I agree i got a moggy at 6 weeks years ago and he still needed to be fed milk. There immune systems are still developing and experts say 12/13 weeks is the best time for them to cope with the stress of a new home etc. Now I know this is normal for pedigrees I dont know why it is not so for all cats but moggies for some strange reason always seem to go very young. I would say 9 weeks to be honest, even though you say they are feeding by themselves I think they will still be feeding of mum when you are not there. Kittens sensitive socialisation period is approx. around the age of 3-12 weeks so they will be learning from mum in this time and from everything around them. If you have not already you really need to get them used to as many different things as possible i.e diffferent sounds, people, being handled and not just for cuddles but examination i.e opening their mouth, looking in ears etc, touching feet so they get used to it and are not freaked out when the new owner tries to clip their claws or give them a worming tablet.

I got my Noah at 6 weeks.. he is now around Nearly 12 weeks !!
I never knew he was that old.. i got him around 21st of october he was born 7th of september. We didn't know he was 6 weeks untill we went to look at the kittens, we chose him because he has a white splodge on the end of his tail He doesn't chew, bite or scratch and has never scratched the leather setee's in the conservatory and living room hes such a good boy! He has his adoptive brother to play with anyway to keep him company, and he is 20weeks :O God they grow so quick!

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Toby, Mia, Harvey and our newest member, Marley(cats)
Gizmo (parrot)
Tommy (bearded dragon)

Is missing my baby boy Noah, been missing since April 2011. (cat)

Run Free;
Tommy, Molly, Tinkerbell and Bambi (cats)
Meg, Fudge, Chocolate & Looper (hamsters)
Snowie, Maisy, Snowflake (rabbits)

Why the big difference between pedigrees and moggies? Sorry - i'm pretty clueless when it comes to cats - but that sounds a bit odd IMO

Hmm i have had 6 Moggies this year, sadly 2 got ran over there looneys around here! i so wish i could move frightens me to death wen Toby and Mia go out. Anyways, yeah why such a big difference?!

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Toby, Mia, Harvey and our newest member, Marley(cats)
Gizmo (parrot)
Tommy (bearded dragon)

Is missing my baby boy Noah, been missing since April 2011. (cat)

Run Free;
Tommy, Molly, Tinkerbell and Bambi (cats)
Meg, Fudge, Chocolate & Looper (hamsters)
Snowie, Maisy, Snowflake (rabbits)

Usually pedigree cats are a tad more expensive and have different natures to moggies. Some do not but mines are quite docile, there is also the risk of them being stolen due to their utter stunningness. Well, mine anyway.

They also need their vaccinations at 9 weeks and again 2/3 weeks later. So no way 6 weeks. Way too young. That's just when all the fun really starts!

I miss having kittens.

I think largelt the difference between moggies and peds is that cats can go at 8 weeks, but they tend to be better socialised at 13. However raising a kitten to 1 weeks is an expensive business and you can recoup some of that if you're selling peds for a few hundred, whereas moggie breeders would get half-way bankrupted by the process. Peds also wait till 13 weeks so they can be vaccinated before they go to a new home - another expense the breeder of a £20 or free-to-a-good-home moggie kitten is understandably unlikely to run to.

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Lily - silver Egyptian Mau
Jasper - Burmese X moggy - missing!
Electra - silver Egyptian Mau
(Truffles - chocolate tortie syrian hammy - bye little one, I miss you)
And 6 little balls of silver spotty fluff! OMG KITTENZ etc

Because, if you do pedigrees properly they have their jabs at 9 and 12 weeks - and then you give them another week to get over any side effects the jabs may have had. They go to their new homes ready to go - just need neutering when the time is right.

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please look at my website - www.finesthourcats.webs.com - for gorgeous GCCF registered RagaMuffins and Selkirk Rex

Spid, that is correct.There is no noticeable difference in the development between moggie and pedigree kittens.
Moggie "breeders" sell them early so that they don't have to spend any money on them feeding them or vaccinating them.

It is shocking that they do not really care enough about them to make sure they are vaccinated before leaving for their new homes.

I know it is the "norm" for moggies but in my mind it is dreadful and should be changed. It is perpetuated by those who are just out to make as much money as possible out of the poor little things.

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Lauren

Don't Shop Adopt! - Stop Puppy Farming

Battery Farmed Dogs Campaign (Puppy Farming)

I'm not sure it's fair to make out moggie breeders as horrible people for not wanting to put that much raw green into kittens. It's better to keep them till 13 weeks, but they're not weak force-weaned sickly newborns at 8 weeks. A breeder on here once told me the average cost, with no complications, of raising a kitten to 13 weeks, vaccinating it, chipping it, was an average of £120 a kitten. A litter of 5, that's £600. Now if they're pedigrees, you might sell all 5 for £1500 and use the 'extra' to break even on costs of stud fees, the births that go horribly wrong, the cost of your queen and so on.

For a moggie litter where maybe you'd get £100 for the litter, or given them away for free if they're 'common colours' (horrible but true, any rescue will tell you how hard it is to home a black and white moggie), does it really make someone a horrible inhumane greedy bastard not to plunge £500 into raising kittens for other people? No one with any sense breeds to make money but lining yourself up for that kind of guarenteed massive loss, not everyone's in a position to do that. I know plenty of perfectly happy well ajusted cats that were homed at 8 weeks.

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Lily - silver Egyptian Mau
Jasper - Burmese X moggy - missing!
Electra - silver Egyptian Mau
(Truffles - chocolate tortie syrian hammy - bye little one, I miss you)
And 6 little balls of silver spotty fluff! OMG KITTENZ etc

I personnally feel that the breeding of moggies should not be actively encouraged. There are alot of unwanted moggies out there and adding to the problem is not helping the situation. I understand accidents happen but if we are to try and get a grip with the over population problem then we all need to be responsible in ensuring our cats dont get out until they have the snip.
The points previously made about costs are relevant I think no person selling kittens for £20 will ever recoup the costs of vaccs etc. I dont like kittens going at this young age as they are still too immature. A good pedigree breeder will have evrything done before the cats go hopefully because they can afford to due to the price that they sell kittens for.
Clare