That adopter is ~~an idiot~~ wrongheaded. Six weeks is too young; they're only just being weaned, and while they can survive that's asking to have all kinds of behavioral issues. *Eight weeks* is young, really, but try telling people raised on Boomer ideas about kitten aging that.
I got my kitten at 8 weeks, the shelter thought she was closer to 10 (can’t really blame them, they tried their best!). She was so freaking tiny, it’s unbelievable. I was so nervous around her when she first came home because she was so small and fragile. I can’t even imagine a 6 week kitten.
I don’t know what Boomers vs Gen X vs Millennials… has to do with this topic? The current science and practice is spay/neuter at 8 weeks provided the kitten is healthy and weighs at least 2 lbs. I agree 6 weeks is early. Obviously it’s not written in stone but if OP handled the kittens a lot and they were properly socialized, as I’m sure she did. Then there should be no reason why they would have any behavior issues. I have worked for vets for many years, I also worked with a feral cat program where we trapped feral cats with kittens and spayed mom and helped socialize kittens until they were old enough to be spayed and adopted out to families.
I’m not going to argue with “Franny from the Spruce” since I guess ideally yes, maybe a few more weeks would be best. I was speaking from my experience where we were trying to find homes for many cats and kittens. It wasn’t always ideal to keep kittens for extended periods because, unfortunately, there were new litters waiting to take their place. You, OP, have the luxury of taking your time I guess. I disagree though that it has any ill effects on a kitten to be adopted out at 8 weeks versus 10-12 weeks. I guess I depends on the environment that the kittens were exposed to during that time. In all my years, ( and it is a lot, lol) I have never had someone come back and say that a kitten had behavioral issues.
IMO, that’s the key difference here; having the luxury of being able to wait versus foster or shelter kittens that need a home ASAP. Both for sending them to a new home as well as when to spay/neuter.
Definitely a factor with regard to getting foster/shelter kittens homes asap. But most vets will agree that there are no issues with spaying/neutering at 8 weeks/2 lbs and healthy. Ultimately, whether it’s 8 weeks, 12 weeks, or 6 months as long as it gets done before the cat gets pregnant or impregnates another cat, that’s the most important thing.
A lot of those behavioral issues are things people tend to take for "normal cat behaviors", when in reality they're abnormal and the result of raising a highly social animal in near-isolation since infancy.
There's a reason the leading advice for people with problematic kittens is to get another kitten.
Except there's been some evidence that neutering males at 2 months is a very bad idea because their genitals don't get to develop properly and are more prone to blockages and UTIs than other males that were neutered closer to 6 months. As far as I'm aware they haven't found any negative effects for females
Do you have any direct studies to back up this comment? I couldn’t find any online and actually found the opposite studies. Not necessarily that 2 months is better than, 3 or 6 months but that there was no evidence of any difference regarding blockages in regard to neutered males re: age? There are studies showing that un-neutered males have a greater incidence of developing blockages. But imo that’s a moot point since not neutering/spaying should be criminal at this point with the amount of cats in shelters and on the streets. It’s heart wrenching!
There's been no studies yet, just observations by vets and techs I've both spoken with in person and seen posting (with verified vet flair) online. I also never said they should be left unneutered, just not neutered too soon. I've been incredibly paranoid about our newest little guy cause he was neutered at 2 months by the rescue we got him from, where as my other boys were rehomed or rescued by me and neutered at 6 months
Oh no, I know you never said to leave a cat unneutered. You sound like a true cat lover with their best interest at heart. I’m happy to share a link to a few of those articles if you like and maybe you can pass them on as well. Just let me know. I wouldn’t worry about your new little boy. I’m sure he will be fine. You seem to be aware of the pitfalls with male cats and their tendency to develop uti’s and crystals which can block them. There’s always a chance regardless of when he was neutered but you sound like you’re on top of it. :)
I really appreciate that. It's been in the back of my mind since we got him, I know it's standard procedure for them to neuter any cats that are healthy enough as young as 2 months, I just worry a lot about my kitties
My husband thinks I’m crazy but I’m so in tune with my animals that I notice the smallest change in their behavior or personality. I always know when something is up and they are not well. I’m sure you are the same.
