Weaning Kittens From Mom

Weaning a kitten is the process of transitioning the kitten from mother s milk to solid food.

Weaning kittens from mom. At this stage when they re around a month old you can start supplementing them with kitten food. Make sure this area has a litter box and water bowls. At that point place cup of milk replacer and kitten chow in a shallow bowl. Kittens often need extra support during this time to help ensure they re receiving the proper nutrients in proper quantity and to keep them on track for success and independence.

You can either use hot water bottles or heating pads to make them warmer. Ideally weaning is handled entirely by the mother cat. Packaged food formulated for weaning kittens is the best choice. If this happens you can let the little ones nibble on the queen s food.

This will allow the kittens to get used to spending time without their mother close by and hopefully give mom time to catch up on some sleep. Watch her for signs that she s preparing the kittens for weaning. As the litter grows up mom has less to do with them. During weaning kittens gradually progress from dependence on a mother s care to social independence.

Weaning is the fun messy adventure of helping a kitten transition from nursing or bottle feeding to eating solid food on her own. When you are weaning a kitten onto solid food it s important to use a food formulated specifically for kittens. These formulas have the higher levels of calories protein and calcium that growing kittens need. If you are caring for a mother cat and her litter it s okay for the mom cat to eat the same kitten food while she s nursing.

Before weaning your kitten make sure that it s around 4 weeks old with the ability to focus and walk steadily. Kittens generally nibble solid foods at three to four weeks. She won t let them nurse as easily and may start hissing at them. Avoid giving kittens cow.

Then dip your finger in the food and present it to your kitten to encourage it to eat from the bowl. But be careful using this equipment and never leave the kittens alone. However try to avoid allowing kittens to eat dry food. If your kitten is reluctant try feeding it with an eye dropper or by letting it lick the milk.

However if the kitten in your care has been separated from his mother or if you are fostering a litter or a pregnant cat about to give birth seeing the young ones through a successful weaning process may be up to you. It s an important part of the kitten s development and needs to be done at the right time and in the right way. It manages the calorie intake and the nutritional needs of kittens. It can even pose a choking hazard to them and it doesn t do them any good since they should avoid becoming dehydrated.

The weaning process can also happen naturally. Normally the queen or mother cat will handle kitten weaning on her own. It helps for nutritional balance in your kitten. Purchase canned and dry food specifically manufactured with kitten nutrition in mind.

But when the queen has trouble producing milk or when a litter of kittens is orphaned we need to intervene.