Can Eight-Week Old Kittens Be Left Alone? 6 Facts Revealed
If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you’ll know that I just finished a series on how to care for newborn kittens who were left alone. If you have been reading week by week, we began in week two and are now in week eight!
This series has tried to tell you everything you need to know about taking care of these new kittens.
With week eight, this series is over.You might ask, “Why?” Kittens can be taken away from their mothers when they are eight weeks old.
Can Eight-Week Old Kittens Be Left Alone?
Kittens that are eight weeks old can be left alone for short periods of time, but not for long ones.
They are still very young and need a lot of care, attention, kindness, and bonding. They need to be socialized in the right way, which takes time and work.
Kittens this age still have small bodies that need to be fed, but they are growing quickly. Aside from that, they are curious and eager to learn.
While their parent is gone, they will get bored or curious, and if they are left alone in a dangerous home, they may get into trouble or get hurt.
If the parent is going to leave the eight-week-old kitten alone at home for a long time, they should put the kitten in a room that is safe for kittens.
The parent will also want to give the kittens safe toys to play with.
The kitten’s room should be warm and comfortable so they don’t get sick, and they should have a few cozy places to sleep and rest.
You can leave the room knowing that your eight-week-old kitten is safe, but you shouldn’t leave them alone for too long.
Even if they have been weaned from their mother and sent to a breeder or rescue, kittens need a lot of care at this age.
It’s rare for kittens to be adopted or given up by their owners before they are 12, 14, or 16 weeks old.
How to Tell a Kitten is Eight Weeks Old
First, let’s talk about how to tell if a kitten is 8 weeks old. They’ll look exactly like a cat when they’re eight weeks old.
At this age, they will also start to climb! They will jump and learn to pay more attention to their bodies.
Around eight weeks, their eyes will be their own colour instead of the blue eyes you may have seen at three weeks.
At this age, depending on the kitten, it should weigh between 850 and 950 grams and continue to gain weight every day.
If your kitten hasn’t put on weight in a few days, make sure it’s getting enough food and talk to your doctor about other possible reasons.
At eight weeks, they will be able to keep themselves warm on their own. They might still want to cuddle up with you for warmth, but the extra sources of heat should have gone away by now.
Things To Do Before Leaving Your Kitten Alone
1. Control access
The worst thing you can do is leave your kitten alone in the house for the first time when you leave. It’s important to give it a safe but limited place to spend the day until you get home.
You can let your kitten spend the day in a bedroom, an office, or even the laundry room. Make the room safe by getting rid of anything the kitten could hurt itself with or break if it played too much.
Things that need to be taken away include glass vases, bottles, and cleaning tools with dangerous chemicals.
2. Provide entertainment
Now that you’ve found a place for your kitten to spend the day, you’ll need to give it something to do.
Even though you put the kitten in one room, that doesn’t mean it will behave perfectly because there are no more dangers. Put out a variety of toys for the kitten to play with.
It would be good for the kitten’s room to have a place to scratch and a place to climb. This gives it a way to get rid of any destructive urges and gives it a job (climbing) to do during the day.
3. Don’t forget necessities
If there is one thing that makes kittens better than puppies, it is that they can go to the bathroom inside without making a mess.
Before you leave your kitten home alone all day, bring its litter box into the room so it can use it when it needs to instead of going to the bathroom wherever it wants.
Leave a bowl of dry food in the room for your kitten to eat when it gets hungry. Your cat may get thirsty while eating, so keep a bowl of water close by.
As your cat gets older, some of these habits may change. When leaving a kitten at home for the first time, the most important thing to do is set up a routine.
Older cats tend to behave well when they have full access to the house. Kittens, on the other hand, are wild and often get into trouble, so it would be silly to let them roam around in more than one room.
Care Infomation For Eight-Week Old Kittens
Feeding a eight-week-old kitten
At eight weeks, they should have gotten used to the slurry and be ready to switch to solid wet food or, if they’re not ready for that, dry kitten food. We talked about “slurry” about six weeks ago.
It’s a combination of formula and wet food for kittens. At the moment, you should only use this if they aren’t eating their wet food.
When choosing between wet and dry kitten food, the most important thing to think about is what they like.
We used to feed all of my kittens Purina Kitten Food when they were young. It was great because our kittens never refused to eat dry food, and they put on weight quickly. (Which is why our kids are “curvy” now, but I’d rather they be curvy and healthy than just survive!
Elegant Dinner Our cat liked kitten food best when it came to wet food. It helps break up the pate so that the kittens feel like they are “shredding” something with their teeth while also getting the nutrients they need to grow and thrive.
Whether you feed your kitten wet cat food, dry cat food, or a mix of both is up to you and your kitten.
Some cats absolutely love wet canned cat food, while others prefer dry food. As long as they keep getting bigger and staying healthy, there is no right or wrong way to feed them.
Even though they should still be fed every 6–7 hours, they should also be fed when they are hungry. Say goodbye to your two-hour sleep breaks!
As long as they keep growing and eating when they’re hungry, the schedule can start to get a little less strict.
Can 8 Week Old Kittens Drink Water?
