How to Separate a Kitten from its Mother

If your cat is giving birth and you’re looking for a new home or if you want to adopt a kitten, you need to make sure that both the kitten, the mother cat, the cat’s new owner, and yourself are happy. The most important thing is to wait until the kittens are strong enough – around 12-13 weeks, preferably. Once the kittens are old enough, the mother cat will usually quickly get used to the separation. However, kittens will need more time to adapt. To make the transition to kittens as smooth as possible, you need to prepare them in advance, make sure they are weaned, gradually get used to the new home, and pay more attention to them if there is a new one in the new house. another cat.

Table of Contents

Preparing to separate the kitten from its mother

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Separate the kittens from their mother when they are about 12 weeks old. Most kittens will be weaned at 8-10 weeks of age, but experts recommend that you let kittens live with the litter until 12-13 weeks of age so they can get used to the world around them. best. ^{[1] X Research Sources}^{[2] X Research Resources} Kittens will go through a process of exploring their surroundings to learn that everything that is happening is completely normal. If done well, the kitten will be bold, confident and friendly. Conversely, if separated from the mother cat too soon, the kittens may have poor skills and aggressive behavior. ^{[3] X Trusted Source The Humane Society of the United States Go to Source}

Kittens will begin the learning process at about 3 weeks old and continue to gain experience until 12-14 weeks old, at which point their ability to adapt to new things will decrease.
This means that the kittens will learn best from their mother until they are 12 weeks old. However, if adopted after this time for too long, the kittens will tend to be afraid and hide from their new owners.

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Make sure the kitten knows how to use the litter box before separating from the mother. Kittens will learn to use a litter box at different ages, but most will get used to it by 12 weeks of age. You need to make sure the kitten has learned essential skills from the mother before being adopted. ^{[4] X Research Sources}

Pippa Elliott, MRVCS

Veterinarian at Royal Cplege of Veterinary Surgeons

Dr. Elliott is a veterinarian with over thirty years of experience. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 and worked as a veterinary surgeon for 7 years. Then, Dr. Elliott worked as a veterinarian in a clinic for over a decade.

Pippa Elliott, MRVCS
Veterinarian at Royal Cplege of Veterinary Surgeons

Veterinarian Pippa Elliott advises: “Let the process of change happen slowly, including moving cats from where they were born to a new home. You should also send some food and litter. already familiar with cats for their new owners. Avoid letting cats adjust to too many changes at once.”

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Let the kitten get used to the smell of its new owner. Kittens learn a lot from their surroundings through scent. Based on scent, they can recognize the mother cat, her siblings and her nest. You can take advantage of this to make it easier to separate the kittens from their mother and move them to a new home. You should try:

Ask the new owner for an old t-shirt that smells like them. Since kittens tend to adapt to scents, place the coat in your cat’s nest or favorite places to get them used to the new owner’s scent (the ‘getting used to the smell’ process). That way, when the kittens are moved to a new home, among the many new scents here, they are used to the smell of their owners, so they will feel more secure.

Weaning kittens

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Begin weaning when the cat is about 4 weeks old. Kittens need to be weaned and fed solid food before being adopted to ensure their health and avoid the formation of bad habits, such as chewing and sucking on cloth furniture (“wool sucking”). ^{[5] X Research Source} Mother cats will wean their kittens on their own, usually when they are 8-10 weeks old. If you adopt a kitten before this age, you will need to wean the kitten earlier. ^{[6] X Trusted Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Go to source}

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Separate the kitten from the mother. Once the kittens are 4 weeks old, you can start leaving them alone for about every few hours in a place with their own litter box, food and water bowl.

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Teach your cat to lick milk in a shallow bowl. Dip a finger lightly in the bowl of cat milk, the kitten will try to suck the milk from your hand but (instinctively) they will soon realize that it is easier to lick the milk instead of sucking. ^{[7] X Trusted Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Go to source}

Do not feed the kittens cow’s milk as they may have colic.

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Introduce your cat to solid food. Once the kittens have learned to lick milk, it’s time to introduce them to soft soaked solid food. You should start giving your cat a solid food such as porridge and gradually increasing the consistency so that the cat can eat dry food at 8-10 weeks of age. ^{[8] X Trusted Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Go to source}

To thicken the food, mix dry or canned cat food with milk specially formulated for kittens until the food has a consistency like barley porridge.
Each day, you will gradually reduce the amount of cat milk in the food so that by week 6, the cat’s food is only slightly moist.
Cats need to be able to eat dry food between weeks 8 and 10.

Help the mother cat adapt to separation

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Do not separate all kittens from the mother cat at once. It is best to let the amount of milk that the mother cat secretes to feed her kittens gradually decrease. If all kittens are separated from the mother at the same time, the mammary glands of the mother cat will become engorged and very painful. ^{[9] X Research Source}

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Remove all items that smell of kittens. The smell of kittens still lingering around will make the mother cat remember them and go around the house to find the kittens. Once the kittens have been moved to a new home, it’s best to get rid of all the things that smell like them and replace the mother’s litter with a new one. The smell of the kitten will gradually disappear, the mother cat’s instinct to find the baby will therefore also fade away and she will be able to return to her normal routine.

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Know that the mother cat will recover very quickly after being separated. Instinctively, the mother cat will teach her kittens to survive independently and will begin to distance herself from the kittens so that they can survive on their own two feet. The kitten’s move into a new home actually only makes the process happen faster.

