What's the earliest age a kitten can be separated from its mother?

At 6 weeks of age, kittens are able to eat on their own however if they have relied on their mother mostly for food up until this point I would recommend offering the kittens along with mom food and slowly wean them away. If though you can be certain that they will eat solely on their own now without any issues then yes it would be just fine

Kittens best stay with their mommy until they are 12 weeks old. Their mother will teach them what is good to eat and what not, how to hunt, and what to hunt safely, how to groom themselves properly, how to use a litter box, what animal is dangerous to them, how to carefully negotiate this world. The kittens will also need their mother still for psychological comfort, even suckling after being weaned is comfort when something was scary. Staying together with their siblings will teach kittens social skills, they get to play-hunt, play-fight, and have fun with other kittens, it keeps them fit, helps them to develop coordination and muscles. So if you can find homes for them before they are 12 weeks old, tell the new owners that they will get well socialised fit kittens that have no problems, rather than kittens who will cry because they miss mommy and the siblings, do have accidents, and show behavior such as cloth sucking, etc.

At 6 weeks they are old enough to be weaned. You can started with dry kitten food mixed with a little water and canned food to entice them. If they eat well, then you can decrease the amount of canned food and water until they are eating dry food. The mom will also help by letting them nurse less and less. Once they are eating a good meal 3-4 times a day, they do no need any milk from mom and go to a new home.

At this age most kittens begin to stray away from mom and become more independent, which they should be doing in order to build up necessary skills for survival. I would allow the kitty to venture from the mama cat and she will eventually get used to the idea of her going astray. You can also allow mama cat to go with the kitten a few instances, so that she can see that Shunu is safe and free from harm. This is quite unusual for a mama cat to miss her young at this age, but I suppose you have one dedicated mama cat on your hands. : ) Best of luck and take care.

Weaning is typically started by the mother cat at 4 weeks of age and will leave them more frequently to hunt and bring them food. It is CRUCIAL that you never move stray kittens unless you know that the mom is completely unable to get to them. If she cannot find them, she will call to them and eventually give up. All that being said, some mothers are just more nurturing than others so maybe she truly is neglecting her responsibility. In that case, discuss with your vet how to properly finish weaning the kittens and care for them. Best of luck!

If the kittens are old enough to survive on kitten food instead of needing to nurse (around 8 weeks) then I would not be too concerned. Mama may just be teaching them cat manners. If the kittens are younger than that and still dependent on mom for milk, then I would contact your vet, as it is important that they are getting enough nutrition, or they could quickly become ill. It's also important to have mama cat checked to make sure she isn't feeling unwell as sometimes conditions like mastitis (inflammation in the mammary glands) can lead to a mother cat refusing to allow kittens to nurse. I hope that helps!

The weaning process typically begins around 4 weeks of age and "ends" around 8-10 weeks of age. Given the circumstances, the mother cat may be a bit more clingy and that's fine as long as she isn't interfering with the kitten's normal activity and appetite. You can try gradually acclimating her to its absence by gradually separating them for ever increasing periods of time. Use toys, treats and playtime as distractions for the mother.