It is vital to keep kittens with their mothers until they are a minimum of 6-8 weeks old. 

One of several reasons is that they will still be dependent on them for milk and nutrients, which play a big role for their health. Or else, they may have health problems earlier on in their life, and the kittens may need to be put on supplements and will need additional care from its adopter. Kittens can continue to drink milk till they are at 10 weeks old, but solid food can be introduced to their diet at the 4 week mark. 

Risks of Premature Separation

When kittens are separated from their mother before 6 weeks, it carries risks such as; 

• Underdeveloped eyesight and body development, delay in social skills and life skills, that the mother teaches them early on. 

• Not knowing how to groom themselves or not knowing to cover their waste, which comes naturally to cats who have stayed with their mother and have socially interacted within the litter.

• Not having the social skills needed to interact with other cats, resulting in a more feral and defensive cat. Additional time will need to be spent on these kittens to teach them appropriate behaviour. 

Ideal Age for Adoption

In conclusion, it is best to give kittens up for adoption when they:

• have passed the minimum of 6 weeks,

• are able to eat solid food,

• have fully developed systems,

• are litter trained,

• can socialize, and

• are independent of the mother.

Abandoned kittens may wean sooner or require more care, which would vary the adoption age. Typically, they can be put up for adoption at 6-8 weeks. However, it is advisable to consult your vet before doing so.

Personal Notes

Tiana: 

In my personal experience, kittens that are taken from their mothers too soon tend to not be very social with other cats, or as affectionate with their adopters. It takes time to train them what's right and wrong. The adopter will often have to step in to help the kittens defecate and help understand how to control their body and strength. They require more care in terms of health - some kittens develop unhealthy or underdeveloped systems due to the lack of nutrients, compared to kittens who were with their mothers till independence.

Ninny: 

Typically, fosters in Sri Lanka tend to put kittens up for adoption at 6 - 8 weeks. As they foster many at a time or more often, are forced to provide foster care due to a lack of alternatives, kittens are put up for adoption as soon as they’re weaned. This is sometimes as young as 4 weeks, which is extremely unfortunate. If you can accommodate them for longer, I’d advise keeping them for 10 weeks. Hence, they will have time to grow into themselves, and will be self-sufficient - whereas younger, dependent kittens who need more care may be at risk at inexperienced adoptive homes.

Photo by Ihsan Aditya from Pexels.