How soon after a female cat gives birth does she leave the kittens to defend on their own?

Question

We found 4 kittens in our yard 4 weeks ago. I would say by now they are around 5-6 weeks old. We have noticed the past three days the mom cat is no where to be found. I know over a peiord of time the mom would leave but i just wonder why they do that. Plus, how does a mom cat know when to walk away from her babies?

Answer 1

its instinct for mom cats to leave they leave around 6 weeks my cat just had kittens i gave all but one away and she got depressed she still nurses her one kitten i kept. i guess house cats are different from outside cats i dont really know.

Answer 2

Mother cats who get to make these decisions on their own (without having their owners give the kittens away) will keep the kittens until she has taught them to hunt successfully for themselves. Generally speaking even once they are old enough to be weaned - say 5-8 weeks - she will continue to both bring them prey to eat and allow them to nurse to supplement the solid food. Once she has mated again and is pregnant with the next litter, it becomes more important for the first litter to be able to move on and make their own way in life, but sometimes she will allow older kittens to hang around on the outskirts of her territory, and help them out with the occasional meal as they make that transition into independence. Sometimes the matriarch of the family will allow the young females to stay with her, so that as they become old enough to have kittens, they can combine forces and raise their litters together, rather like a pride of lions. The dominant tom of the area will begin to make things difficult for the young males as they grow closer to adulthood, and will drive them off some months before their first birthdays.

That said, who knows why this litter's mother has left them. She may have gotten spooked by some predator or too much interest by humans. Or perhaps she has become ill or injured and can no longer care for them.

I would like to add, that if you do not intend to keep all these kittens yourself, the sooner you get them to the Humane Society or other shelter, the better their chances to be adopted. The younger and cuter they are, the more adoptable.

Answer 3

This sounds like a stray. Mom cat may be dead. If she is alive, she may not want to be a mom, it's a huge strain on a cat to have kittens every time she goes in heat. If you can, bring canned kitten food to the kittens and see if they'll eat it. If they eat, you can take them home to finish raising them. Take them to the vet when they're about 4 months old. See if you can get a group discount on having them fixed, too. We have a cat that we rescued when he was only 4 weeks old. He's not allergic to cows milk so he got milk, water and canned kitten food until we saw him eat one of the dogs dry food chunks. He still prefers dry cat food to canned, and tries to take treats away from the pit bull on a daily basis. (Dog does share.)

Answer 4

I think she has gotten into trouble. They don't leave their kittens so young. Even after they wean them and teach them to be independent, they stay around. Please take care of the babies! Are they capable of eating? Feed them, deworm them, and they'll be fine if you put a small house for them. If they are not weaned yet, try to teach them to start eating canned food, or some baby cat formula milk.

Answer 5

it is usually 7-8 weeks
at 5-6 they will leave periodically but only for short periods.
have the kittens started to eat??
if not give them hard food moistened in water and make sure they have access to water

Answer 6

maybe the mom cat is looking at her kittens somewhere that you have not noticed.i think the mom cat is too shy to tell you

Answer 7

8-10 wks

Answer 8

WHEN A CAT IS PUT UP FOR ADOPTION, IT CANNOT BE LESS THEN 8 WEEKS, SO UP TO THAT POINT, I BELIEVE