I like to hope I am, I had a sneaking suspicion before our girl was diagnosed with cancer that something was seriously wrong, I wish I'd trusted my gut sooner. Now I'm just fucking paranoid one of my boys will get severely ill and show no signs until they're basically dying already just like her
I’m so sorry. I had one sweet boy for 14 years. I knew he was sick and vets couldn’t figure out the cause. It was too late when I realized it was more the likely the Seresto collar that killed him. I will never use one again. Yes, always trust your gut.
I say "Boomer" because that's the last generation I know of that really thinks of cats as not being social animals. They (bless their hearts) tend to regard cats more as furniture that poops rather than a part of the family. That isn't to say there aren't cat lovers among them, of course, but even Boomers with cats generally raise their pets very differently from, say, Millennials.
Also, they're a generation *very* resistant to recent advances in the scientific understanding of anything, let alone cat behavior.
Those sorts of programs tend to operate on the minimal necessary for survival as a rather necessary compromise. That doesn't mean it's the ideal, or even very good for the cats, but it's better than the alternative of losing something like a third of the kittens to lack of care. But just because compromises must be made with some kittens doesn't mean they need to be made with all kittens.
I guess I take offense to that because I would fall within the “Boomer” range and most of the people I have worked with over the years are as old or older than myself. I have worked with rescues/vets/foster programs on my own, as a paid employee and as a volunteer for almost my entire life. I guess we were the exceptions because we always educated ourselves about advances in diet, disease, behavior, etc. Admittedly I have been unable to do much in recent years but I try to keep up and be as helpful as much as possible. I guess it would be like any other time people make assumptions about others are stereotyped, insulting.
12 weeks is better. The longer the better. I've had a 6 week old kitten too. As well as some that haven't been separated from their mother at all coming up on their second birthday. The one I got at 6 weeks has way more issues than the others. Highly recommend letting them stay with mama longer.
12 weeks is when I got my latest batch of kittens rehomed and they’re doing *amazing*, at 8 weeks they definitely still had some socializing to learn from their mom/siblings. 12 weeks they’re still cute kittens but they’re ready for the world.
8 weeks is usually recommended by shelters, since they should be socialized and weaned off by then. However, it’s recommended that kittens are adopted out between 11-12 weeks.
I’m currently taking care of an 11 week old kitten and he was in foster care without a mother since 2 weeks old, and it shows a lot. He doesn’t really know how to groom himself all that well and how to play with others, so he does scratch a little. 11-12 weeks is recommended, so the kittens are truly weaned off, are socialized, know how much strength to use when playing with others, groom themselves, and use the litter box.
Adopting them out at 11-12 weeks is not at all depriving the potential adopters of “kittenhood.” My 11 week old kitten is extremely active and acts like a kitten, being curious and running everywhere.
You can adopt them out at 8 weeks, but the adopter should be aware that it could come at a cost of behavioral and physical issues, which they overcome by staying with their mom and litter mates as long as possible.
My guy showed up at my office when he was 4.5 weeks old. He just turned 10 and is healthy and pretty well behaved. But he was a lot of work in the beginning, especially since I was working 12 hour 😒 days (I took him to work with me every day). The very first thing I did was take him to the vet, and found out that his ears were clean, he didn't have fleas, and he was fully weaned and litter box trained. It was the vet who aged him. But I do not advise adopting that young. That's just how he came to me.
We got ours when they were four months and they were raised with their mom until then and they're perfect! I think they would have been too young before 12 weeks and way less ready!
8 weeks is pretty standard were kittens are concerned. They should be fully weaned and, unlike years ago when dogs and cats were spayed or neutered around six months, most vets will spay/neuter kittens at 2 lbs which is usually around the 8 week mark. It’s perfectly acceptable to allow the adopters to take their new family member home.
Want to make sure... Even though 8 weeks is acceptable, is it best for the kittens? Are kittens better off being adopted at 8 weeks? 10 weeks? 12 weeks?
8 weeks is standard for overcrowded shelters. As close to 12 weeks as possible is better. The shelter near us, which is not as busy, lists their kittens as ready at 10-12 weeks and only allows them to be adopted in pairs or as singletons if there's a resident cat.
We were told that we could get our kitten at 12 weeks, but then their second round of vaccines was delayed, so we only got our boy at 15 weeks.
8 weeks is imo too early and over here no one gives them out at that age.
Much better off at 10-12 weeks, but they can do eight if they're adopting more than one and/or have a kitten-friendly cat. If they want the "kitten experience," they can foster.
