At What Age Are Kittens Weaned

What Are Some Tips To Encourage The Weaning Process

While weaning can be challenging, remember that kittens are young animals. Donât be surprised if your kitten wants to step in the bowl, bat the pieces, or spill the saucer. Play is a normal and healthy way for them to explore their environment, so be patient and donât rush the process. Things may get messy, so make sure to keep your kitten clean after each feeding.

Show Sources

Alley Cat Allies: âCaring for Neonatal Kittens,â âHow Old Is That Kitten? Kitten Guide: 3 Weeks,ââHow Old Is That Kitten? Kitten Guide: 4 Weeks.â

ASPCA: “Cat Nutrition Tips.”

At What Age Is A Kitten Weaned

2022-01-15T14:11:45.956Z

Weaning a kitten is an essential step in its life. The animal becomes independent from its mother and develops its sociability. His diet is also changing. How to respect this transitional period? At what age is a kitten weaned?

In order to take care of your pet, it is essential to ask yourself about the

• True or false: fight misconceptions about the garden

• How to teach your dog to recall?

• What are the water needs of a cat?

How To Wean Kittens

To begin weaning a kitten, mix the kitten food with formula so they recognize the taste. Smear the mixture around their mouth with your finger and let them lick it off. Once they get used to the taste, theyll seek it out elsewhere. Then you can introduce them to lapping from a bowl. Monitor them so they dont lap too fast, and never push their face into the bowl, which could cause them to inhale the mixture and develop pneumonia.

Between the fourth and sixth week, gradually transition the weaning kittens to dry food, supplementing with formula if needed. Use canned food or dry kitten food mixed with water at first, add a lot of water, and then reduce the amount of water as the kitten matures.

A general schedule for kitten weaning might be:

• Weeks 4-5: Give wet or moistened dry food, mixed with formula to form a slush. Supplement with formula if the kitten is not taking to the new food, to make sure it gets enough calories.
• Weeks 5-6: The weaning kittens should start to nibble on the kibble, slightly moistened with water.
• Weeks 6-7: By now, the kitten weaning process is complete, and they should be eating all solid food by week seven.

Also Check: Big Cat Habitat Gulf Coast Sanctuary

Choose The Right Kitten Food From The Start

Starting with the right food will make a world of difference. Kitten-approved meals have a few things in common: theyre high in calories, dont skimp on proteins, have a good percentage of fat and are highly-digestible. All this is important considering that your pets development depends on a diet that has a particular nutritional profile and designed to match the needs of a kitten in the process of growing healthy and strong. If in doubt, you can check out Purinas range of kitten food and choose nutritionally balanced meals that wont fail to impress your pet and their taste buds.

Four Weeks Old Kitten

Its been one whole month! Its amazing how quickly these helpless kittens have grown up over a four-week period. Darling, Denby, Corduroy, Tweed, and Wembley are thriving babies, starting to explore the world around them and play frequently with friends and toys.

At four weeks old, Corduroy is ready to explore!

Recommended Reading: When Can Kittens Get Neutered

Meat Them Where They Are

The most important rule of weaning is not to rushdo things on the kittens timeline, not yours! Try offering the kitten some small bites of wet food on a finger, a spoon, or a tongue depressor, and see if they will accept it. If theyre interested in eating, see if they are able to access the food in a dish. Remember that this is a new skill for them, so many kittens will find it difficult to eat out of a dish for the first several days. No rush!

Once the kitten has eaten some solids, its time to supplemental feed with a bottle Supplemental feeding ensures that your kitten is getting all of the calories and nutrition she needs during this slow transition. There’s no such thing as “tough love” for kittens, and if she isn’t understanding how to eat yet, you’ll still need to supplement to make sure she’s staying healthy and well fed.

You may also choose to offer the kitten a slurrya mix of formula and wet food, which is used to help transition the kitten from one food to the other. You may begin by just introducing a small teaspoon of wet food mixed with the formula, which allows the kitten to acclimate to the new proteins and flavors. As the kitten becomes more comfortable eating meat, you’ll begin increasing the ratio so that there is more wet food present at each feeding.

Weigh the kitten throughout the weaning process. If her weight drops or steadies, youll need to supplement with a bottle, try a different method of eating, or scale back to kitten formula.

Three Weeks Old Kitten

If you are bottle feeding, youll notice the kittens are drinking much more at each feeding, but at fewer feedings, probably four to five times a day. At this age you can start introducing solid fooduse wet food at first, and try mixing it with kitten formula. By the end of the week, their weight will have increased to close to 15 ounces. They are walking steadily, without too much wobbling.

Tweed is three weeks old!

Recommended Reading: Siberian Kittens For Sale Wisconsin

Consequences Of Weaning Too Early

When the mother weans her kittens, it represents far more than simply a transition from milk to solid food. Shes actually teaching them to put up with not always getting their own way , which is an important lesson for adult life.

According to some studies, early weaning can lead to an increase in aggressivity and stereotypical behaviour in cats, related to the degree to which theyve been allowed to get their own way.