People seem to ask this question a lot. Yes, cats can drink water on their own once they can eat on their own.
You should always give them enough water and put it in a bowl they can easily drink from.
Get your cat a water fountain if you want to treat it well. They don’t cost much, and cats like to drink “fresh” water.
If they have to jump to get to the water fountain, give them a bowl of water to drink while they get used to their new play.
Addition Care Information
When they are eight weeks old, kittens will be able to walk on their own and sprint in their own way.
At this age, kids start to really become who they are. They look just like real cats! I think this is when the real fun starts.
You’ve gotten past the scary part! phone hosts Discoverysville is where Discoverysville is, and Discoverysville is where Discoverysville is. Discoverysville is the host of Discoverysville. Juli
They will want to play and will start to “terriorize,” or run around your house, just like a kitten you would get from a shelter.
How Do I Litter Box Train my 8 Week Old Kitten?
At 8 weeks, kids should be able to go to the bathroom on their own with confidence and have few or no accidents.
The litter box should be small enough that they can get in and out of it and still have room to move around. You can also start using a small litter box instead of the makeshift box you were using in weeks four and five.
If you’ve been reading for the past five weeks, you’ll know that I’ve been stressing that new kittens should not use clumping litter! You’re afraid they’ll put it in their mouths and swallow it. This can cause kittens to die from intestine blockages.
I usually tell people with new kittens to get the cheapest litter box they can find. As they get better, you can improve them. They are too young to enjoy anything complicated right now, and whatever small things you get them will be too small in a few months.
I’d keep the litter that doesn’t stick together for at least 10–12 weeks. By then, you should know if your cat has trouble with clumping litter or not, and you can switch to the litter you like best.
How Often Do 8 Week Old Kittens Poop?
Kittens will have poop that is more solid. If your cat eats twice or three times a day, your kitten should go to the bathroom around the same time.
Because bodies are weird, it would worry me if it happened every few days or so. But if your cat does either of these things too much, you should see a vet because there may be other problems.
At eight weeks, I still think it’s best to use a diaper that doesn’t clump. You can start by using both litter that sticks together and litter that doesn’t.
This also depends on whether you plan to use litter that sticks together when your cat gets older. If you don’t, you can use litter that does not stick together.
If you want to use litter that sticks together, I would start with a mixture like the slurry.
Does My Eight Week Old Kitten Need A Safe Space?
Lastly, and this might be the most important thing, you want them to have a safe place to be. At this age, they can usually start walking around on their own, but make sure the house is safe for kittens.
We started by locking her in the bathroom at night so she could roam freely and safely, and then we slowly let her roam the flat.
After we cleaned and kitten-proofed the house, she was pretty free to move around at 8 weeks. Check out “How to Easily Pet-Proof Your Entire Home” to find out if you need to kitten-proof your home.
We always let her sleep in a small bed next to mine so she could feel like she was part of the family.
If you have a big house, the best thing to do is let them walk around in small areas on their own until you feel safe enough to let them out on their own. This probably won’t happen before week 5 or 6.
So, by the seventh week, they should feel more comfortable living on their own. Even if you get them when they are only 8 weeks old, you should still give them time to get used to you.
A new home can be scary, so give them time to get used to it and feel at home in their own way. It will help you become closer in the future.
The last and most important thing I want to say is that you should take them to the vet.
In about 4 weeks, they will be able to get their first round of shots. There’s also a chance that worms will be in your kitten.
What s The Proper Way To Leave My Kitten Home Alone?
The right way to leave your cat home alone is to first make sure your home is safe. After that, you should make sure you have everything you need for your cat.
There should be enough food and drink to last the whole time you’re gone.
Once you have these, you can start the routine. Before going on a short or long trip, you should practice these skills. To tire them out, you can play with them with a toy.
They don’t mind that this playtime gives them a chance to get close and love each other.
This gives them a chance to take it easy while you are away.
The room should be safe for the kitten, and it should have a warm, cozy place to rest where it can do whatever it wants.
A cat bed, an old cushion, or a blanket that has been fluffed up can be a good and cheap choice.
Before you leave, give the cat something to do or play with to keep it busy. There is nothing else that needs to be done.
One thing you shouldn’t do is make a big deal about leaving. You don’t want it to be a big show or routine like a dog.
This will make the kitten less anxious. You can say goodbye and move on.
When you get home, check their room to see if they need anything, like food or water, and clean up any messes. After that, you can spend time touching, loving, and playing before going about your day as usual.
What s The Proper Way To Leave My Kitten Home Alone?
Kittens who are only eight weeks old can’t be left alone for long periods of time because they need so many things and can get into big trouble if they are.
If their home is safe for kittens, they should only be left alone for short periods of time at this age.
They will soon have grown and will be spending more time alone as you return to your normal life and schedule.
I have been working in animal shelter for the past six years and I have been raising the puppies of different breeds. I have had experience in training the puppies in obedience, agility, and other dog sports.
My main objective is to train the puppies to become good family pets. They should be well-behaved and trained to be loving, loyal, and obedient.
Contact me:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: (912) 634-3631
Address: 102 Village Way Crk Saint Simons Island, Georgia(GA), 31522
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