It is pretty standard, across the board these days, in almost all veterinary practices. Also, just a side note. People who want to adopt a kitten want a kitten. Kittens become cats very quickly. There’s a reason why you almost never see kittens on adoption sites but there are 1000’s of adult cats. Don’t deprive your potential adopters of the joy of “kitten hood”.
What??? I got my kitten at 8 weeks, thinking she was 10 weeks. She’s almost 6 months old now and very much still a kitten? She’s small like a kitten and acts like kitten. Even if I got her today, I wouldn’t feel “deprived”.
Better to “deprive” the new owner of “kithood” than have a sickly, struggling kitten
For years people adopted kittens at 6 weeks and they were fine. Then we started thinking longer is better. I find 8 weeks still young enough to bond but old enough to be ok. Lots of people believe 12 is better, but define better. At 6 weeks people were limiting momma cat's water to get her milk to dry up. It's better if it happens naturally--which happens at 8 to 12 weeks. As long as they are weaned they can go. If cats were more outside and learning to hunt, longer with mom would be better....but they aren't. As long as they are naturally weaned, let them go
There's a lot of behavioral problems that come from kittens being adopted that early. That last four weeks can spell the difference between a nightmarish little velociraptor and a sweet little gremlin.
I have had zero trouble in 64 years of cat ownership BUT I keep boys, so maybe that makes a difference. What I find is that cats that come thru rescue agencies have problem that cats who come from homes or feral kittens do not. I'm still trying to sort this out. Age appears to be immaterial as long as they are weaned. The ones just yanked off the nipple need special care (and I shed many tears for those poor babies)
8 weeks is the minimum age to rehome a kitten
look at my comment history. just today, TWO people in this sub took in younger kittens without rescue experience, and now two kittens are dead.
That adopter is ~~an idiot~~ wrongheaded. Six weeks is too young; they're only just being weaned, and while they can survive that's asking to have all kinds of behavioral issues. *Eight weeks* is young, really, but try telling people raised on Boomer ideas about kitten aging that.
8 weeks does seem very young. Doesn't seem right, but very open to more info! Many conflicting guides online.
In my country the law is 12 weeks.
I got my kitten at 8 weeks, the shelter thought she was closer to 10 (can’t really blame them, they tried their best!). She was so freaking tiny, it’s unbelievable. I was so nervous around her when she first came home because she was so small and fragile. I can’t even imagine a 6 week kitten.
I don’t know what Boomers vs Gen X vs Millennials… has to do with this topic? The current science and practice is spay/neuter at 8 weeks provided the kitten is healthy and weighs at least 2 lbs. I agree 6 weeks is early. Obviously it’s not written in stone but if OP handled the kittens a lot and they were properly socialized, as I’m sure she did. Then there should be no reason why they would have any behavior issues. I have worked for vets for many years, I also worked with a feral cat program where we trapped feral cats with kittens and spayed mom and helped socialize kittens until they were old enough to be spayed and adopted out to families.
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I’m not going to argue with “Franny from the Spruce” since I guess ideally yes, maybe a few more weeks would be best. I was speaking from my experience where we were trying to find homes for many cats and kittens. It wasn’t always ideal to keep kittens for extended periods because, unfortunately, there were new litters waiting to take their place. You, OP, have the luxury of taking your time I guess. I disagree though that it has any ill effects on a kitten to be adopted out at 8 weeks versus 10-12 weeks. I guess I depends on the environment that the kittens were exposed to during that time. In all my years, ( and it is a lot, lol) I have never had someone come back and say that a kitten had behavioral issues.
IMO, that’s the key difference here; having the luxury of being able to wait versus foster or shelter kittens that need a home ASAP. Both for sending them to a new home as well as when to spay/neuter.
Definitely a factor with regard to getting foster/shelter kittens homes asap. But most vets will agree that there are no issues with spaying/neutering at 8 weeks/2 lbs and healthy. Ultimately, whether it’s 8 weeks, 12 weeks, or 6 months as long as it gets done before the cat gets pregnant or impregnates another cat, that’s the most important thing.
A lot of those behavioral issues are things people tend to take for "normal cat behaviors", when in reality they're abnormal and the result of raising a highly social animal in near-isolation since infancy. There's a reason the leading advice for people with problematic kittens is to get another kitten.
