Should 10 week old kittens still get milk from their mother?

Question

Should I separate them or let them do it on their own?

Answer 1

Are they eating regular food and drinking water?   They should be!  I'd be concerned if they're still getting all or most of their nourishment from mom so it might just be a "comfort" thing, but usually mother cats are quite happy to wean their kittens ASAP.   They're usually totally weaned by five or six weeks, eating dry food, and ready to be adopted.   I'd think Mom would be pretty ragged by now and running from them!!

Answer 2

Keep them together -the longer the better.  The kittens are protected somewhat by mom's antibodies as long as they are nursing.  Vaccines given before 16 weeks may not be effective, so they need that protective.  

http://www.blurtit.com/q735334.html

Some mother cats would leave their kittens very early after their weaning as early as after just 3 months while some keep visiting and caring them until their sexual maturity.

http://www.askmehelpdesk.com/other-pets-...

A kitten should stay with its mom for a mininum of 8 weeks and preferably 12 weeks, But they can be weaned at 8 weeks, although they'll continue to nurse if mama lets them.

Kittens need twice the amount of nutrients as a adult cat, but can't eat nearly as much, so you should get them a "good brand" of kitten food that has extra protein, fat, vitamins and minerals. This will give them the healthy start they need for good health!

http://www.breedlist.com/faq/young.html

"Kittens should leave their homes at a minimum age of twelve weeks," says Dr. Betsy Arnold, DVM, a veteran Siamese breeder and veterinarian with an all-feline practice in Rochester, New York called Caring for Cats. "In my practice I have seen kittens coming in at six and seven weeks who weight twelve, maybe fourteen ounces. These are infants. They needed to stay with their mothers."

Twelve weeks may seem old to people accustomed to seeing newspaper ads advertising kittens who are "ready to go" at six or eight weeks of age. Most of us who have had cats have acquired kittens that young. They are cute at that age, and most people enjoy having such young kittens to watch them grow. However, we may permanently harm kittens by separating them from their mothers so early. There are crucial mental, emotional, and developmental milestones that a kitten experiences between six and twelve weeks of age. Separating the kitten from mother, siblings, and familiar surroundings at that age can cause undue anxiety and stress at the least, and serious medical problems or even death in the very worst cases.

http://www.breedlist.com/faq/young.html

Some studies have shown that vaccination at six weeks might be too early. "I once lost a 10-month-old cat to panleukopenia (feline distemper)," recounts Mary Tyson of Thaison Siamese. "After long discussions between the vaccine manufacturer and my vet, Pittman Moore's research head concluded that it was not a bad batch of vaccine. Cornell [Feline Health Center], which had done the post mortem analysis (and also analyzed blood samples taken while the cat was still alive), concluded in conjunction with Pittman Moore that some cats do not develop lasting immunity from vaccines administered earlier than 16 weeks of age, and this cat had had his last shots at 12 weeks. Thereafter I maintained a policy of not letting kittens leave home until they had had their shots at 16 weeks old." "The most important reason I place kittens at 12 weeks of age (or older) is because kittens can be extremely fragile, and putting them in a new home and environment puts additional stress on them, upping the chances of getting sick," says Burmese breeder Jaina Wendtland. "When this happens the kitten buyer blames the seller, and rightly so in many cases."

Answer 3

No they shouldn't

It stops at 8 weeks

Answer 4

Let them do their thing naturally. They know what they're doing. If you interfere, you could end up compromising their health.

Answer 5

It won't hurt anything to let them keep nursing but they don't need it now to be healthy kittens.  If your offering them kitten food I would let them do it on their own.

Answer 6

anywhere from 8 to 12 weeks is fine. better longer than sooner.

they don't just feed from mom, they learn social skills, and behavior among their litter mates.

you can offer them food though. either wet cat food or better yet, take a handful of kitten food (mom should be on kitten food too to help w/her milk if she is still feeding them, and to help her keep her weight up, she needs the extra protein)....anyway..take a handful of kitten food and put it on a saucer, put a bit of water in it to just cover the sides of the food...heat in the microwave for about 30 seconds then see if you can mash the food up, if not heat again till the food swells up from the water.

mash it up good and offer it to the kittens. i usually did this from weeks 8 to weeks 12 then offer solid food.

Answer 7

Let momma decide, she knows best. :~)

Answer 8

Let them do it on their own. My cat had kittens a while ago, and she'll know when it's time to stop feeding them.  

Answer 9

I'd let them do it on their own. Let natures course separate them.