccination only "prepares" the body to establish and consolidate immunity. It has been clinically proven that with a single primary vaccination, the proper intensity of immunity is not achieved, and if a large amount of a virus or a very pathogenic strain enters the body, the body may not withstand the load, the immune system will not cope with the antigen and a disease will occur.
During re-vaccination, a new component is added - against rabies. During this period, the baby is very vulnerable, and the stress of moving to a new home can lead to extremely negative consequences. After re-vaccination, a quarantine of at least 14 days is required so that antibodies are developed in the required amount.
Whether or not an animal needs vaccinations is the dispute that I will not get into in the framework of this article. I believe that a responsible breeder must vaccinate a kitten. But this is my position, and if someone "never vaccinated a cat, and the cat did not get sick with anything" - this is his right and the luck of his animal.
The only thing that I consider important to report on this topic. I myself live in St. Petersburg, but now I am addressing the residents of Moscow. Please keep in mind that Moscow has been declared a rabies-free region.

So, if you arm yourself with the residual knowledge of arithmetic, it is easy to calculate that the minimum age for giving a kitten is 2 months. Optimal - not earlier than 15 weeks.

Finally, I want to return to the topic of social. adaptation and say two things.

I know families where the kitten was adopted immature (not socially adjusted) and those families are _really_ doing well. But I also know families where there were big problems in a similar situation. You don't have to go far, my neighbor, who took a cute plush month-old British, is now suffering from daily attacks by an adult inadequate cat. Of course, if she had taken care of her upbringing from the very beginning, these problems could have been avoided. But the trick lies precisely in the fact that a person who brought a small lump shaking with fear into the house, as a rule, is not able to educate him, if such a need arises. A breeder who has seen these kittens since birth is able, but an outsider is not.

And the second. I do not know of cases when a three-month-old kitten taken into the house, socially adapted and educated, would not become attached to a new owner.

P.S. in the comments you can express your wishes, additions, corrections, etc. This text was typed at 6 in the morning, so I could simply lose sight of something.

How soon after birth you can bring a kitten into the house so that there are no problems with the health and psyche of the pet, not everyone knows. And no matter how much you want to bring the long-awaited meeting closer, there is no need to rush in this matter. Naturally, the owners are ready to surround the fluffy with affection, care and attention, but, as a rule, few people have an idea about the physiological aspects of the development of kittens and the consequences of early separation from the mother cat.

Show all

Stages of maturation of cats and behavioral features

Domestic cats go through the same stages of development as their wild counterparts, from birth to the moment when they can do without a mother and lead an independent lifestyle. In nature, a mother cat will not leave offspring until all the small members of the family learn to do without milk and begin to eat "adult" food and hunt on their own. Pets also have stages of socialization. Early weaning of kittens from their mother can lead to irreparable consequences.

The reasons for this situation are easy to understand if we consider the stages of development of kittens.

newborns

This is the period of life from birth to 10 days. At this time, the kittens are helpless. They are blind and deaf. The only thing given to them at birth is the sense of smell. They find their mother by smell and are completely dependent on her during this period of growing up. When cats are not around, they huddle together, feeling the presence of each other, and maintain the body temperature required for survival, and if they crawl away, they squeak loudly, calling for help. The cat performs two important functions at this stage in the life of kittens:

feeds kittens with milk;
performs hygiene procedures.

Colostrum and cat's milk is an important source of nutrients and is indispensable for kittens. From the first hours of life with colostrum, babies receive antibodies that help build immunity. Newborn cats do not have their own antibodies and cannot resist infections. That is why this period is the most dangerous for kittens, if we talk about their early weaning from their mother. It is almost impossible to avoid the death of babies in such cases.

Hygiene procedures are the licking by a cat of its offspring, in which several important functions are performed at once. The cat massages the tummies of the kittens, helping to improve digestion and stimulating the act of defecation - newborn kittens are unable to "go to the toilet" on their own. She cleans their fur, licking it with her tongue. Such a massage stimulates its growth, because young animals do not have the undercoat necessary to maintain the desired body temperature.

Under the age of 10 days, babies are absolutely helpless and it would be completely absurd to give them away almost immediately after birth!

milk period

This period lasts from 10 days to 3 weeks. By this time, the children grow up, their first teeth erupt, at the age of 2 weeks their eyes open, but they still see poorly. Only towards the end of the milk period do they confidently stand on their paws and begin to explore the world around them. But they are still very weak and helpless. The basis of nutrition is mother's milk, she continues to provide the necessary care. The body of kittens is not yet adapted to eating solid food.

If we draw an analogy with wild animals, then this period is characterized by short-term trips of the mother from the nest in search of prey, while the offspring explores the nest and acquires the first communication skills with their own kind. By the end of the milk period, kittens play with each other and learn socialization.

Socialization is the most important stage of growing up. It starts from the age of two weeks, when the kittens learn to communicate, lose and win in the game, earn a “thrashing” from their mother, and receive the first skills of setting priorities in the pack. In later life, this manifests itself in the relationship between the owner and the pet, where the person takes on the role of "leader", making the relationship with the cat comfortable.

Kittens separated from a cat in the lactation period grow up without understanding their place in society, they can be cowardly, aggressive and difficult to train.

Complementary feeding period

This period lasts from 3 weeks to 1.5 months. Mother's milk is no longer enough to meet the nutritional needs of the growing body of kittens. It's time to introduce solid foods into your diet. In nature, a mother cat brings some of the prey to the nest for the “first hunt” of her offspring. The dental system of kittens is formed, physiologically the body is ready to digest unfamiliar food. Babies are quite independent and outwardly look ready to leave their mother. But they still drink her milk. Specially weaning kittens from their mother is not worth it, this is done only in the case of numerous offspring, when feeding can end in exhaustion.

It would be a mistake to start distributing kittens at this age, because the socialization period is not over yet. At this age, they are very curious, actively adopting behavioral skills, carefully observing their mother. They learn to take care of themselves, explore the cat litter, but these are only the first lessons and relationships with their own kind and people have not yet been formed.