How long after kittens are born can they be touched or held ? I was told that if they were touched too soon the mother would push them away... true or not?

My parents tell me that kittens are not supposed to be touched until they are weened, but that seems like a long wait for me! My cats have had two litters of kittens and I have held them looong before that point. While my cat was giving birth to her first litter, she started having them under my car and I had to leave, so I had to move them. They all turned out fine, but had repeted upper-resperatory infections (I'm not sure if there's a connection though). So I would say it's at your descression, but I would factor in how socialable the mother cat is.

Good luck and enjoy your new kittens!

- Lucy

Hey,
I have taken care of lots of kittens, some just born, through the local animal shelter's foster care program, and I start holding them when they are just a few days old. Most mother cats, if they are well-adjusted to humans, don't mind... but if they do, just wait until they are a little older. I think it is a myth that the mother will reject them... their maternal instincts are so strong at that point that not much deters them. Even so, just to be safe, it may be best to give them about 3 days alone with Mom to establish strong connections. The younger/more often they are handled, the more adjusted they will be to people... just keep the handling sessions brief, positive and non-scary. It's best to start start with stroking them while they're lying in their box... picking them up can be frightening... it's like what a predator would do. When you do first pick them up, if the kitten is crying and/or struggling, don't push it. Just remember to make it as enjoyable and comfortable for the kittens as you can, so they'll learn humans are a good thing! Spend as much time with them as you can, be gentle and have fun! It's up to you to make these babies into nice, friendly pets!

Thank you for the info. I've been wanting to pet them more than pick them up at this point but don't want to do anything that will cause them harm or cause the mother to abandon them, I've never had kittens before so just wanted to make sure.