What Can Happen If a Kitten Gets Separated Too Early?

Ideally, a kitten should stay with its mother until it reaches 10 to 12 weeks old. During this time, a kitten learns most of its social behaviors and nurses from its mother to receive the nourishment it needs. Unfortunately, sometimes a kitten becomes separated from its mother at an earlier age, which can lead to illness or behavioral issues later in life.

  1. Kitten Growth

    • At birth, a kitten's eyes are closed and do not open until it reaches between seven to 10 days old, leaving it completely helpless and reliant on its mother for care, according to the Guide to Rescue Cats website. A young kitten under three weeks old cannot regulate its body temperature, and relies on its mother for body heat. A kitten must nurse from its mother starting at birth until it reaches four weeks old and begins to grow teeth to chew food with. After four weeks old, its mother weans it from her milk onto solid food over a period of approximately six weeks.

    Health Issues

    • A kitten that loses or is taken away from its mother under three weeks old requires bottle feeding to survive. Kittens under this age cannot eliminate by themselves, needing the assistance of a mother or a human caretaker to stimulate them. If left without a source of heat, the kitten will become hypothermic and will die if its body temperature drops too low. A kitten's immunity develops between birth and 12 weeks old, leaving it open to infection or illness without its mother's care, according to the Fanciers Breeder Referral List website.

    Socialization

    • A kitten learns all of its important social behaviors between two and seven weeks old, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. If you separate a kitten from its mother and siblings during this time, it will develop behavioral problems later in life. Kittens separated early from their mothers tend to become overly dependent on human caretakers, leading to separation anxiety when the human is not around. Some kittens may even begin to suck on wool, fabrics, and human appendages when weaned too quickly from formula or separated from their mothers, according to PetPlace.com.

    Warnings

    • When looking to adopt a kitten, ensure it has stayed with its mother through at least 10 weeks of age before bringing it home. Early separation before this age not only requires more extensive care of the kitten, but it is also more prone to infection and disease. Improperly socialized kittens may bite and hide with the presence of new people in your home, or not understand how to interact with other cats in multi-cat homes, cautions the Fanciers Breeder Referral List website. If possible, keep kittens with their mother until 10 weeks old, but handle the kittens gently between two and 10 weeks to socialize them to humans.