Like all baby animals in the animal kingdom, kittens are cute krô!!!
We want to have them as soon as possible, and although French law allows adoptions at the age of 2 months, it is an error not to be reproduced, because in fact, at this age, the kitten is not really weaned…
Indeed, the weaning of a kitten is not limited to the food aspect.
Theoretically, around 4 weeks, the kitten gradually begins to abandon its mother's teats for solid food, and would thus be ready to leave the nest as soon as his 2 months, during weaning says "total mother's milk (except that in nature, a mother will reject her little one during her next heat, which corresponds to about 4 months for the kitten!).
To be honest, at 2 months, a kitten is not ready to leave its nest!
Indeed, at 8 weeks old, he still has a lot of things to learn, such as imitating his mother for everyday acts: washing, eating, using the cash register, etc.
But beyond the food and imitation aspect, there is still the whole socialization/familiarization phase which lasts another 1 month!< /p>
To avoid confusion, we can use the term socialization when it comes to an individual assimilating their belonging to the species, and the term familiarization when it comes to getting used to another species, a place, an object, a situation…
During this period, he will learn to cohabit harmoniously with his siblings, to become familiar with other animals if he has the opportunity (dogs, NACS, etc.) and especially with the humans around him! These will be the "friendly species".
This is also a very important phase during which he integrates the social codes of his own species and the limits not to be exceeded (such as scratching, attacking or biting too strong and he learns that through play!). The mother can thus reprimand her kittens if they are too abrupt, if they come to harass the siblings too much, if they exceed the “limits”, but these reprimands are completely normal and controlled on the part of the mother. ! These reprimands being part of feline communication and having a very precise goal, it is exactly for this reason that reproducing these gestures as a human is totally absurd (like taking a blow by the skin, for example, giving a "smack"). : from the point of view of the kitten or the older cat, this will be taken as an aggression! I invite you to read my article hard the punishment on this subject “ Should I punish my cat?).
During this apprenticeship, which lasts between its 2nd and 3rd month, the kitten will therefore also learn to manage its limits, its frustrations, its emotions in general ! He will learn to balance himself and it is a gift that we offer him for the rest of his life! Yes, because a little ball of fur who has not had the chance to learn these things will probably be impacted throughout his future life, by adopting behaviors which for him will be completely legitimate, but unfortunately "embarrassing" for him. human: aggressive behavior, hyperactivity, hyperattachment, out-of-school eliminations, etc.
For good familiarization with humans, the kitten will need to have pleasant (caresses, games) and frequent (but not excessive) contact , and well conducted) with men, women, infants, children, adolescents, people of different ethnic origins... In other words, the presentation of a single human is not enough for the kitten to recognize the set of humans as "friends". The same is true for the other species that will come to live with it.
And finally, avoid choosing a kitten that has always lived outside, if this one is going to live in an apartment. Even if we can consider that familiarization is possible at any age in certain aspects, certain achievements and adaptations will be more difficult to achieve for this cat in the making. Ideally, the kitten should be offered the same type of experiences as those it will encounter in its future living environment, because indeed, a cat from an enriched environment (outings, familiarization with many beings, situations or stimuli... ) risks idleness and frustration in an environment lacking in stimulation. And conversely, the cat from a hypo-stimulating environment will quickly find itself overwhelmed in a hyper-stimulating environment (soliciting children, other animals, etc.).
Therefore, be patient (a few extra weeks is not a waste of time!) and make wise choices! You will thus adopt a kitten that is balanced and comfortable in its footsteps!