I know you are eager to get your new kitten, but there are several reasons why I do not allow my kittens to leave for their new homes prior to 10-12 weeks. Heres a bit of information:
1. I like to allow my kittens to wean themselves at their own pace, which make for a less needy kitten, and a happier mom. Most of my kittens start eating solids around 4-5 weeks of age, but still want/need the comfort of mom. Some kittens have such a stronge urge to suckle, that if they are taken away to early from mom, will begin to nurse on each other, or even on cloth or their owner. Others may even become fretful without mom, and tend to cry often or have nervous habits. These habits can be difficult to break. Even in the wild, a kitten would never leave mom at 6-8 weeks of age, they would survive. Its not natural for a kitten to be taken away from its mother and littermates at such an early age, so I let mom and baby determine when its time to be fully weaned.
2. Good litterbox habits are reinforced by watching its mom. Most kittens don't start using the litterbox until about 4-5 weeks of age. Where they watch their mom dig, scratch and bury her waste. They then learn to bury their waste in the litter too. On rare occasions when kittens have to be weaned early, these kittens took longer to regularly use the litterbox. On the otherhand, kittens raised by mom until 9-10 weeks of age rarely have accidents. All kittens benefit from consistancy and familiarity when young, so a familiar environment, same litterbox etc. makes for few, if any accidents, and reinforces strong litterbox habits. That way when the kitten leaves for its new home, it will continue to use the litterbox faithfully.
3. While the kittens are nursing from their mom, they receive passive immunity from mom's milk. Then around 6 weeks of age this slowly begins to taper off, then I vaccinate my kittens around 9-10 weeks of age. It is from 6-9 weeks that a kitten is most vulnerable to disease and stress. Just another reason why they should be left with their mom, given time for the vaccination to start working and allowed to continue to nurse. By the time a kitten is 10-12 weeks old, the immune system has developed enough to give the kitten much needed protection when going through the stress of adoption.
(sidenote) ....Vaccinating nursing kittens is a waste of time and vaccine, since moms antibodies interfere with the vaccine--basically still rendering the kitten unprotected. Therefore, I do not vaccinate any kittens until atleast 1 week after they are fully weaned.
4. Kittens that leave for their new homes around 10-12 weeks of age are well socialized by this time, and are able to handle new experiences without much fear and/or stress. This socialization comes from not only their human family but also from moms and littermates. They've learned how to play, without getting to rough, how to use the litterbox, how to stay well-kept through daily grooming, and how to interact with humans and other cats. My kittens have well-formed litterbox habits, have been eating solid foods for atleast 4 weeks, and have become used to daily activities in our home. So when it is time for them to leave for their new home, they are mentally and physically ready to make the big change.
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