Good Things Come To Those Who Wait
April 29, 2024
Most new pet owners can hardly wait to get their new kitten home. How to explain why most breeders wait until the kitten is older? Let’s take a look at WHY breeders delay, and why new owners will be happier in the long run that they did.
Kate Preston, Noelle Giddings
Where do pet kittens come from? Shelters, breeders, and feral environments are the three major sources of feline pets in today’s U.S. households. As recently as 28 years ago, statistically as many as 17% to over 30% of cat owners obtained their pets as strays. Today, cats are also likely to come from shelter adoptions or are purchased from recognized, knowledgeable breeders. However, many first-time cat owners may not understand why organizations such as the Cat Fanciers’ Association advocate waiting until the kitten is 16 weeks, or at the very least, 12 weeks, before it goes to a new home. Shelters, which may be pressed for space/time/services, sometimes encourage the earliest possible adoption and place kittens as soon their first inoculations are safely in place.
For first-time cat buyers, the breeder should give every available bit of advice and help. But it begins with selecting the right cat or kitten, and most people want young kittens without having the knowledge of how young is good for both kitten and owner. The views of conscientious breeders are discussed below, in conjunction with reasons CFA requires kittens to be 16 weeks old before they can enter a show hall, whether for exhibit, competition, or sale.
Proper Socialization Vs. “Survival”
A properly raised, well-socialized kitten will be at ease with people and other cats or pets. It will be able to tolerate noises and distractions in a normal home. Older kittens are generally better with young children in inverse proportion—the younger the child, the older the kitten/cat; the older the child, the younger the kitten that can safely be introduced to the household. Both situations should be tempered, however, with observation of the child’s awareness and empathy for a small animal.1
Mrs. M. Brunton, who began breeding her famous Dunesk cats in 1923, was one of the first advocates of ensuring proper maturity of kittens before sale. She advised: “kittens should not be sold until they are at least ten weeks old.”[1] CFA has expanded on that timeline, and since the kitten’s immune system begins functioning independently at about 12 weeks, it will no longer be protected by its mother’s active immunities and should receive the first vaccination before that date.
With reputable breeders, timing matters and kittens come FIRST—before owners, before shows, before other social commitments. This philosophy was articulated with knowledge and passion by Pam DelaBar (who was CFA’s Chair of Animal Welfare in 1996) in her answer to “A Matter of Priorities.” She wrote, regarding four newborn kittens who were lost because the exhibitor chose a show over care for the mom cat and her babies: “The first word in our association’s name is ‘CAT.’ That’s where our priorities lie.”3
Potential new owners may respond to the request to be patient with: “Well, I found a kitten, the vet said she was only about five weeks old, and she survived.” But survival is not the same as the long-term quality of life that responsible breeders seek to provide for their cherished kittens. We hear one story after another about people finding a feral kitten, or a nest of them, whose mother has disappeared, often due to accident or disease, or attack by a wild animal. One or more kittens are rescued and the long job of trying to save them begins—a tall order when the babies may be only four weeks old or even younger.
Such early trauma can be devastating for a kitten. Cats, much more so than dogs, have specific socialization needs that must be met early in life to help them become appropriately behaved adults. They learn proper cat social guidelines from their mother and littermates. In contrast, even when raised by caring owners, hand-raised orphans may display a discernable, consistent pattern of hostility. These cats may not handle stress as well and can have an increased tendency to aggression in their interactions with their owners or other cats. Solo kittens may also need extra socializing. To counter this deficiency, one breeder puts singleton kittens with whatever youngest individuals are around, using older kittens or young adults to help teach the little one about feline play, interaction and what it means to be a cat.
The Price of “Purrfection”
Explaining to a potential owner how kittens are priced is a process that is often based upon the breeder’s best guess about the expected quality of the kitten at maturity, and for that evaluation, the more time, the better.
