Kitten help please

[hdb76 10]

Hi

Hoping somebody can help me please.

Our cat had 4 kittens on October the 31st last year(making them just over 9weeks old) and she is (mostly!!) doing a really good job at being mum.

However what I am wanting to know is the kittens have been fully weaned for a couple of weeks now and eat mashed kitten food, dry biscuits and have kitten milk and water to drink but they are still feeding quite a lot off mum and she is really starting to look so fed up with it, just generally starting to lose her bubblyness. They tend to do it more in the evening but they tend to overpower her so she topples onto her side and then they attach and feed for a while but then seem to use her as a giant pillow so she is stuck.

We do have homes for the 3 that are going to be rehomed and are keeping the little boy that has attached himself to us but am worried that he will just keep tormenting mum as he is one of the most cuddly with her.

I have read that they are best staying with mum for 12 weeks but have read of people rehoming at 8 weeks and dont want to get it wrong and cause any damage to the little ones or mum.

Also our vet says mum cant be spayed until feb, is this right? She definatly wont be going out until she is as the one time she escaped she ended up a the vets after a dog got hold of her and got pregnant bless her hopefully that one experience of outside will have put her off anyway.

Sorry about the really long post and hope somebody can help.

[katkin 10]

There are no hard and fast rules provided they dont leave mum too early. 10 to 12 weeks is reasonable. Pedigree kittens tend to stay with mum until they are 13 weeks old because they are vaccinated at 10 weeks and 13 weeks. The one time we've had kittens was 3 hrs ago and I kept them until 13 weeks because of that reason and we wanted them to have as much experience of the strange sounds and smells they would come into contact with in their new homes so that they wouldn't be scaredy kittens when they eventually left home.

 

8 weeks is too young, they are only just beginning to explore their home and still rely on mum to show them what they can do and are still developing their social skills with one another, other cats and pets (if lucky enough to be exposed to them). I wouldn't part with them that early

Edited January 5, 2011 by katkin

[littlestar 10]

I got my kitten, Sid when he was 8 weeks and never had any problems with him.

He settled in straight away, knew what he was doing with his litter tray etc and is a very healthy 5 month old kitten!

When I was searching the web for a kitten, I found alot of them were ready from 8 weeks old due to them being weaned etc.

Hope this helps.

[smudge74 10]

I got mine at 7 weeks! I thought it was too young but the owner assured me they were weaned and ready to leave mum. We've not had any problems and they've turned out to be the most affectionate little monsters in the world. In retrospect I think 7 weeks was maybe a little too early, just from a psychological view point, but I thin 9-10 weeks would be fine. I would say have them "done" before you let them go as the new owners may not be responsible and we don't want anymore unwanted kittens in the rescue centres

[mrs savage 10]

id say they are more than ready

[berlingo 10]

Vets would normally spay when she has stopped feeding & her milk has dried up.

[soobi 10]

i had a cat quite a few years ago now, and the person i got her from told me she was speyed so never had any concerns. 3 months later she gave birth to 8 kittens!! after i got over the shock (!) i took them all to the vets to be checked and after being given the all clear he told me that as long as they are all fully weaned then they are good to go at 8-9 weeks. i personally wouldnt keep one if the mum is fed up, cats can become stressed easily and lose weight etc. if you really want 2 cats then i would suggest getting one from another breeder. hope this helps xx

[soobi 10]

or get a rescue kitten/cat. so many needing a good home xx