Are 4 Week Old Kittens Safe To Adopt??

[war&wisdom]

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)

I think not allowing it at all is too extreme. There are plenty of households with older cats that often adjust to a kitten and even take on a parental role. Also, there are ways to enrich a kitten's life even if it's an only child -- you just have to be able to spend plenty of time with them and provide a ton of loving, teaching, and toys. My kittens' siblings were adopted out alone, and they're still well-adjusted.

I do think that potential kitten parents need to be better educated about young kittens' needs.

One last thought: many people are reluctant to adopt two kittens at once (even though it's often easier for you and them, which I've pointed out elsewhere on this site), so I fear that more kittens would end up in shelters for extended periods if there was absolutely no possibility for them to be adopted out alone.

 

[She's a witch]

I think not allowing it at all is too extreme. There are plenty of households with older cats that often adjust to a kitten and even take on a parental role. Also, there are ways to enrich a kitten's life even if it's an only child -- you just have to be able to spend plenty of time with them and provide a ton of loving, teaching, and toys. My kittens' siblings were adopted out alone, and they're still well-adjusted.

I do think that potential kitten parents need to be better educated about young kittens' needs.

One last thought: many people are reluctant to adopt two kittens at once (even though it's often easier for you and them, which I've pointed out elsewhere on this site), so I fear that more kittens would end up in shelters for extended periods if there was absolutely no possibility for them to be adopted out alone.

I meant adopting a small kitten as a lone cat. I totally agree that adopting kittens to another older cat is a good idea, if not the best!

And yes, there are ways to enrich kitten’s life even if she’s the only kitten, but how many people realistically will make the effort to go this extra mile? Do they have time for that? And - will this really ensure the kitten has everything it needs? We are different species, we don’t have cat’s instinct and their biological and intuitive knowledge, we can do a lot but does it really work? The research quoted in this thread shows that no, not really.

Frankly, I don’t know the scope of problems regarding adopting kittens in USA, but as far as I know there are adoption fees everywhere so I am assuming it’s not that bad (in some European countries there is no way people would pay for a kitten, there are given away for free even if they are vaccinated, microchipped etc). And since some places in US still insist on adopting two kittens, maybe they have no problems finding kittens parents even if they only adopt a pair? Maybe it’s worth a try at Least?

 

[Antonio65]

A few times I had taken young kittens away from their feral mothers because their health conditions weren't very good or because they would have lived a troubled life.
I always tried to act in the kittens' best interest even if I knew it well that I should have had life follow its course.
Had I let things on their own, most of those kittens would have died for sure. So, sometimes taking young kittens away from their mothers seems a necessary thing to do.

 

[She's a witch]

A few times I had taken young kittens away from their feral mothers because their health conditions weren't very good or because they would have lived a troubled life.
I always tried to act in the kittens' best interest even if I knew it well that I should have had life follow its course.
Had I let things on their own, most of those kittens would have died for sure. So, sometimes taking young kittens away from their mothers seems a necessary thing to do.

Absolutely and I agree with that. I am referring to the cases where it is perfectly possible and safe to keep kittens with their mom - breeders, breeders-wannabe, “accidental” breeding, people wanting to have pretty kittens from their cats, even some foster homes. Most people seem to be ok that 8 weeks is a good age to separate a kitten, whereas it is way too early.