Is Nine Weeks Old Enough for A Kitten to Leave Mum - Photos of new 2nd kitten

tesuhoha

Hi

We have just collected a new kitten today. I thought that at nine weeks the cat would be old enough to leave her mother but she seems very frightened and has gone behind a small space in the kitchen where she is hissing at us. I am now wondering at how much contact she has had with humans.

The cat seems sturdy enough but I was kind of imagining it coming out of the cat basket and having a bit of an explore. Probably unrealistic but its quite a while since we had a cat. I do realise that today is a very traumatic experience for the cat but are there any suggestions as to how we can reassure the kitten because I am sure she needs some water and food.

scaredy_cat

scared cats will seek the safety of small enclosed spaces where they can see anything coming towards them.

9 weeks is old enough to leave the mother but it does sound like perhaps she hasn't been handled much. try getting a feliway plugin to help calm her, and you may find that if you are quiet and leave her be for a while, she might relax enough to explore. Put her basket close by so she has somewhere safe to go to, you could put an old jumper in it so she gets to know your smell.

she will come out for food when she is hungry.

scaredy_cat

http://www.cats.org.uk/uploads/documents/cat-care-leaflets-2013/EG02_Welcome_home.pdf

gettingready

at 9 weeks kitty should be able to eat by himself/herself and ok to leave the mum BUT yours probably was not handled enough

how is he/she with using the litter tray?

and by the way - thread not valid without photos so photos pls...

chazsucks

Kittens should leave their mum and litter mates at 12 weeks minimum. Reputable breeders would not let their kittens leave earlier and the gccf actually say 13-14 weeks is optimal

McKneff

I would recommend 2 kittens when they are being wrenched away from their mother to be honest. At least they have some comfort.
It upsets me so much when this sort of thing happens.

Homeownertobe

When we got our cat (from a rescue centre before anyone starts) she was nine weeks old and spent the first few hours lodged inside the chair end of the reclining sofa. In the rescue centre she was kept in the main kitten room which was about the size of a normal living room, set out like one, with perpetual visitors who would all spend an hour or so stroking them, keeping them active, or just letting them sleep in the many hidey holes.

When I first spotted her, she ran up me. Literally. Claws out, digging into my clothes and sat on my shoulder for all of a second before getting bored and demanding to be let down. She was hugely confident. It took her about two days to become that kitten again after we got her home.

tesuhoha

Yes, we have got the impression that she has not been handled much by humans. We were a bit alarmed when she squeezed into the very tight hole behind the kitchen units because it looked as if she was wedged there and I was afraid she couldn't breathe properly.

My husband spent about one and a half hours coaxing her to come out which she finally did. We blocked that hole and now she has set up home under our sideboard in the dining room which is a much more amenable place and there is room for her to sleep. She has a comfort blanket with her mother's scent on it so we have pushed that under there for her.

She has not wanted to eat, drink or use the litter tray since she arrived although she has sniffed the food bowls and the litter tray a few times. Over the course of the day she has become a bit more confident and strangely she relaxes when cuddled and falls asleep. She keeps looking up and studying whoever is cuddling her and has moments of friendliness. She has played a little with a toy and when put down on the floor she explores the kitchen diner for a while and then shoots back under the sideboard. I have bought her a lovely cosy igloo bed but she is not in the slightest bit interested in it and prefers the old cardboard box which we have placed on its side. That comes second after the sideboard.

We were a bit concerned that she hadn't drunk anything so offered her some water on a teaspoon. She would not drink but this got her whiskers wet and she washed her face vigorously. We have now decided to let her spend the night in the dining room because she seems most settled in there. We have shut the door and switched off the light and left her in peace. Her food and water bowls have been left available to her.

I have been in touch with a cat breeder because we are planning to get another cat. The breeder has a 6 month old female who is very gentle and will let us take her when the new kitten has had her first injections. This older cat has been spayed and will be micro chipped for us. She said this older cat is used to kittens being around the place and tends to mother them, so hopefully this will be good for the little one. The breeder has been giving me loads of advice about the kitten and has said that I should phone her if I am worried about anything. She told me not to panic too much if the kitten refuses refreshments in the first 24 hours. She did say that the kitten was too young to take from its mother and told me about the TICA recommendations. I only told her this afternoon we had got this cat and asked when the other one could come home. That was when she said when little Poppy had her injections. (her name is Poppy by the way).

I have taken three photos to show the breeder and if someone could tell me how to use the photo bucket thing I will post them on here. I am feeling much happier about the kitty now. Her name is Poppy by the way.

It was a bit spur of the moment but those people wanted the kittens to go this weekend whatever happened. The mum is a Bengal that got pregnant by next door's tabby. The photos were so beautiful that all the cats were sold within 50 minutes of going on sale. The other kittens were fluffy and more like the dad and first to go. This one is more like the mother.

The other cat is planned for and I have been corresponding with the breeder about it for a couple of weeks. I want to let the young cat settle in first before introducing the older one although she sounds lovely.

I can assure you these cats will be well loved and taken care of.

pogofish

One of my cats spent most of its first fortnight with me, cowering in a corner under the bed. Only venturing out in the dead of night to wolf some food, use its litter tray, then scurry back under the bed.

Then early one morning it was sitting on the end of the bed and never looked back. She's lounging on "her" comfy chair as I type this!

tesuhoha

pogofish wrote: »

One of my cats spent most of its first fortnight with me, cowering in a corner under the bed. Only venturing out in the dead of night to wolf some food, use its litter tray, then scurry back under the bed.

Then early one morning it was sitting on the end of the bed and never looked back. She's lounging on "her" comfy chair as I type this!

That's very reassuring.

tesuhoha

McKneff wrote: »

I would recommend 2 kittens when they are being wrenched away from their mother to be honest. At least they have some comfort.
It upsets me so much when this sort of thing happens.

We would have gone for two but there were only three kittens in total and the other two had been taken.

We think in a way its a mixed blessing that we have got her so young because when the lady brought her in she was struggling to get away from her and the couple admitted that they were both out at work all day. The husband didn't handle her at all. Therefore we think that if she had been much older she might have become a bit feral and not suitable to be anyone's pet. I watched the programme The Secret Life of Cats and I think it was on there that I heard that if a kitten doesn't become socialised with humans within a 10 week window then they become feral and can never live with humans.

However, that's not to say that I don't feel bad about taking her away from Mum because I do. Yet maybe in few weeks I can show you a photo of a happy cat.

She has a snug little nest now under the sideboard and she is sleeping there at the moment.

I was going to ask if anyone could recommend a good quality pet carrier because I am going to take her for her first injection in a couple of weeks. We brought her home in a cardboard pet box because I wasn't sure which one to get. I've been looking on Amazon but I tend to read the negative reviews and it puts me off.