Does separating kittens from their mothers too soon cause a lot of behavioral issues?

I was just reading a thread which mentioned that kittens do a lot better if they're adopted after the mother has naturally rejected them, and it made me wonder about something.

For any of you who might remember Miss Kate, do you think that the reason Miss Kate was having all her urinating problems might have been that she was separated from her mother too early? I'm not sure how old she was when we got her - about 6 weeks, I think.

Toby was actually quite a bit older when we got him, and he's been just absolutely perfect.

Good question! I am curious myself:)

I adopted Josie at about 5 weeks. She wasn't weened yet. And we've had a lot of behavioral problems with her. I've read up on it . . . it's called "feline aggression", from what i can tell. They say that when kittens are with their siblings and their momma, they learn things like, how to "play bite vs. kill bite". If they get too rough, the sibling or momma cat makes a sound, signaling that they're getting too rough. Evidently, there is a lot of learning going on during those first few months. We have problems with Josie being too rough. You could probably search the web for "feline aggression" and find some articles about it.

I may be completely wrong about this, just from my experience researching it.

First, I'd like to say that nothing is 100%. Not all kittens need to be with their mom's for the same amount of time. BUT
The following quote is definitely one thing that kittens learn while in their family structure:

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when kittens are with their siblings and their momma, they learn things like, how to "play bite vs. kill bite". If they get too rough, the sibling or momma cat makes a sound, signaling that they're getting too rough. Evidently, there is a lot of learning going on during those first few months

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Mom also teaches them other things. The longer they can have mom the more mentally sound they will become as adults, but you can't always have the ideal situation either.

That is interesting about the Feline Aggression. One vet has told me that Ripley suffers from Feline Rage. I got him at 7 weeks old so I don't know if this might be the cause but if it was then I can tell you that he should have stayed with him mom for a whole year. His "rage" has really wounded me at times. It was so bad that my vet wanted to put him on female hormones. This was 12 years ago before there were so many mood altering drugs available for pets.

I've always heard that was the case.

Like Jen said, though, nothing is always 100%. ;)

The Aniaml welfare does not allow Kittens,to go,to new homes,untilthey are at least 8 weeks old,so there must be something,to that theory!

I think there are other things that go into it, too. Allie and Dakky were with their mom up to 10-11 weeks, I think. Their mom was found by my girlfriend, and they had an absolutely idyllic 'childhood'. They were both handled from hour 1 of their birth. Allie is VERY standoffish with me and the others, and Dakky? Well, if he ain't lovin' on someone/something, he must be sick. Their personalities are very different, though neither one of them is really afraid of people (newcomers, etc.). AND, they both make more loaves of bread than ANY of my other kitties..so, the theory that kittens separated too early from their mother knead more than other kitties doesn't seem sensical to me.

So, the age old argument...nature v. nuture seems appropriate in the animal kingdom, too!

I’ve read a lot of stuff to that effect…that kittens taken away from their mothers too early tend to have various neuroses. But the only personal experience I have that makes me suspect that it’s true is my ex-roomie’s cat, Marty. She adopted him from a shelter when he was tiny, just old enough to be weaned, I would guess. He was with his litter, but there was no mama. She had an awful time litter box training him (but once he got it there were no further problems), and he didn’t seem to understand a lot of the basic “being a cat” concepts. (like grooming!) He eats plastic bags. Compulsively. Obsessively. She can’t leave one unguarded for a minute. And, the biggest thing…he BITES! A lot. Hard.

I’d offer my “perfect” :D Rizzo as a comparison, but I don’t know his early history, so it would hardly be scientific. ;) Boy, do I wish I did know it, though! Are any of the rest of you super-curious about the lives of your shelter or street urchin kitties before they came to you? I so wish I knew where Rizz and Barli came from….

