Rehoming at 8 weeks? Making myself unpopular...

[YoureAllABunchOfBastards]

Two colleagues have recently decided to get kittens. One has already got hers, the other is getting his in a week. Both kittens are 8 weeks (separate litters). I happened to say that I thought that might be a bit young - oh dear, didn't go down well. I thought 12 weeks was the recommended age?

[issey6cats]

lljkk i have two all black fosters at the moment both around five months old and they are so sweet not boring at all i have only ever had one pedigree cat a british short hair who was a darkling and no i didnt get him from a breeder i adopted him from rescue at 4 yrs old sadly i only had him for about 18 months and he got run over

[VenusDeWillendorf]

I think it's wrong to paint all breeders of pedigree cats with the same brush.
For sure there will be a few bad apple breeders who have seperate quarters for their queens and don't seem to realise that the kits need more handling. It's obvious who these are if you visit, and you can always walk out again!

But the majority of breeders I know are very much oriented towards the healthy development of a cat, not just how much it will earn them as a kit.

In fact compared to puppy farming, (where incontinent pups are sold at 6 weeks) cat breeders don't make any money on their 12 week, litter tarined, weaned, microchipped and vaccinated kittens, and just breed to further the lines and expand the gene pool.

IME most kitties are getting set in their ways by 10 weeks, and need a lot of handling before that.
Most pedigree breeders are fabulous at looking after their kittens and spend quality time with them. Most pedigree queens get pretty tired of their kits by 10 weeks, when the kits are eating meat, and only occasionally having milk.

You have some moggy owners who don't spay their girls, and dump them when they're pregnant.

There are bad owners all round, but my experience of or degree breeders has been overwhelmingly positive. Not so moggy owners / accidental breeders of moggies who are so irresponsible and cruel to have their little almost baby cats have kittens at six months.

I've had three moggies adopt me, and one pedigree, and when next I get a cat it will be pedigree. But then I'm very interested in a particular low allergy breed and am friends with a wonderful and conscientious breeder, so that's a no brainer for me.

[ThatVikRinA22]

the other side of the coin is this.....

i got my two cats when they were older kittens - the owner wouldnt rehome them until they had had all sets of vaccinations the cost of which she passed on to us. (dont mind that at all...btw)

but they were 'old' kittens when we got them - totally used to having their mummy about.
they pined. they suckled on anything they could - blankets with fringing on, my dressing gown cord.....it made me so sad as they clearly missed mum....they whinged and whined and craved contact.

they are very clingy. they are now 8 years old - and have never actually discovered that they are cats. i think they were with mummy too long - they never became independent moggies and still crave skin to skin contact all the time.
its cute if you have time.
its irritating if you dont. The day i picked them up one of them was trying to suckle from mum despite being way too old....

i dont think it helps the kittens to keep them with their mum too long. there has to be an "optimum" time to rehome?
leaving it too long is as bad as doing it too early.

i love my moggies but its a good job.....they are so clingy! even now 8 years on i cant go the loo without one of them following me.....

[catameringue]

My pedigree cat:
Is my only cat that doesn't knead me which is a childish behaviour
Was separated from mum cat at 8 weeks - she spent the next 4 with sibling and breeders family
Is clingy to me and 'hugs' me in a very human way but then has siamese genes in her past so that might explain that
Was given to me without fleas, worms and had full jabs, something which can't be said for all breeders of mogs.

[DidoTheDodo]

We got our kitten at 8.5 weeks (from my stepdaughter - her mum couldn't wait to "get rid" of them) I thought it was too young too, but feared for the kitty if we didn't take her. (Others from the same litter had gone the week before!)
Yes, she's fine now (at 8 months) but it did make me wonder rather...

[thesixteenthtry]

Kittens used to be given away at 6 weeks. All ours, over many years, have been 8 weeks and no problems at all. They are more appealing when tiny than at the leggy 3 months old stage, so it's easier to rehome rescue kittens then.
We separate ferals from their mums at 4 weeks, if we can catch them, to get them socialised at the right time. They do ok without their mums.