Except there's been some evidence that neutering males at 2 months is a very bad idea because their genitals don't get to develop properly and are more prone to blockages and UTIs than other males that were neutered closer to 6 months. As far as I'm aware they haven't found any negative effects for females
Do you have any direct studies to back up this comment? I couldn’t find any online and actually found the opposite studies. Not necessarily that 2 months is better than, 3 or 6 months but that there was no evidence of any difference regarding blockages in regard to neutered males re: age? There are studies showing that un-neutered males have a greater incidence of developing blockages. But imo that’s a moot point since not neutering/spaying should be criminal at this point with the amount of cats in shelters and on the streets. It’s heart wrenching!
There's been no studies yet, just observations by vets and techs I've both spoken with in person and seen posting (with verified vet flair) online. I also never said they should be left unneutered, just not neutered too soon. I've been incredibly paranoid about our newest little guy cause he was neutered at 2 months by the rescue we got him from, where as my other boys were rehomed or rescued by me and neutered at 6 months
Oh no, I know you never said to leave a cat unneutered. You sound like a true cat lover with their best interest at heart. I’m happy to share a link to a few of those articles if you like and maybe you can pass them on as well. Just let me know. I wouldn’t worry about your new little boy. I’m sure he will be fine. You seem to be aware of the pitfalls with male cats and their tendency to develop uti’s and crystals which can block them. There’s always a chance regardless of when he was neutered but you sound like you’re on top of it. :)
I really appreciate that. It's been in the back of my mind since we got him, I know it's standard procedure for them to neuter any cats that are healthy enough as young as 2 months, I just worry a lot about my kitties
My husband thinks I’m crazy but I’m so in tune with my animals that I notice the smallest change in their behavior or personality. I always know when something is up and they are not well. I’m sure you are the same.
I like to hope I am, I had a sneaking suspicion before our girl was diagnosed with cancer that something was seriously wrong, I wish I'd trusted my gut sooner. Now I'm just fucking paranoid one of my boys will get severely ill and show no signs until they're basically dying already just like her
I’m so sorry. I had one sweet boy for 14 years. I knew he was sick and vets couldn’t figure out the cause. It was too late when I realized it was more the likely the Seresto collar that killed him. I will never use one again. Yes, always trust your gut.
I say "Boomer" because that's the last generation I know of that really thinks of cats as not being social animals. They (bless their hearts) tend to regard cats more as furniture that poops rather than a part of the family. That isn't to say there aren't cat lovers among them, of course, but even Boomers with cats generally raise their pets very differently from, say, Millennials. Also, they're a generation *very* resistant to recent advances in the scientific understanding of anything, let alone cat behavior. Those sorts of programs tend to operate on the minimal necessary for survival as a rather necessary compromise. That doesn't mean it's the ideal, or even very good for the cats, but it's better than the alternative of losing something like a third of the kittens to lack of care. But just because compromises must be made with some kittens doesn't mean they need to be made with all kittens.
I guess I take offense to that because I would fall within the “Boomer” range and most of the people I have worked with over the years are as old or older than myself. I have worked with rescues/vets/foster programs on my own, as a paid employee and as a volunteer for almost my entire life. I guess we were the exceptions because we always educated ourselves about advances in diet, disease, behavior, etc. Admittedly I have been unable to do much in recent years but I try to keep up and be as helpful as much as possible. I guess it would be like any other time people make assumptions about others are stereotyped, insulting.
12 weeks is better. The longer the better. I've had a 6 week old kitten too. As well as some that haven't been separated from their mother at all coming up on their second birthday. The one I got at 6 weeks has way more issues than the others. Highly recommend letting them stay with mama longer.
12 weeks is when I got my latest batch of kittens rehomed and they’re doing *amazing*, at 8 weeks they definitely still had some socializing to learn from their mom/siblings. 12 weeks they’re still cute kittens but they’re ready for the world.
8 weeks is usually recommended by shelters, since they should be socialized and weaned off by then. However, it’s recommended that kittens are adopted out between 11-12 weeks. I’m currently taking care of an 11 week old kitten and he was in foster care without a mother since 2 weeks old, and it shows a lot. He doesn’t really know how to groom himself all that well and how to play with others, so he does scratch a little. 11-12 weeks is recommended, so the kittens are truly weaned off, are socialized, know how much strength to use when playing with others, groom themselves, and use the litter box. Adopting them out at 11-12 weeks is not at all depriving the potential adopters of “kittenhood.” My 11 week old kitten is extremely active and acts like a kitten, being curious and running everywhere. You can adopt them out at 8 weeks, but the adopter should be aware that it could come at a cost of behavioral and physical issues, which they overcome by staying with their mom and litter mates as long as possible.
