While I will have trouble giving her back when the week is done that is not what I am worried about. Im scared that she has become to attached to me and the way I treat her. Will it be hard on her to leave? I am very concerned that she will be confused...I have worried abotu this all day and even cried about it all afternoon. She gets a wee bit more attention here then she does at home...Im worried she will be upset...
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Keeping a kitten while owner is away...
- Thread starter princesskiki
- Start Date
Cats and kittens are very adaptable, so whilst its not always best to be chopping and changing a kitty's environment, one week wont upset the little one too much.
Maybe you will be able to adopt a kitty from one of the rescue shelters
Keep us posted !
How old is the kitten and how long has the owner had the kitten? I agree, one week will be ok for the little one. And yes, you probably will feel sad. Any reason you can't have a kitten of your own?
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #4
Thank you for all your advice. The kitten is about 7 weeks old. She was only with her new owner for about 1 week or so. And....after a long talk with my parents it was decided that I could get a kitten of my own!!!!!
That means she got the kitten at 6 weeks old - far too early to be on its own. Does she have any other cats/kittens? If not, she really should get another one very soon - or she will have more social/behavioral problems.
When you adopt your kitten, be sure its a minimum of 10-12 weeks old - they need time with mom/siblings to learn important behaviors, eating solid food well, litter pan trained, and a lot of social playing that you can't give them (cat-wise)
If you get the older kitten, you will have less problems in the long run.
When you adopt your kitten, be sure its a minimum of 10-12 weeks old - they need time with mom/siblings to learn important behaviors, eating solid food well, litter pan trained, and a lot of social playing that you can't give them (cat-wise)
I agree with you all about the 10-12 weeks seems obvious there just like babys really and babys need there mums, but all my local vet 5 in total all tell me that getting a kitten between 6-8 weeks is ok, i got my first two kittens 7 years ago at 6 weeks and they have no problems they are very loving lap cats who still go out and do normal cat things, i have also grown up with cats at 6 weeks old. What are the main problems with adopting a kitten at 6 week?? The rescues i also help out let their kittens go between 6-8weeks.
While you might have SOME kittens adjust to leaving under 8 weeks old, the majority of behavior/social problems in cats can be traced back to leaving mom and siblings under 10 weeks old.
During the time between 4-10 weeks old, kittens learn a lot - how to use the litter pan, learning to eat solid foods (most kittens WILL nurse up to 8-10 weeks old - 6 week old kittens are deprived of this and may show sucking problems); learning how to play with other kittens/cats and learning when to bite/scratch, etc.
When you take the kitten away too soon, your kitten uses humans as playmates and will bite/scratch a lot more in "playing" because they have not learned this is wrong. They also don't really interact with people very well under 8 weeks old.
Good breeders teach kittens how to behave in the house, how to use the scratching post, kittens are TOTALLY weaned from mom and have time to properly socialize kittens with older cats, dogs, kids, other humans AND give them most of the shots before leaving - that is why you won't find breeders letting kittens go till 12-16 weeks old!
My rex kittens were never allowed to leave till 4 months old because I taught them a lot of house manners before they left (also were used to being groomed, nail clipping, and bathing. They were much more socially developed when they left - no problems in hiding in the new home, interacting with strangers, etc.
Shelters can't do all these things and so they have no choice but to release them early and hope for the best. That's why a lot of shelters will have "foster" parents that can help socialize kittens and puppies till they are placed at 3-4 months old.
During the time between 4-10 weeks old, kittens learn a lot - how to use the litter pan, learning to eat solid foods (most kittens WILL nurse up to 8-10 weeks old - 6 week old kittens are deprived of this and may show sucking problems); learning how to play with other kittens/cats and learning when to bite/scratch, etc.
When you take the kitten away too soon, your kitten uses humans as playmates and will bite/scratch a lot more in "playing" because they have not learned this is wrong. They also don't really interact with people very well under 8 weeks old.
Good breeders teach kittens how to behave in the house, how to use the scratching post, kittens are TOTALLY weaned from mom and have time to properly socialize kittens with older cats, dogs, kids, other humans AND give them most of the shots before leaving - that is why you won't find breeders letting kittens go till 12-16 weeks old!
My rex kittens were never allowed to leave till 4 months old because I taught them a lot of house manners before they left (also were used to being groomed, nail clipping, and bathing. They were much more socially developed when they left - no problems in hiding in the new home, interacting with strangers, etc.
Shelters can't do all these things and so they have no choice but to release them early and hope for the best. That's why a lot of shelters will have "foster" parents that can help socialize kittens and puppies till they are placed at 3-4 months old.
thankyou for all the information
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #9
Zoey(the kitten) is going home Sunday but on Tuesday...I get my very own kitten. My parents (I am only 16) seen how good I was with her and they told me I could get a kitten of my own. There weren't any at the shelter that were ready to go yet so I found a lady with some beautiful 10 week old kittens. The one I am getting is fluffy and tiger striped...Im so excited!
