A kitten will start to attain a more upright posture - both sitting and standing - only after 5 weeks of age. This means a kitten above the age of five weeks sits up straight like an adult cat. Kittens under and up to the age of 5 weeks old will have a kitten posture, a bit wobbly on the hindlegs, and round instead of upright and erect.
Kittens are best rescued for re-homing under and up to the age of 8 weeks old, maximum 12 weeks old - otherwise they become to accustomed to life on the street and may remain feral for the rest of its life, thus unsuitable for becoming a domestic pet.
So do take note of the age of the kittens that you see on the street - not all are young enough for rescue and re-homing.
Not sure if the kitten you saw needs rescue? Here is a simple check-list:
- Is the kitten under 4 weeks of age? If so, does it have a mother cat? If yes, do not remove the kittens from the mother until it reaches 3-5 weeks of age.
- Kittens between 4 weeks to 8 weeks of age are ideal for rescue and re-homing.
- Is the kitten more than 12 weeks old? If so, allow the kitten to remain as a stray as it has very little chance of being domesticated and re-homed and may end up becoming a permanent shelter cat or being re-released back on to the streets.
- If the cat is obviously a newly abandoned cat - just sighted, well groomed, pedigree, wearing a collar - and reporting it as lost has had no results of the cat being claimed by an owner, then this cat is suitable for re-homing despite of age. If the cat has been abandoned for a long time, it is already accustomed to stray life and will not be suitable for re-homing.
