How long do mother cats stay with their kittens? Is it normal?
Updated On September 23rd, 2025
My cat gave birth on 4th march to 4 kittens 3 of them ran away and 1 is still left with her she doesn’t want to leave her neither the kitten wants to...normally mother cats stop caring about kittens after that much time (I guess) but whenever the kitten is out of her sight for long time like an hour or so she starts to call her in different voice like she did with all her kittens when she used to call them and with that her kitten comes to her..is it normal for mother& kitten to be stil Together
2 Answers
Most Helpful Answer
Published on May 29th, 2018
The weaning process typically begins around 4 weeks of age and "ends" around 8-10 weeks of age. Given the circumstances, the mother cat may be a bit more clingy and that's fine as long as she isn't interfering with the kitten's normal activity and appetite. You can try gradually acclimating her to its absence by gradually separating them for ever increasing periods of time. Use toys, treats and playtime as distractions for the mother.
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Related Answers from Veterinarians
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Published on May 16th, 2018
Most cats will begin weaning their kittens at around 3 to 4 weeks of age, and the weaning process will usually be complete from 8 to 12 weeks of age, depending on the cat. Whether the cats stay together after this may depend on the environment and availability of food and shelter. Some cats may stay in groups and others may go off on their own as they become mature and be more isolated.
1Pet Parents found this answer helpful
New Pet
Do mother cats abondon their kittens when they grow old???
Most cats will begin weaning their kittens at around 3 to 4 weeks of age, and the weaning process will usually be complete from 8 to 12 weeks of age, depending on the cat. Whether the cats stay together after this may depend on the environment and availability of food and shelter. Some cats may stay in groups and others may go off on their own as they become mature and be more isolated.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
another question i had is why a mother cat would stop caring for a litter after 4 weeks? as soon as they start crawling, she just stops caring for them. if the litter "doesn't make it" she does look for them and cries for them.
Weaning is typically started by the mother cat at 4 weeks of age and will leave them more frequently to hunt and bring them food. It is CRUCIAL that you never move stray kittens unless you know that the mom is completely unable to get to them. If she cannot find them, she will call to them and eventually give up. All that being said, some mothers are just more nurturing than others so maybe she truly is neglecting her responsibility. In that case, discuss with your vet how to properly finish weaning the kittens and care for them. Best of luck!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
There's a stray cat outside my house which gave birth to a kitten.. So i gave a box for them to stay .. And now the kitten is 5 weeks old and know everything like eating food and licking and playing... And now the kitten doesn't likes to stay with he
At this age most kittens begin to stray away from mom and become more independent, which they should be doing in order to build up necessary skills for survival. I would allow the kitty to venture from the mama cat and she will eventually get used to the idea of her going astray. You can also allow mama cat to go with the kitten a few instances, so that she can see that Shunu is safe and free from harm. This is quite unusual for a mama cat to miss her young at this age, but I suppose you have one dedicated mama cat on your hands. : ) Best of luck and take care.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
This is a really weird question, so I do apologize. Is it normal for 6 week old kittens not to listen to their mommy? The mommy cat walks around looking for them and meowing often. The kittens never bother to move and just watch her look for them. I
Yes, that is normal. Some kittens are more independent than others and they are old enough to begin exploring the world on their terms. Generally the cats will work this out amongst themselves. I do recommend to have the mother spayed in six weeks. Spaying cats prevents many health and behavioral issues. It also helps to control the problem of pet overpopulation. One female cat can have almost 30 kittens in a year. That is a lot of cats! I hope this helps.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My cat, Tilly, had a litter of kittens 48 hours ago. She is a very affectionate girl, and she has been leaving the kittens each time I leave the room and not returning until I go back (I have set up a video call to watch kittens and see if she return
New moms should only leave her kittens for a few minutes at a time for a visit to the litter box or to eat and drink. The older her kittens, the more time she will spend away. During the first week of life, new mom cats should only leave her babies for a few brief times each day. During their first few days of life, not only are the kittens both blind and deaf, but they are dependent on their mom to regulate their body temperatures, for food, and even for stimulation to be able to potty. It is best if you confine her to one small room with the kittens and be sure keep her litter box, food and water near her babies. She should not have free roam of the house. If you find that she is not properly caring for the kittens you may have to remove them from her and bottle feed them yourself. If that is the case she may just not be cut out for being a mom and should then be spayed so this does not happen again. I suggest you get a gram scale and weigh them daily. If they are gaining wei
Updated on September 24th, 2025
New Pet
My 10 month old kitty is still nursing / suckling with his mummy. He is also growing much bigger than his mummy and daddy... Is it normal?
It's fine that Rocky is growing bigger than his mother and father, this can happen. It isn't normal, however, that he is still nursing on his mother, and at 10 months of age, he should be fully weaned. I would completely separate him from his mother so that he can be weaned and only eat kitten food. During this separation, his mother's milk will dry up as well. It can take at least two weeks for her milk supply to dry up, and I would keep them separated for at least that long. I hope this helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
Although it's normal for mother cat to leave kittens periodically-eat etc. Mine is now leaving them alone for up to 3 hrs at a time many times during day and night. Going outside etc. They're left all alone in box more often than not. She's feeding t
As long as the kittens are growing, seem healthy and are not meowing in hunger it is normal for the mother to leave them periodically. If you are concerned about weight gain or health of the kittens you could consider supplementing with kitten milk replacer. I would it advise this unless you are concerned however. Once the weaning process starts you can also provide kitten food for them.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Food & Nutrition
How old do kittens need to be before adoption, kittens are eating wet kitten food as well as dry kitten food
Kittens best stay with their mommy until they are 12 weeks old. Their mother will teach them what is good to eat and what not, how to hunt, and what to hunt safely, how to groom themselves properly, how to use a litter box, what animal is dangerous to them, how to carefully negotiate this world. The kittens will also need their mother still for psychological comfort, even suckling after being weaned is comfort when something was scary. Staying together with their siblings will teach kittens social skills, they get to play-hunt, play-fight, and have fun with other kittens, it keeps them fit, helps them to develop coordination and muscles. So if you can find homes for them before they are 12 weeks old, tell the new owners that they will get well socialised fit kittens that have no problems, rather than kittens who will cry because they miss mommy and the siblings, do have accidents, and show behavior such as cloth sucking, etc.
Updated on September 24th, 2025
Health & Wellbeing
My cat have birth to her first litter (and only litter) 2 months ago all 5 survived. When she was a kitten she was separated from her mother too young. When her kittens began potty training and eating on their own she freaked out and cried and cried
They should naturally wean eventually by 12-14 weeks but feeding them in separate rooms and trying to keep them separated for an hour or so at a time may help to encourage a bit more independence in the kittens. A natural calming supplement such as zylkene and/or comfort zone diffusers may help with the transition all round
Updated on September 24th, 2025
New Pet
Hello, my cat with 4 kitten have been acting weird lately towards them like hissing at them and hit them sometimes!!! and she runaway whenever she sees them!! like shortly she doesn't seems to accept them! is this normal?
If the kittens are old enough to survive on kitten food instead of needing to nurse (around 8 weeks) then I would not be too concerned. Mama may just be teaching them cat manners. If the kittens are younger than that and still dependent on mom for milk, then I would contact your vet, as it is important that they are getting enough nutrition, or they could quickly become ill. It's also important to have mama cat checked to make sure she isn't feeling unwell as sometimes conditions like mastitis (inflammation in the mammary glands) can lead to a mother cat refusing to allow kittens to nurse. I hope that helps!
Updated on September 24th, 2025
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