Kitten - when leave Mother

Question
Hi.  A friend of a friend has a Siamese/mix litter and I would like to get one.  She is new to this and asked me when can the kittens be separated. I thought 5 or 6 weeks.  Any advice?
Also, it is all creamy colored female now at 4 weeks - do they get markings sometimes as they age?  Thanks for your help.  
Melissa  

Answer
Hi, Melissa.  Preferably, a kitten should not leave his mother until he's at least 8 weeks old, and his litter until he's 12 weeks old.  

A kitten who leaves his mother before 8 weeks old is not old enough to have been weaned properly.  Kittens start weaning at about 6 weeks old, and it's not complete until 8-10 weeks.  If you separate the kitten from his mother before this age, he's likely to suckle on blankets and such.  It's not only unappealing to come across a blanket soaked with saliva, but it can ruin fabrics and even lead to deadly blockages of the intestines.

Kittens are best to stay with their litters until they are 12 weeks because they learn the bulk of their social skills between 8 and 12 weeks old.  They learn what behavior is acceptable (wrestling gently) and what is not (biting and scratching).  Kittens who are separated from their litters earlier than 12 weeks are more likely to have behavioral problems, such as difficulty accepting other pets and biting and scratching people or other animals.

It's illegal in most states to sell a kitten under the age of 8 weeks, and many breeders will not allow their kittens to go to new homes before 16 weeks old.

Siamese kittens are born white, and they begin to develop colorpoints (color on the ears, face, legs, and tail) beginning at a couple weeks old.  By 4 weeks, you should have a good idea of the color the kitten will be.  At several months old, most of the coloring has shown up.  It can take up to a year before the colors are at their most vibrant.  In darker colorpoints, like seal and blue, the colors may continue to darken for the entire length of the cat's life.  Seal points often end up almost black in their senior years, and blue points may have gray points with deeply shaded flanks.