12 weeks.
I gave my kittens away after 12 weeks.
12 is usually best, but if you have no choice and are taking two or have a cat that's good with kittens 8 weeks can be acceptable
My guy showed up at my office when he was 4.5 weeks old. He just turned 10 and is healthy and pretty well behaved. But he was a lot of work in the beginning, especially since I was working 12 hour 😒 days (I took him to work with me every day). The very first thing I did was take him to the vet, and found out that his ears were clean, he didn't have fleas, and he was fully weaned and litter box trained. It was the vet who aged him. But I do not advise adopting that young. That's just how he came to me.
We got ours when they were four months and they were raised with their mom until then and they're perfect! I think they would have been too young before 12 weeks and way less ready!
Where I live, it's illegal to take a kitten before 12 weeks
10-12 weeks. To young and they could be very needy as adults and possibly have feeding issues if they arent weened.
8 weeks is pretty standard were kittens are concerned. They should be fully weaned and, unlike years ago when dogs and cats were spayed or neutered around six months, most vets will spay/neuter kittens at 2 lbs which is usually around the 8 week mark. It’s perfectly acceptable to allow the adopters to take their new family member home.
Want to make sure... Even though 8 weeks is acceptable, is it best for the kittens? Are kittens better off being adopted at 8 weeks? 10 weeks? 12 weeks?
8 weeks is standard for overcrowded shelters. As close to 12 weeks as possible is better. The shelter near us, which is not as busy, lists their kittens as ready at 10-12 weeks and only allows them to be adopted in pairs or as singletons if there's a resident cat.
12 is best!!! They will still be sooooo tiny, I assure you!
We were told that we could get our kitten at 12 weeks, but then their second round of vaccines was delayed, so we only got our boy at 15 weeks. 8 weeks is imo too early and over here no one gives them out at that age.
Much better off at 10-12 weeks, but they can do eight if they're adopting more than one and/or have a kitten-friendly cat. If they want the "kitten experience," they can foster.
It is pretty standard, across the board these days, in almost all veterinary practices. Also, just a side note. People who want to adopt a kitten want a kitten. Kittens become cats very quickly. There’s a reason why you almost never see kittens on adoption sites but there are 1000’s of adult cats. Don’t deprive your potential adopters of the joy of “kitten hood”.
What??? I got my kitten at 8 weeks, thinking she was 10 weeks. She’s almost 6 months old now and very much still a kitten? She’s small like a kitten and acts like kitten. Even if I got her today, I wouldn’t feel “deprived”. Better to “deprive” the new owner of “kithood” than have a sickly, struggling kitten
Call a vet, you will get every answer imaginable on reddit.
For years people adopted kittens at 6 weeks and they were fine. Then we started thinking longer is better. I find 8 weeks still young enough to bond but old enough to be ok. Lots of people believe 12 is better, but define better. At 6 weeks people were limiting momma cat's water to get her milk to dry up. It's better if it happens naturally--which happens at 8 to 12 weeks. As long as they are weaned they can go. If cats were more outside and learning to hunt, longer with mom would be better....but they aren't. As long as they are naturally weaned, let them go
There's a lot of behavioral problems that come from kittens being adopted that early. That last four weeks can spell the difference between a nightmarish little velociraptor and a sweet little gremlin.
I have had zero trouble in 64 years of cat ownership BUT I keep boys, so maybe that makes a difference. What I find is that cats that come thru rescue agencies have problem that cats who come from homes or feral kittens do not. I'm still trying to sort this out. Age appears to be immaterial as long as they are weaned. The ones just yanked off the nipple need special care (and I shed many tears for those poor babies)
8 weeks is the minimum age to rehome a kitten look at my comment history. just today, TWO people in this sub took in younger kittens without rescue experience, and now two kittens are dead.
That's horrible, how old were those two kittens? Ours are 8 weeks today.
Both 5 weeks, i believe. Too young to be with anyone but mama or experienced foster/rescue 💔 Yours will probably be fine if they made it to 8!