how old does a kitten have to be after being born until you can hold them???

Question

my cat just had kittens not even a week ago. we wan't to know when we can hold them. we're afraid that if we hold them that she won't nurse them because they have human sent on them.

Answer 1

She'll still nurse them but would probably move them to a place where you can't touch them anymore until they're older and able to get around on their own. They're so tiny that you may hurt them if you hold them now. And, mama cat gets real nervous when her babies are taken away even for a short while. Best to leave them alone until they can get a little bigger.

Answer 2

This depends on the mother, if she lets you close enough to actually touch them, then it won't matter if they have a human scent, just remember to pet the mother even more than the kittens, so that she doesn't get jealous. Better to pet her first, actully, to get some of her scent on your hands, that way, they'll have a smaller amount of human scent. But if you can, handle them at least a little each day, so that they cat used to being handled by humans, if you wait to long (aka, when thier eyes are open and they are running about wildly) they'll be afraid of humans and it'll take a LONG time to get them used to us. Better to start early, but only if the mother cat allows it.

Answer 3

I have had several cats which had litters. I would not recommend picking them up or away from the mother for a few weeks. you could sit next to the mother and kittens and pet them. by about 4 weeks old you should be OK to hold them. I love it when they start playing with each other. Have fun.

Answer 4

Stay away for at least two weeks... let the mom have her time with them. When they start to move and open their eyes... then they may be ready for some interaction...

Answer 5

The following is from a paper I wrote for my college Advanced Behavior Class...

Development

The neonatal stage—birth to 13 days.

The neonatal stage of the kitten is one in which the kitten is mostly aware of its environment through touch, temperature, and the scents around it. 80% of kittens will develop teat preference at 1-3 days. By 5 days of age the kitten is beginning to hear. The eyes open at 7-10 days. Early handling should begin. Teeth begin to emerge at 2 weeks. They begin to compete for rank and territory. If separated from the mother and siblings, the kitten may develop poor learning skills and aggression to humans and other pets.

The transitional stage—13-19 days

At 2-3 weeks of age the kitten will begin to groom itself. By 2 weeks of age it can begin to distinguish where sounds are coming from. The kitten begins walking at 3 weeks. Gentle handling and stroking should continue as part of the socialization process.

The socialization period—19 days to 12 weeks

At approximately 3 weeks old the kittens’ vision is improving and it begins to follow movement during this time. At 5 weeks it can focus on particular objects and avoid bumping into obstacles in its path. The ability to detect odor is fully mature at 3 weeks. At 3 weeks it begins to regulate its body temperature, and this ability is fully functional at 7 weeks. The kitten can fully orient on sound at 4 weeks. The body righting reflex becomes well progressed. At 4 weeks it begins to play with siblings and objects. At 5 weeks the kitten can begin to run. At 4 weeks of age it can begin to eat solid foods and begins to wean. At 3 weeks predatory behavior is taught and at 5 weeks the kitten may begin to kill live prey (independent predatory behavior), such as mice, and can accompany its mother on hunting expeditions. All baby teeth are in by 5 weeks of age. At 5-6 weeks, the kitten has full control of bowel and bladder function. At 5-6 weeks the kitten will begin to look to eliminate on specific substrates. At 6-8 weeks the kitten will begin to respond to social and olfactory threats. At 10 weeks of age the kitten has developed most of its intricate fine motor skills.
During this period the kitten is able to begin forming social relationships with humans and other animals it is exposed to. This is a crucial time for socialization between the kitten and human or other pets.

The juvenile period—12 weeks to sexual maturity

By 3-4 months of age, the kitten has developed sharpness of vision. The body righting reflex is now fully mature. If the kitten has not been socialized to humans or other animals by now, it may continue to show fear and defensive responses. The kitten may now display predatory behaviors. The kitten gradually becomes more independent. Sexual maturity occurs between 5-9 months of age. Beginning to use ranking (submission and dominance) towards those it perceives as its litter—humans and other pets.





References:

Dumb Friends League, Developmental Stages of Kitten Behavior. Retrieved February 11, 2007, from http://www.ddfl.org/behavior/kitten-dev.pdf

Landsberg, G., Hunthausen, W., Ackerman, L. (2003). Handbook of Behavior Problems of the Dog and Cat. Philadelphia: Saunders.

Overall, K. (1997). Clinical Behavior Medicine for Small Animals. St. Louis, Missouri: Mosby.

Answer 6

Just till the wok is hot.