When I got Remus, he was about 3 months old. I don't know where the shelter found him exactly *they told me when I picked him up that they were found on the side of the road wandering around :(* or how long he was separated fom his mother but I tell you what, he acts SO different from his twin brother *he was at the shelter too...wish I could have adopted this poor guy*. While Remus is outgoing with people and very afectionate *even at the shelter* his brother was real standoffish. Remus seemed to be a little more "with it" too if that makes any sense. I think his brother might have had brain damage or something. I know Remus is perfect with the litter box *obnoxiously so sometimes, in there covering things up for like 20 minutes!* and he doesn't have any obsessive issues or anything like that. *except for being clean* His brother on the other hand they said was a real pain about the litterbox and not a clean freak at all. Hmmm two cats obviously from the same litter in the same situation turn out exactly oposite. Has anyone else seen this? This DOES seem to bring out the old nature vs nurture thing...

I'm sure it has a lot to do with that, a kitten seperated from the mother that young is just not "finished", so to speak. Usually kittens stay with their mother for 12 - 14 weeks, after that time, the mother will reject it. At that point, the kitten has learned everything for his adult's life from his mother.

Kittens seperated from their mother earlier may have a lack in their socialisation skills, I've noticed that very well in my RB Katz and in Luna. Both have been seperated from their mother at the age of 6 weeks and two days. Both were/are shy animals that only trust one person (me); Katz was very destructive and Luna has litter box problems. Both these girls always seem to be a bit depressed. Both of them had/have a lot of health problems to deal with.

Lily has been with her mother for 11 weeks, and she's everything a cat should be! She's self-assured and relaxed, and she's always in a good mood. I never saw her grumpy or aggressive, she's always friendly. And she hasn't been sick so far.

Kirsten

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Originally posted by Kirsten
Both these girls always seem to be a bit depressed. Both of them had/have a lot of health problems to deal with.

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Same thing with Josie. She's 9 months now and she still seems so serious, almost depressed. And the health problems have been endless. I thought at first that it was because she came from poor conditions, but I'm not really sure . . . I love her to death, but I hate that we took her from her momma so soon. The people at the shelter told us she was weened . . . once we got her home, we realized she wasn't. That was an ordeal! Anyway, I'm glad to hear now that I'm not the only person with a Feline Aggressive Kitty!!! (the little terrors) :)

Just how aggressive are your all's kitties??? Josie is just out right ROUGH!!! And she's an only kitty, so she's rough with me and my husband. When she was younger, she'd attack us all the time . . . we started ignoring her when she got like that and now she doesn't do it so much.

(I forgot to add something)

I read somewhere that when they're kittens and they bite too hard when they're nursing, the momma will make a low growl at them to let them know it's too hard. So me and my husband decided that when Josie has her teeth digging into our skin, we lean down to her and make a low growling noise (with mouths closed) and she quits EVERY TIME!!!

It's something you should try if you have a truly aggressive kitty! Much better than yelling at her or anything else. It's almost as if she understands what that means.

I don't know if it is related or not, but sirrahbed's Em and El were taken early. Eliot is VERY skittish!

I see it with my big boy Boomer. I had to take him home and bottle feed him at 4 weeks of age, because his mommy didn't have enough milk.

Even though he grew up with Beans, Jade and Bownie around he DOES lack some of the cat world social skills (like how to approach the others when he wants to play and he doesn't always read them very well when enough is enough). He's a sweet boy, though.

good advice christa.....if needed, i will do that. i was interested in the "plastic bag" eater......i have a cat that will do that also...i wonder what that is all about? i believe to be on the safe side kits s/b w/mom for the max time......i also know that isnt always possible.

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I read somewhere that when they're kittens and they bite too hard when they're nursing, the momma will make a low growl at them to let them know it's too hard.

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I did the same with Luna when she was a kitten and teething. She had problems with inflammated gums so she would bite my hands really bad. I growled at her because I thought this is what the mommy cat would do - and it worked great!! :)

Besides, even though she has been seperated early from her mommy, she's not an agressive cat, but shy and clumsy and obviously a bit depressed. But Katz was kind of aggressive, at least when she was younger.

Kirsten

I have known a lot of cats over the years and those weaned too early always had some type of emotional or adjustment problems. The cats who were with their moms until mom said it was "time" were all well adjusted, creative, happy, loving cats. I'm dead set against voluntarily separating kittens from their mothers before eight weeks and prefer 12 to 14 weeks. The kittens will have a lot happier lives the longer they stay with mom.