Summary
Kittens can usually be confined to a small space until they are almost 4 weeks old and begin weaning. At this time, they are learning to eat on their own, walk, and use a litter box and will need more space such as a playpen or cage.
Space Needs of Weaning Kittens
If kittens have been confined to a small- or medium-sized carrier until now, it is time to give them more space. Some options include a large-sized carrier, playpen, configurable, plastic panels or cage/crate with narrowly-spaced bars/wires so limbs and heads cannot go through and get stuck. See the Basic Space Needs of Kittens article. If kittens take longer than two or three weeks to fully wean, you may need to expand their space again to an even larger confined area or small bathroom.
Until kittens fully learn what solid food is, both wet and dry, and how to eat it correctly, they tend to make a mess of their area. They may walk through their food and track the wet food throughout their living space. They may even experiment using the dry food as litter or try eating litter, perhaps thinking it is food. See Daily Care of Weaning Kittens for safe litter options. They also play with their dry food.
Since weaning can be a messy process, it’s helpful to have a second confined area to put kittens in during feeding time. Any mess the kittens create while eating will be confined separately from their living space. Then, when kittens finish eating, you can move them back to their other cage/confinement living area. Having a second cage/confinement option for weaning kittens also allows caregivers to clean one space while the kittens are in the other. Just be sure to monitor weaning kittens while they’re eating to ensure every kitten is getting adequate nutrition.
