What age to adopt, and other questions

Hello,

I would very appreciate it if you can answer a few questions regarding kitten because I'm kind of new to cats world.

1- My friend's cat gave birth to 5 kitten 4 weeks ago and i would like to adopt one so how old must the kitten be before i can adopt one.

2- Should i be afraid of my new kitten trying to escape every time i open the front door (PS: i live on the 3rd floor)

3- Should i bath my kitten once she is home ?

Thank You

Hi jeandakach,

I have had cats my entire life and currently have 5 rescued cats including one kitten right now. I will answer your questions the best I can going off what I know.

1 - You can adopt a kitten once they are weened (do not need to drink their mother's milk and are eating hard food) and that is usually when they are about 6 weeks of age. The ideal age to take them from their mother though is about 8 weeks of age.

2 - You should not have to be scared or afraid of your cat getting out the door, but you should definitely keep an eye out each time it opens because cats (especially kittens) are very curious. She more than likely will try to escape at one point or another, but if you repeatedly keep showing her that this is a no-no, she should get to the point where she does not try after a while.

3 - You do not have to bathe cats (most cats HATE water anyways) because they do bathe themselves by licking their fur. The only time you should bathe them is when you are instructed to by your vet, or if advised to do so by someone when your cat gets super infested with fleas or something similar.

If you have any more questions, post them and I will do my best to answer them for you. I think it is great that you are going to rescue a kitten and I hope she brings you much joy. It is amazing the bond that can be made between a person and their pet and the unconditional love they give is priceless. Cats are also much easier than dogs because they do not acquire as much of your attention, you do not have to let them out or take them for walks, they eat much less, etc. So you chose a good animal to get started with!

Again, if you need any more help, I will do what I can if you just let me know...

Good luck!

Pauline

Hello!

It's best to wait til they are at least 12 weeks old. They'll be well adjusted and properly socialized then. Kittens teach each other not to bite and scratch too hard and when they are taken too young, they often have issues with that. Those are lessons humans are ill equipped to teach. I know because I had a little 5 week old orphan who is now 4 months old and it's a real challenge! Waiting til 12 weeks also allows for them to be weened at the natural pace. Plus they need the comfort of their mother and siblings when they are little babies.

You should always keep an eye on your kitten when you come and go, but it shouldn't be a huge worry. If he tries to get out when you open the door, carry a little toy you can toss in the other direction to distract him or use a laser pointer to get him away from the door. Just be careful not to open and close the door fast in fear of him escaping. Kittens are quick and it's easy to close a door on them and seriously harm them.

I don't think you have to bath him unless he is dirty or has fleas.

jeandakach said:

 
1- My friend's cat gave birth to 5 kitten 4 weeks ago and i would like to adopt one so how old must the kitten be before i can adopt one.

2- Should i be afraid of my new kitten trying to escape every time i open the front door (PS: i live on the 3rd floor)

3- Should i bath my kitten once she is home ?

Click to expand...

1.  A) consider to adopt two!  Its easier to having two cats who are pals, than just one alone cat.  Its good for them too.  The easiest way to be sure they are pals is to get two litter mates.  Of course, you can get your second kitten /cat from somewhere else too, perhaps from a shelter.

B) Re The age the kitten  MUST have: if "must" so Paulines answer is the appropriate.

Another "must" can be the owner of the mom doesnt want to be bothered longer than absolutely necessary...

If you ask what is recommended, FluffyBeard wrote it nicely.   Aim at 12 weeks.  Pay some extra to the owner if so is, for the food they are eating between 8 weeks and 12, for example.

Of course, it is good the whole litter is together with their mom till they are at least 10 weeks, preferably 12.

When I was a young boy, there was this debate raging: should they be 6 or 8 weeks when coming to their permanent home.   I shall modestly admit I was one of the pro 8-weeks...  

The reason for these recommendations was simple:  It was though the kittens wont bond properly to the new owner if they were older.  Nowadays we know it is sheer rubbish: Also adult cats,   even older adult cats, do bond to their new owner, if you are  friendly to them and a good owner. It takes some longer time with adults, but they do bond and give their love them too. 

As I understand it, even dogs do bond also as older.  Not even they need to be adopted by 8 weeks, although it is still the standard. (I think).

Is there a shadow of truth of this 6-8 weeks?  Oh yes.  If they arent properly home raised, but they are barn cats, essentially semiferal barn cats...  The easy way to socialize them in fully is to take them and adopt before they are

8 weeks.      But if you are prepared to put in some work, dedication and love, you can socialize older semiferales too - but this is another story.   

Another reason was they looked at the dog world - but as hinted, Im not sure if it is true even for dogs.

2.  If your kitten was never outside, and doesnt know it, he prob wont be eager to get out.  Be careful of course.  You can have some extra obstacle, like a grating(?), in the door as extra security.

If you have a balcony, you can net in the balcony, works nicely.

Make also sure the cat knows his name, responds and comes.   IF it manages to get out, you will thus have a excellent chance to find it outside.

Here is the only drawback with late adoptions:  if the owner of mom cat let them go out, they will be used to be out and enjoy it, and perhaps be more difficult to get into purely inside cats....

3.  It may be wise the kitten know how is it to be bathed,  IF it would be necessary.  But as said above, normally it isnt necessary.  I for example had never bathed our pure inside residents.

Good luck!

I whole-heartedly agree with StefanZ. If you can adopt two kittens, it would be best for them, especially if they have to leave momma cat before 12 weeks. They can still continue to teach each other good manners.  But it would be best if they could stay with momma and siblings for at least 10 weeks. Kittens have a ton of energy, and unless you have the time and energy to play with them constantly, they really could use a buddy to play with.

Thank you everyone for your advice and sorry for the late replay.

So the kitten is currently 1.5 month old. I decided to wait till she is 12 weeks old but by the end of this month the kitten will be home with me due to some difficulties my friend is having, so i need help and tips about feeding an 8 weeks old kitten. please provide me with details because i am new to this world.

Thank you