I was at a pet store few weeks ago and they have some kittens there that are 3-5 weeks which is too young to be weaned, right? So, did these kittens just get separated from their mother, like their mother died? Or is the pet store taking the kittens too young, because then the public will pay more for them, and the store can turn a bigger profit?

(Note: I was not going to the store to get a pet, obviously.)

Thanks.

OMG That is WAY WAY too young. A responsible breeder keeps kittens for 12-16 weeks! The absolute minimum age that should be allowed (and the legal minimum in many places) is 8 weeks. and even that is not what is best for their physical, mental/psychological and social development. . But under 8 weeks,and especially under 6 weeks, is just obscene.

pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com

Yes it is typical that kittens (and puppies) from pet stores were taken from their mother and littermates too young, and yes it's because ignorant buyers want the teeny tiny cutesy baby ones. Even in states / cities where there is a law and enough fear of getting caught to stop the store from selling under 8 weeks, the kittens were often taken earlier to be shipped there. (How early depends on the middlemen, route and schedule for picking up the "product" from kitten mills.) Some pet store chains have direct contracts with these horrible breeders , others buy from brokers who go round buying up these tiny babies.

It sure is worth checking out what your state & local laws are about the age of selling kittens and reporting these horrible people if they are violating it. Even if there isn't any law where you live you could report this to some animal related groups and see if there is anything you can do.

(If you ask them anything , act dumb and say something stupid like you heard it is good to get a really young one so you could " bond" better. .Try not to act disapproving, as hard as that may be. but they might have standard answers for that like most do for the question where the pups and kittens come from.

Kittens sold in pet stores (as opposed to some stores like Petco and Petsmart that allow local shelters space in their stores for adoptions) come from kitten mill type situations and/or some backyard breeders who may not treat the animals quite as bad but still know nothing about breeding & dont bother to do heath testing etc.and sell them too young. Some pet stores might have occasional accidental litters of domestics from local owners who didn't bother to get their cat spayed. but purebreds (or alleged purebreds) are from bad breeders - ranging from ignorant and greedy to ignorant, cruel and greedy.

Re weaning: While kittens usually start nibbling some food at 5-6 weeks (and sometimes even a little earlier) that does NOT mean they usually suddenly stop nursing as soon as they start eating.. When kittens are left with their cat family to develop normally, weaning is usually a gradual process that takes place over several weeks, with the kittens gradually eating more and nursing less. Often kittens over 8 weeks are still nursing for comfort. Some kittens comfort nurse up to 12 or 13 weeks. Sometimes a mother cat will keep allowing a smaller or weaker kitten to nurse longer than the rest. Most mother cats are pretty good at raising their babies if we let them do their jobs .

Here is an article that discusses the reasons why kittens should not be separated so young . http://www.breedlist.com/faq/young.html

Definitely contact your local animal control/ASPCA/etc because selling kittens that young is illegal. And yes - it's very irresponsible and unethical of them. And people are idiots to buy them that young. These kittens come from horrible backyard breeders that churn out litter upon litter with all the focus on profit and none on the well-being of the animals. These aren't pedigreed animals, either - they're just domestics. pets question and answers,www.5d2d.com

But the real problem is the people buying them. People that think you have to get a "baby" kitten for it to bond to you. If people weren't buying them, the store wouldn't be selling them. I have a cat I adopted when she was four years old and she's far more bonded to me than ANY cat I've had since it was a kitten.

Three weeks is definitely too young to wean a kitten. The mother cat will generally start to wean her kittens between 4-5 weeks of age, and will have them completely weaned by 8-10 weeks of age. It can be detrimental to a kitten's health to wean it too early. They receive many vital nutrients from their mother's milk before being weaned.