Adopting a kitten as you know, is a very big responsibility and while many people take time and care to best research all that is needed in kitten care, some just jump right in! As you are reading this, lets assume you are doing the research! Now, the last thing I want to do is keep you from your beloved intended kitten, and of course you don’t always get to pick when a kitten comes into your life, but if you have the chance, here is a bit of good information to consider!
How old should kittens be before they go to a new home?
While many people give kittens away to new homes at 6 weeks, consider waiting till 8 weeks if the kitten is with other cats now and specially if still with it’s mother. While it is true, some kittens start weaning as early as 4 weeks, some keep nursing till 12 weeks!
The very important weeks though for kittens and making them amazing family pets is the 6 to 8 weeks range because this is when many experts consider the vital time for kittens, kitten socialization or also called, kitten manners!
Around this time kittens will be little balls of fierce energy and they will play fight, with one another, with Mom, and without those other cats, possibly your tender toes as well! It is a vital time in a kittens life to learn how to control their claws and teeth and they learn best by having other kittens and cats teach them when they have gone too far. Too often when humans try to teach them, we end up giving them more behavior issues! It is best to let Mom teach her little ones how to behave like a good cat should!
(Eeyore on Hold Pending Adoption by Cassandra J around July 28)
Another issue is litter box training! While cats have an instinct to cover their poop, this too can best be learned by watching Mama cat do it. Many kittens start this training at 4 weeks, but some can take up to 12 or longer to really get it down. I think being with Mama cats help cut this time from everything I have been reading.
For us, we had a kitty litter robot, one of the big round ones that spins. I have to say, this is not great for kittens! We moved that out of the kitten nursery room, and put in a small pan for them. We found quickly that a Mama cat and 5 kittens makes it hard to keep up with. Have a scooper and small trash can with plastic bag in it and lid near the box! Finally, we just got a large cat box with traditional lid for Mama and any kittens that want to try it. I am spying on them to track what kittens are really mastering this important skill!
(Flash on Hold pending adoption by Brooklyn L around July 28)
Food! At 6 weeks most people start kittens on solid cat food. I think it would be rather hard on them though to switch so quickly from mom milk to solids, and a new family at the same time. For us, we offer kitten dry food at all times and then wet food 2x a day to Mom and kittens. They love the wet food. There are some great reasons to give cats wet food too and you should really look into why if you are considering getting a kitten!
(Tiger Lily is On Hold Pending adoption by Jean K after 8/8)
In closing, it is my opinion given the evidence, that kittens should get new homes sometimes after 8 weeks! They should have kitty manners by then, use the litter box consistently, eat solid food, and be ready for new homes. The Best age to adopt a kitten is after 8 weeks to avoid only kitten syndrome I think too! I can’t though tell you there is ever truly a bad time to adopt a kitten if you have the knowledge and will to help them thrive. For me though, we are keeping these kittens till at least 8 weeks and making sure each new home knows as much as they can about their chosen ball of fluff so the kittens can have the best homes possible.
This is a cute video of our toddler and the kittens during their supervised play time together. Goodness these kittens are going to be great with kids!
Check back to see how the kittens are growing and playing and for care tips and supply lists for new Kitten Homes!
This is how we ended up with unexpected Kittens and you can see cute photos of them when tiny:
http://www.littlecrunchy.com/2017/05/hello-grief-kitty/
and
http://www.littlecrunchy.com/2017/06/the-kittens-are-here/
And this is their mother as a little fierce kitten in a cute video:
http://www.littlecrunchy.com/2016/05/recycle-baby-toys-as-kitten-toys/
Update on the Kittens:
They are 8 weeks old now! Sadly Cassanda J backed out on Eeyore, something about a move. Maui and Dory and Flash all went to their new homes this weekend! That means we get to love on Tiger Lily for a while still because her owner is a soldier and on a mission right now. Eeyor has always just been so loved on so keeping her a bit longer while we find the perfect home is a bit of a gift to us!
One thing I am certain of, kittens need to play to be happy! One of our last days with all the kittens together they had a blast with this cat toy set!
This kitty toy set is by Noy’s Pet on Amazon. They sent this set to me to review with the kittens. It went home with the kitten who loved it the most as a gift to his and his new family! I hope it helps them bond! I know it will keep him busy! A busy kitten is a happy kitten!
Without cat toys, cats will find things to entertain themselves in other ways. I remember visiting my sister for an extended time while husband was deployed and one of our cats decided it was a great time to knock any container of water over. He near destroyed a laptop with his antics. He would look right at my sister and without even looking at the cup, knock it over. I admit, this was kind of funny in that weird things cat’s do way! My sister though didn’t appreciate it. It was a changed situation and he was not having it! If we had given him more attention and played with him more I don’t think he would have been up to shenanigans! The same holds true for the kittens. The more busy we kept them, the happier they are, and the kids are too of course. We loved this set and I think it is great for older cats too! Something like this could save your furniture! Train your kitten to scratch the scratch board and not your stuff!