Most people are aware of the worship of cats in Egypt, where they eventually became perceived as gods and were therefore valued beyond price. But cats have always been valued when it came to destroying vermin, and in that regard, age matters. For example, Hywel the Good, in 936 A.D., put the value of a kitten before it even opened its eyes at one penny. Once the kitten could catch mice, its value doubled. “Laws were strictly enforced whereby anyone found guilty of killing a cat had to pay its worth in corn, measured by holding the dead animal by the tip of its tail so that the nose touched the ground, and pouring grain over the body until it was completely covered.”[2]
It is a myth that serious breeders raise cats for the money. This simply does not happen. Honest breeders who embark on raising beautiful, healthy cats can quickly dispense with that misguided reason for acquiring felines suitable for mating. To name a few expenses of the careful breeder: the specialized variety and quality of food; changes made to the home/cattery environment so it is safe and conducive to a healthy, multiple-cat household; the expense of acquiring other carefully bred cats, adding them to the planned breeding group; shipping/travel, show expenses and paraphernalia for show cats; and pet-sitters in the caregiver’s absence. It all adds up and makes clear why breeders want to spend the necessary time making sure the kitten and the prospective owner have a win/win relationship.
Besides asking for a three-to-four-month waiting period before placing that perfect pet in a new home, a good breeder will likely also ask numerous questions to ascertain if buyer and kitten are well matched. Potential cat owners may be queried about their employment or student status, hours available to spend with a new kitty, any prior experience with a kitten or one of that breed, the presence of other pets or children in the home, whether their housing situation is pet-friendly, and whether there is a veterinarian nearby.[3]
It is even more important for the breeder to establish the sort of destiny the prospective owner intends for the kitten. Will it be simply a companion to share the easy chair (“pet”)?; a queenly match for an exceptionally well-bred male (“breeder”)?; or a top-notch kitty (“show cat”) who can travel and be comfortable, even show off, in the mayhem of a show hall? In every case, socialization matters and makes a substantial contribution to the value of the cat.
The Rewards of Waiting, in Terms of Life Essentials
A few extra weeks can translate into significant benefits when it comes to the kitten’s health, grooming, feeding, litter box training and more. A kitten that goes to its new home after 12 weeks of age will typically have received two or more core vaccinations. These vaccines (panleukopenia, calici, rhinotracheitis) are commonly given at 8 and 12 weeks.[4] Some breeders also give boosters at 16 weeks and 20 weeks. Rabies vaccinations cannot be given until a kitten is 12 weeks old, and should be done before a kitten does much traveling away from where it was born. All vaccinations are strongly advised when bringing a kitten or cat into a CFA show hall, and many states and municipalities also require a rabies certificate. Overall, greater maturity usually means less susceptibility to health problems, aside from these prophylactic vaccinations.
The handling and grooming breeders do to prepare kittens for a possible show career is equally valuable in enabling those kittens to comfortably share a home with new owners. With more time, the kitten becomes acclimated to noises like hair dryers and the whoosh of a vacuum cleaner or a washing machine. It will learn to tolerate baths and having its toes handled and nails clipped. A good breeder takes the time to accustom the youngster to these things, though the new owners may have no idea what goes into creating their fearless, gentle kitten.
For show/breeding cats, extra time also allows for greater certainty in the quality of the kitten as a mature cat. Kittens change rapidly and giving them the full 16 weeks to grow enables the breeder better to assess what qualities the kitten will have as an adult. A breeder selling a show kitten may need longer than 16 weeks to confirm the initial assessment, or even want time to test the waters at a show before the kitten leaves home.
Where and how a mom cat gets her food, and what that food is, affects the growth and bonding with her kittens. Breeders can ensure their queens are provided with the special nutrition required at this time of life, thus getting the kittens off to a good start with a healthy milk supply, in comparison to a feral mom cat who must forage daily for food. The breeder will monitor the kittens through weaning and the transition to solid food; extra time allows for establishing that the kittens can handle a variety of foods without digestive distress. Since cats need twice as much protein as dogs and kittens need twice as much as adult cats, dogs can survive on cat food, but cats cannot survive on dog food.[5] A very young kitten requires at least four daily feedings up to eight weeks of age; at nine months, one can a day of wet food should suffice. All the stages of growth in between those ages matter: A kitten that does not receive proper nutrition in its first few weeks of life will often be found sucking, nipping, biting, or exhibiting maladjustment of some other kind as an adult.
Litter box habits are usually established very early by interaction with the mom cat and siblings, often when the kitten is barely old enough to crawl into a low box. Another few weeks of experience allows for more size, strength, and the kitten’s ability to locate and adapt to different types/sizes of litter boxes. Since a change of environment can affect litter habits, it is best to ensure they are very firmly established before transitioning to a new home.
