-
Too many ads? Join our community of cat lovers now to reduce ads by 90%! Click here to join for free!
Are 4 Week Old Kittens Safe To Adopt??
- Thread starter johns
- Start Date
Why would a 4 week old kitten be looking for an adoption?
Is it an orphaned kitten?
Is it an orphaned kitten?
If they have a mother who is alive and they are safe then absolutely not, that is way too young. If it is an orphan then that's a different matter. If they are orphans, at 4 weeks old they need to be looked after by someone who can feed them in replacement of their mother, because they should still be nursing. If the mother is alive and there are no urgent factors necessitating them being rehomed, then they should stay with their mother for 8 weeks at the bare minimum (although they will miss out on some socialisation - yes cats need socialisation with their mother and siblings), preferably 12 weeks or more is a good age for rehoming.
Kittens should ideally remain with their mothers untl 10-12 weeks old. IF there is an overwhelming reason that they MUST leave their mothers, their adopters should be ready to bottle feed them with KMR (Kitten Milke Replacer) approximately every three to four hours around the clock, although two hour feedings are no longer absolutely necessary. Be aware that kittens who leave their mothers this young are going to have some issues, since they haven't learned to "cat" yet. They may play rough, or have toileting issues (although those are rare), and at the very least will need a LOT of nurturing.
- Joined
- Jan 15, 2018
- Messages
- 4,171
- Purraise
- 12,686
It is too young to be separated from its Mama and litter-mates. Kittens should stay at least 12 weeks with its mama so they can be properly socialized.
Agree. Exceptions are as mentioned dire emergencies, and kittens from ferale shy mommas, if you cant catch her too.
1. Much easier to foster them.
2. Muchbeasier to catch as they wont run away from you.
3. Its perhaps the only occasion before momma takes them somewhere else.
1. Much easier to foster them.
2. Muchbeasier to catch as they wont run away from you.
3. Its perhaps the only occasion before momma takes them somewhere else.
My sweet Lola was bottle raised by me. She never got a 100% cat, but was the sweetest thing I have ever known in my life.
Because I replaced her mother, she opened her eyes and the imprinting did the rest. I became HER mother for the rest of her life, and because of this, she would trust me blindly.
My Jakey was a bottle baby, but that was because his mother got mastitis and lost her milk - he remained with her for comfort though, so got proper socialisation. He is 12 now and still goes nuts if he sees anything that resembles a kitten/baby bottle
Radar is a little difficult because he was separated from his mother way too young (I didn't know at the time, I was told he was older than he was and didn't know enough to tell the difference), he is really really sweet but doesn't always understand that claws hurt - that is something he would have learned from spending another few weeks with his mother and siblings.
It can mean the difference between a difficult companion (I love Radar dearly, but he isn't always easy to live with, and I worry what would happen to him if anything happened to us and he had to be rehomed - we are very patient and understanding with him, lots of folks wouldn't be) and a well socialised one - so if you have the option, then letting them have a longer time to grow up with their siblings and learn from one another is for the best.
If one can choose, then it is way better to leave the kittens with their mom until they're ready.
In my case I had no options, Lola's mother had abandoned her and her brother under a bush and didn't want to have anything to do with them anymore. They would have died without my intervention
All the kittens I have raised didn't have a mother. However, leaving a kitten with mom for a minimum of 10 weeks (preferably 12) is the way to go, if possible. A young kitten is a lot of work, so if you are thinking of adopting one that young, be prepared and be sure to supplement it's food with either KMR or goats milk.
If you are adopting one out, then you should wait.
If you are adopting one out, then you should wait.
Oh for sure - there are sometimes situations where a kitten has been orphaned or rejected or ended up in rescue and it's better for them to go to a home than sit in a rescue charity (or worse) - and you do your best for them when that is the case.If one can choose, then it is way better to leave the kittens with their mom until they're ready.
