I know you are eager to get your new baby, but here are several good reasons
we do not allow our kittens to leave for their new homes any earlier than
ten weeks:
1. We like to
allow our kittens to wean themselves at their own pace, which makes for a
less needy kitten and a happier mom. Most of our kittens start eating solid
foods at around five weeks of age, but they still want/need the comfort of
Mom. Some kittens have such a strong urge to suckle, that if they are taken
away too early from mom, they will begin to nurse on each other, on a soft
cloth or other similar material. Others become fretful without mom and tend
to cry often or have nervous habits. These habits can be difficult to
break. In the wild, a kitten would never leave mom at six to eight weeks of
age -- they would never survive. It's not natural for a kitten to be taken
from its mother and littermates at such an early age, so we let mom and baby
determine when it's time to be fully weaned.
2. Good litter
box habits are reinforced by watching mother. Most kittens don't start to
use the litter box until around four or five weeks of age. They watch mom
dig and scratch, defecate, and then bury. They learn to bury their waste in
the litter, too. On the rare occasions when we've had to wean kittens
early, these kittens took much longer to regularly use the litter box. On
the other hand, the kittens raised by mom until 9 or 10 weeks of age rarely
had litter box accidents. All kittens benefit from consistency and
familiarity when young -- so a familiar environment, same litter box, etc.
makes for few, if any accidents, and reinforces strong litter box habits.
That way, when the kitten leaves for its new home it continues using the
litter box faithfully.
3. While the
kittens are nursing from mom, they receive passive immunity from mother's
milk. At around six weeks of age this begins to slowly taper off, and our
kittens are vaccinated around nine weeks of age, when mother's antibodies
will no longer interfere with the vaccination, rendering it less effective.
It is during this time period that a kitten is most vulnerable to disease
and stress. Just another reason they are left with mom, given time for the
vaccination to begin working, and allowed to continue to nurse. By the time
a kitten is ten to twelve weeks of age, the immune system has developed
enough to give the kitten much needed protection when going through the
stress of adoption.
4. Kittens that
leave for their new homes around ten to 12 weeks of age are well socialized
by this time and can handle new experiences without much fear and/or
stress. This socialization comes not only from their human family, but also
from mom and littermates. They've learned how to play, without getting too
rough, how to use the litter box, how to stay well-kept through daily
grooming, and how to interact with humans and other cats. Our kittens have
well-formed litter box habits, have been eating solid foods for at least
four weeks, and have become quite used to the daily activities of our
household. When it is time for them to leave for their new home, they are
mentally and physically ready to make the big change.
Hope that helps
ease the anticipation a little,
Jennifer
Miller