As long as the kittens are strong enough to separate (preferably between 12-13 weeks) and their smell is gone, the mother cat will usually only appear restless for about a day or two before returning to birth. operate as usual. ^{[10] X Research Source}

Let the kitten get used to the new home

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Bring some cat litter from the old house. Arrange in advance so you can bring a towel or blanket that the kitten used to sleep on when it was in the old house. The familiar scent on these objects will help the kitten adapt to the new environment more easily. You can line this towel or blanket in the carrier’s carrier and leave it to sleep. ^{[11] X Research Source}

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Use the carrier to bring the cat home. The carrier will help your cat stay safe and feel more secure. Don’t forget to put a towel in the cage to keep the cat warm and absorb the urine if the cat urinates in the cage.

Do not allow kittens to use another pet’s carrier because their smell can stress the cat.

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Give your cat a safe place to stay. Arrange for the kitten to have a small room or a private space that is quiet and less disturbed. Your cat’s home should have a place to sleep, water, kitten food, a litter box, a nail polish, and some safe toys.

Whether you’re using a cardboard box as a sleeping spot or buying a cat bed from the pet store, add an old shirt to help your kitten get used to your scent.
Make sure the cat’s room or space has a place to hide. If you don’t have furniture for your cat to hide behind, you can cut holes in some cardboard boxes and put them in your cat’s room to hide in.

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Give your cat time to explore her home on her own. Place the carrier in the cat’s room, open the cage door, and let the cat come out when it wants to. You can leave the carrier in the room so the cat can hide in it.

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Limit interactions with kittens for the first week. You’ll want to hold and pet the kitten, but don’t. Kittens need time to adjust to their new environment and the presence of new people. Let your cat get acquainted with each member of the family and gradually let the cat find you. ^{[12] X Research Source}

You need to teach young children in the house how to interact with kittens properly, including holding the cat safely.
Do not let children under 5 years old come into contact with cats to avoid harming the cat.

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Introduce the cat to the house once the cat is used to its place. Eating, drinking, and using the litter box regularly is a sign that he is comfortable with his room and you can begin to introduce the cat to each other room in the house. Put the cat in the transport cage, open the cage door, and place it in the room for the cat to explore freely. After that, you will take the cat to its own room for at least a few hours before letting the cat explore another room. ^{[13] X Research Source}

If the kitten climbs onto something – such as a bookshelf, bed, etc. – and you don’t want it to, gently pick it up and place it on the floor. If you do this from day one, you’ll have less trouble teaching your cat which places it shouldn’t go.

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Continue to feed the cat the same food as when weaned to avoid making the cat sick when separated from the mother. Feeding your cat familiar foods will help your cat feel more comfortable and not have an upset stomach because the amount of bacteria in the cat’s stomach also needs time to adapt to the new foods. ^{[14] X Research Source}

Plan ahead and ask the cat’s former owner what kind of food the kitten is using to prepare before bringing the cat home.

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Consider using a pheromone diffuser to help relieve your cat’s stress. Cats secrete pheromones on their faces (a type of chemical signal) and rub against things they know are safe—like your bed, chair, and even your feet. There are now many types of synthetic pheromone diffusers available to help your cat know that its surroundings are safe. Synthetic pheromones can last for about 30 days – long enough to make the kitten more comfortable until it adjusts to its new environment. ^{[15] X Research Source}

Feliway is the most commonly used pheromone diffuser. You can use a spray or an automatic wall-mounted diffuser.

Let the kittens get used to the cats that live in the house

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Introduce kittens and cats living in the house gradually. If the kitten has been well-accustomed to its surroundings from an early age and is brought into a new home at about 12 to 13 weeks of age, it will adjust to the new home easily. However, if there is another cat in the house, you need to let them slowly get to know each other.

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Arrange a place for the kittens to stay in a place where the domestic cat doesn’t go often. Doing so will let the older cat know that the new friend entered his territory peacefully, without fighting for his favorite food or sleeping place (his possessions will not be affected). ^{[16] X Feline Behavior Research Source . Bonnie V. Beaver. Publi Saunders. 2nd edition}

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Let the cats get used to each other’s scents first. Two cats will sniff each other in front of the kitten’s room. You can also swap bedding so your cats get used to each other’s smells, or take turns petting to mix their scents. ^{[17] X Research Source}

Remember to pay more attention to the domestic cat to help it reduce stress. If you ignore it and only give the kitten your attention, many problems will inevitably arise. ^{[18] X Research Sources}

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Feed the domestic cat opposite the kitten’s room door. Doing so will cause the two cats to associate each other’s smells with something wonderful: food. ^{[19] X Research Source}

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Let the two cats switch places once the kittens get used to the new place. As you introduce the kitten to other places in the house, bring the domestic cat into the kitten’s room so that both cats have a chance to discover each other’s scents in the new space. ^{[20] X Research Source}

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Let the two cats meet once the kittens are comfortable in their new home. Put a barrier between them or keep the kitten in the carrier so it can’t lunge or jump on the domestic cat and make it feel provoked. Let them get to know each other by sniffing and touching their noses over the rail of the carrier. The hope is that the domestic cat will appear disinterested and just walk around—that’s a sign that he’s accepted the kitten’s presence.

If either cat is behaving hostilely – emitting a long growl, scratching or biting – give them a few more days to get to know each other before letting them share a room.

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Try feeding the cats together if they don’t get along. First, you will place their food bowls on opposite sides of the room, then gradually bring the two food bowls closer together. The goal is for the cat to associate the presence of the partner with a positive experience of eating. ^{[21] X Research Source}

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Separate the kitten from the domestic cat if it is too hyperactive. Once your cat has accepted the kitten, you can let the kitten roam freely around the house, but it’s still important to keep an eye on it, especially if there are domestic cats nearby. ^{[22] X Research Source}

If the kitten begins to play and becomes too noisy for the domestic cat, you need to move the kitten to another room to ensure the domestic cat’s authority over its territory.

Advice

Remember, instinctively, the mother cat will eventually let the kittens survive in the world, so when the kitten is moved to a new home, in the eyes of the mother cat, it has done its job well.

Steps