In my case I had no options, Lola's mother had abandoned her and her brother under a bush and didn't want to have anything to do with them anymore. They would have died without my intervention
This! At four weeks they have a long way to go as far as learning cat behavior from momma and siblings. That's anything from learning what kind of play is just right or too rough, to covering up poop in the litter box, how to act around humans etc. I personally like to keep them with the momma a bit longer than 12 weeks which is the standard recommended age. I prefer 16 weeks.
.
Based on the study conducted at the University of Helsinki, the recommended weaning age of 12 weeks should be raised by at least two weeks. Delaying weaning is an easy and cost-efficient way of improving the quality of life of cats....
The study used the results from the health and behaviour survey Professor Lohi's group had previously conducted on nearly 6,000 cats, currently the most extensive cat behaviour database in the world. According to the survey, many behavioural problems are more common than expected. More than 80% of cats were reported as exhibiting mild behavioural problems, while serious behavioural problems were reported for 25% of all cats. Feline behavioural problems can include shyness, stereotypic wool sucking, excessive grooming and aggression.....
12 + 2⁺ = 14⁺
.
September 15, 2017
Delayed weaning reduces behavioural problems in cats
Delayed weaning reduces behavioural problems in cats
Based on the study conducted at the University of Helsinki, the recommended weaning age of 12 weeks should be raised by at least two weeks. Delaying weaning is an easy and cost-efficient way of improving the quality of life of cats....
The study used the results from the health and behaviour survey Professor Lohi's group had previously conducted on nearly 6,000 cats, currently the most extensive cat behaviour database in the world. According to the survey, many behavioural problems are more common than expected. More than 80% of cats were reported as exhibiting mild behavioural problems, while serious behavioural problems were reported for 25% of all cats. Feline behavioural problems can include shyness, stereotypic wool sucking, excessive grooming and aggression.....
LINK: Delayed weaning reduces behavioural problems in cats
(my emphasis)
(my emphasis)
12 + 2⁺ = 14⁺
.
thanks!
But seriously, maybe you could create a separate thread with this info. This knowledge needs to be spread. This is so frustrating that people decide to separate kittens that are only 8 weeks because they are cute. Would anyone do this to a human child?
Unfortunately, some do.
To be fair, many kittens available through rescues and shelters are orphaned. If the mother isn't present, it can still be beneficial to keep a kitten with its siblings, but sometimes that is not possible for a small organization, or even a large one with a limited number of fosters for bottle baby neonates.thanks!
But seriously, maybe you could create a separate thread with this info. This knowledge needs to be spread. This is so frustrating that people decide to separate kittens that are only 8 weeks because they are cute. Would anyone do this to a human child?
And I absolutely understand that. But over the last month or two I have read many stories of people picking up the kitten from their mother, sometimes even from the breeders (?). So definitely potential cat owners (sometimes they had cats already so not knew to the topic) either don’t know or ignore the fact that the kittens should be with their mother as long as possible
Yeah, I know that's a problem, and the phrasing of the OP in this thread makes me think that the kittens are with their mother, but we can't be certain without a response.
However, I've also seen a lot of posts recently talking about how misbehaved/traumatized newly-adopted 8-week-old kittens will be as they grow into cats, and I think that it's important not to scare people off who want to adopt orphaned kittens.
My two were orphaned along with three siblings at only a day old and had to be bottle-fed, of course. I picked them up from their foster mom when they were a day shy of 8 weeks, and they are the most amazing cats. I know many other members have had the same experience.
So while it is obviously better to keep kittens with their moms until 14-16 weeks, it's also important not to scare new kitten owners on our site into thinking that their cat's behavior will never be up to par because of this early separation. It just takes a lot more work on the new pet parent's behalf to teach their kitty how to cat.
Yes, you made me see a risk of scaring people off. But at the same time they need to be aware of the consequences to manage them, and while “traumatized” is a big word, as you said-young kittens with no mom do need special treatment at least not to bite/scratch. And in your case, you had two kittens. When I see a post of someone adopting 8weeks old cat child alone it simply breaks my heart. And frankly I don’t think it should be allowed even in the extreme circumstances (some European shelters will not adopt out one kitten at all, and I also saw that the shelter in Seattle has the same rule)
