How Long Before I can Take These Kittens From Moma?

R

rlinger

Joined
Mar 29, 2002
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This is my first experience with new born kittens. They are about four weeks old. My life is hell. Moma is so protective and has a bad wild streak to begin with. It is like walking through a mine field just trying to work here. She has already tore me up once. Every time I move about I have to negotiate with her. She has really slowed me down alot. If it weren't for the little ones; ... well, I 'd like to shoot her but I won't.

Also, how's she going to act once her kittens are gone for good.

Thanks.

RL
 
atleast 6 weeks..... keep an eye on them and watch how much they eat on their own.... once thay start to eat all the time on their own and are fully capable of eating kitten food all day then they're good... could be as much as 8 weeks old. though they will always go to the mother for food if given a chance. she should forget about them i no time. we raise all kinds of animals and they're very protective around their young... but once their gone give ema little time and they're completely forgotten
 
Thanks Michael. I had heard all my life six weeks but never been there before myself did not know. The little ones are playing in moma's food bowl now and I noticed one trying to chew on a piece of her food. They are also playing and drinking alittle from her water bowl. I put a low level litter box out today so they can watch mama use it and learn from that.

My problem is I have a small place and not even a sutable basement to put them in. My kitchen is down the hall. My machine shop is at the other end of hall. My heat treat equipment is down the hall. She and the kittens predomately lay in the hall. (not to mentin my beer is down the hall.) It is like like trying to live with Merl Streep.

RL
 
It is like like trying to live with Merl Streep.


:D :D !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

yeah they say 6 weeks for puppies, but i've always heard and went with a little more than that, like i said unless thay start eating and drinking on their own. just one of those play it by ear things
 
Roger - if they are starting to eat rather than nurse 6 weeks is OK. If you don't want more kittens get Mama fixed ASAP - she will very likely go into heat any minute! (I dearly love cats but...... we've been the proud parents of 7 at one time and the surrogate parents of many more furry critters - they are a handful!)
 
6weeks is too young IMO. They have a lot of that in this area where people can't wait to get rid of them. The kittens would be better balanced if they were with their mother until at least 12 weeks, 16 would be even better.

They learn many of the habits for life between 12-16 weeks, from their mother.

Good cat breeders won't separate the kitten from it's mother till 16 weeks of age.:eek:
 
Mike, I bitch every day but the truth is I love the little bastids. Twelve to sixteen weeks may be what I should force myself to suffer. Moma has already tore me to pieces once but that was my own doing. She hissed at me and, not one to easily be out ranked, I put my face in her's and hissed back. REAL BAD move. I have hissed at my last cat.

Truth be known, my biggest problem will be parting with the little ones. Of course I will have to.

Thanks all. Mike gave me an answer that I should accept.

RL
 
Are these the Maine Coone kittens, Roger?

Are they any bigger than regular kittens?
(growing faster, etc.)
 
Our kitten's mother disappeared at 4 weeks, possibly to a hawk or coyote. We fed them milk by eyedropper until they figured out the stuff in the bowl was the same thing. by 5 or 6 weeks ( they suggest 6 to 8 ) they were getting most of their intake from kibbles ( Purina Kitten Chow ) and less and less from milk til it was once a day - at around 8 weeks they wanted Kitten Chow, water, and some adult Cat Chow - didn't miss the milk except as a special treat.

Tomorrow ( OK, it's today now ) makes then four months exactly. We gave one female away and kept the 2 boys. We didn't mean to keep both but they give one another companionship. At least we don't worry about oversleeping - two kittens that can stretch 18 inches or more walking over your head and face easily suffices to wake one.

Being in the same situation, I hope you'll allow me one teensy weensy comment:
"Sucker!!!"
 
Yeah, I'm a SUCKER alright. I always get stuck with these type details.

Dan. yeah it's the coon cat alright. The bitch got nailed by a stray. Must have been a gray cat of some sort because two of the three are gray. The other, smallest of the bunch, looks just like moma (beautiful).

I read coon cats get large but take several years to do so. This one is large now and only a little over one year old but she's feeding for herself and three others too, so(?). She looks like she is on a track to get big in a few years. She needs to be on a farm and always outdoors. She's got a wild streak and not real good around people. She should be a barn kitty.

RL
 
We got our cats from my counsin at 6 weeks old. Thier cat had 6 kittens, and all but one were independant at that time. The runt was still going to the mother to feed, and that was the only one she let do that. If one of the others approached her, she'd get up and move away.

I don't know how much of a difference it makes, but we always get two cats at a time from a litter. We've never had a problem with them adjusting to thier new environments that way.

You probably should have put out a litter "box" as soon as they could walk. The sooner they are familiar with what it is, the better.
 
Roger, I would find a home for the cats, and get a dog. Especially the momma cat that should be a barn cat.
 
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