Age is an important consideration with regard to neutering/spaying a cat. Depending on the breed, feline sexual maturity can occur as early as five months and sometimes a year and a half or longer. Most males show signs of maturing by about nine months of age, and it is wise to neuter a pet male by ten months or certainly before he begins to exhibit male breeding behavior. If a female kitten is allowed to grow into an unspayed cat, she may come into season and be constantly “calling,” seeking a male. Some potential pet owners may say, “Well, I only want one litter so the children can see the miracle of birth,” or “Because she is beautiful and my neighbor wants one like her,” or “I won’t have any trouble finding homes for this cat’s kittens.” The responsible breeder explains that this might result in other people doing the same thing with her kittens, hence more unwanted kittens appearing on the streets as feral cats or in shelters. Early neutering/spaying of kittens destined to be pets is now commonly done as early as 12 weeks, and eliminates relying on the new owner for that responsibility while eliminating unwanted pregnancy and undesirable hormone-induced behaviors later.
If the new home is far away, begin to acclimate the kitten to extended travel beyond the usual trips to the vet for shots and exams: Planned conditioning and measured exposure builds confidence in unusual circumstances. When air travel is necessary, there are age limits as to when a kitten can board an airline. Generally, two months of age is required for domestic air travel, but four months if international. It is important to be aware of the regulations of both the country and the airline involved in the transport.
The 16-week limit is not the only timing issue prospective owners should consider. The CFA website notes that many breeders will not sell a black cat during Halloween, or sell a kitten as a gift — especially at Christmas or other major holidays — without having the recipient meet the new kitten. It is critical that the person who will be responsible for the kitten’s care have that choice.
Thoughtful breeders must also be sensitive to the effect on mother cats when and how their kittens depart. On weaning and selling kittens, Barbara Bleifuss, RN (Mithra Cattery), points out that the psychology of early weaning is often overlooked for the mother cat. As a Labor and Delivery nurse, Perinatal and NICU nurse for 28 years, Bleifuss states, “Most mammals wean their offspring quite naturally, with a minimum of trauma. While I have had the good fortune of sharing the process of breeding, birthing, weaning and, yes, selling kittens, I have also witnessed the emptiness and never-ending loss a human mother feels when she is forced to give up her baby due to adoption, incarceration, or drug addiction. Animals are not that different. When a mother cat has kittens, she usually cares lovingly for them from birth until they are eating and playing on their own and nursing occasionally, when she will gradually wean them, usually between 12 and 16 weeks.” But a mom cat who loses her kittens through accident or illness soon after they are born or before they are fully weaned will sometimes search hopelessly for days for her lost babies. So, Bleifuss continues, “When I send off a 3- to 4-month-old kitten to its loving new home, I cuddle with its mama afterwards.”
For the breeder engaged in rigorous conditioning and timely placement, there is joy in handing a beautiful, healthy kitten into the arms of a thrilled new owner who may get that kitten’s highest accolade, a head bump/kitty kiss, perhaps accompanied by a resounding purr. Albert Schweitzer noted, “There are two means of refuge from the miseries of life: music and cats.” With kittens that purr and purr their own special songs, it is worth waiting for the best of both in one happy package.
Source Notes
- Moustaki, Nikki. “Cats and Kids,” Persians, Popular Cat Series, Vol. 1, 2nd edition, 2007, p.17.
- Pond, Grace, ed. The Complete Cat Encyclopedia, New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1972. “Breeding,” p.279
- DelaBar, Pam. “A Matter of Priorities – A Response,” Cat Fanciers’ Almanac, Vol. 13, No. 8, Dec 1996, p.85.
- Pond, Grace, ed. The Complete Cat Encyclopedia, New York: Crown Publishers, Inc., 1972. “Evolution,” p.356.
- Vella, Carolyn and McGonagle, John. “What Breeders Look for in Buyers.” Cats USA Annual Edition, 1995, p.59.
- Little, Susan, DVM. “Establishing Vaccination Protocols for Catteries,” The Cat Breeders Almanac, June 1998, p.82.
- Reader’s Digest. Reader’s Digest Illustrated Book of Cats, Canada. 1992: p.196.