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About Jessica
Expertise
The areas in which I have gained the most experience are cat health and feral cat management/rescue. I provide supportive care to chronically ill cats, hospice care to terminally ill cats and also am involved in trap-neuter-return efforts. My specialities lie in taming feral cats and in the allopathic treatment of cats with illnesses or special needs. I also have owned Siamese, Himalayans, Abyssinians, Russian Blues, Savannahs, Bengals, Peterbalds, Don Sphynx and Oriental Shorthairs and am well-versed in cat breeds as well as cat behavior and nutrition.

Experience
I have 15 years of extensive experience with cats ranging from breeding to medical care. My daily routine consists of caring for cats with diabetes, thyroid disease, kidney failure, feline leukemia, feline AIDS as well as feral cats. I have experience with liver patients, heart patients, feline infectious peritonitis, cancer, recovery from amputation and trauma, congenital deformities and most every disease in between. I have assisted cats giving birth and hand-nursed kittens who were neglected by their mother from 2 days old through weaning.

Education/Credentials
15 years' hands-on experience

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Cats - Cats and Kittens

Expert: Jessica - 11/8/2009

Question
I have a 18 month old cat that had her first and last litter of kittens on October 20, 2009. She is a role model Mother. The best she blows me away, lol. So I am concerned with the time frame of seperating her from her kittens. I understand the first kitten can leave around 10 weeks old. But she has three kittens. So my QUESTION IS : How long after the first kitten leaves can the second leave then the third?? And also is there any way I can comfort the Mother with her seperation from her babies? PLEASE HELP!!!! Love Roxanne xoxox

Answer
Hi Roxanne. There isn't too much you can do to comfort her when her little ones go except to give her extra love and attention. But if you keep the babies until she's weaned them, and nature is ready for them to be separated, it will be much easier on her than it is for mothers who are separated from their kittens when they are just 6 or 8 weeks old.

Ten weeks old is not a bad age for the first baby to leave. I prefer for the babies to be around 12 weeks, to ensure that they have established appropriate social boundaries and litter habits. Kittens who are allowed to stay with mom and their litter until 12 weeks are less likely to bite inappropriately or have litter box problems. However, if the kittens have solid litter box habits and are showing no signs of wanting to nip hands and feet, and the babies are weaned, 10 weeks should be fine.

To lessen the blow on mom, I would try to let the kittens go a week apart. That way, she'll have at least one of her babies until 12 weeks, which is really an ideal time frame, I find, for separation.

Good luck with the little ones!

Jessica

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