Kittens: When Is It Okay To Separate Them From Their Mothers

It is hard to resist the cuteness of a brand new baby kitten, especially if you see one that appears to be a stray. You fear for his safety and want to help, but is taking him in the best option for his health and safety? Taking kittens away from their mothers can actually be quite dangerous for them, even when you have the best intentions. Kittens who have been separated from their mothers too soon are often more likely to exhibit inappropriate behaviors, struggle with interacting with other cats and humans, and are at a higher risk for health complications. In the wild, kittens usually remain with their mothers until they reach sexual maturity or until the mother gets pregnant again. When keeping kittens as pets, it is important to know the timeline of their development before separating them from their mothers prematurely.

Read Also: How To Help My Cat Gain Weight

What Happens If A Kitten Is Weaned Too Early

It is crucial to wean your kitten at the right time. If you wean your kitty at too early of an age, it puts them more at risk of developing aggression, anxiety, and stereotypic behavior. If you wean your kitten at a later age like after theyre 4 weeks old, they will be less likely to develop aggression and stereotypic behavior. So in general, youre better off weaning your kitten later rather than early. Weaning your kitten too early can have an irreversible effect on their behavior.

Prior To Weaning: Suckling Behaviour

Did you know that kittens in a litter choose one of their mothers teats, and always suckle on that same one during the first eight days of their lives? This reduces the competition for food between brothers and sisters, and shortens the length of time that passes before they start to feed. .

This survival strategy shows very clearly the importance of the newborn kittens access to the mothers milk. And it also helps us to understand why its so vital for kittens to be weaned at the right time, and in the right way.

Bear in mind that during the first two weeks of their lives, kittens spend 10% of their time suckling. This rapidly rises to 60% at three weeks of age, and then goes down once again to 10% towards the end of the first month., when the weaning process is about to begin.

Like human babies, newborn kittens often suck without feeding, because it relaxes them, and strengthens their bond with their mother.

You May Like: Purina One Natural Dry Cat Food

What Is Involved In Weaning Kittens

A newborn kitten is entirely dependent on their mothers, just like a human baby, being provided with warmth, physical protection and nutrition by the mother cat. Weaning is defined as accustomising an animal to managing without something which they have become dependent on.

With young animals, the primary definition means to accustomizing the kitten to feeding itself, rather than being depending on their mother for nutrition via the mothers milk. However, a more comprehensive definition would include the concept of becoming independent of their mother in other ways as well .

What To Do First: Making Your Kittens Warm And Comfortable

If the mother is not there to do it, it is important that you keep newborn kittens warm, as they are not yet able to regulate their own body temperatures and can easily go into hypothermia. To ensure your kittens are warm enough, keep them in a quiet room, out of the way of any drafts. Keep the room temperature at around 25°C. You can make them a cosy bed from a cardboard box lined with blankets or purchase a ready-made kitten bed. You can use an infrared light or hot water bottle securely wrapped in fabric to heat their bed. But make sure it is not in direct contact with kittens.

Reminder: if your kittens eyes are still closed or partially opened, this stage is even more vital. Once warmed up, take them immediately to the vet.

You May Like: How Much Canned Cat Food Per Day

Signs A Kitten Was Separated From Its Mother Too Soon

• University of Strathclyde

• Ohio Wesleyan University

• Endangered Species

When a tiny kitten shows up at the doorstep, many people’s instinct may be to scoop up the tiny critter and help it. But how can you tell if your new kitten was taken away from its mother too soon?

Holistic veterinarian Dr. Judy Morgan recommends that newborn kittens stay with their moms until they are at least 8 weeks old. “But 10 is even better,” she added. By this age, kittens will have been gradually and naturally weaned by their mothers their eyesight and hearing have fully matured and they will have learned how to play and groom themselves appropriately. If you find a healthy stray kitten, it may be better to wait and see if mom is still around, even if she’s feral.

Here’s how to tell if your new kitten was taken from its mother too early.

Spay Or Neuter And Adoption

Eight-week-old healthy kittens are fully weaned and should soon be ready to be spayed or neutered and to find their new forever homes. It is much easier to find homes for eight-week old kittens than it is if you wait longer, so start setting a plan early on. Sharing photos of the kittens with friends and family as they grow, and telling everyone you know that youll be looking for homes for the kittens is a great way to find homes. For more advice on finding homes for the kittens, see this guide on finding homes for homeless pets.

It is also important to ensure that all the kittens are spayed or neutered, so they dont accidentally add to the thousands of unplanned litters of kittens that enter shelters each year. Find a low-cost spay/neuter clinic near you.

While caring for orphaned kittens is a lot of work, its also a lot of fun. The most rewarding part is watching your charges grow up and go into new homes. And the best part is that you can feel good knowing that you helped keep kittens the most at-risk animals to enter shelters safe and sound.

You May Like: Best Clumping Cat Litter For Automatic Litter Boxes

Carefully Introduce Kitten Food

When your kitten is about 4-5 weeks old, youll want to begin the weaning process by carefully introducing your kitty to their food. You can do this by mixing their kitten food with their formula so that they still recognize the taste. You can do this by spreading this kitten food and formula mixture around their mouth and letting them lick it off. You want them to get adjusted to the food on their own terms. Once they get comfortable with the taste of the kitten food, then theyll be more inclined to eat it on their own.

After youve introduced them to their food, then you can put the food in a bowl and have them eat it themselves that way. Make sure you keep a close eye on them during this process and dont force them to eat it at a certain pace. Let them get used to eating the food on their own.

Five Weeks Old Kitten

Showing their independence, Darling, Denby, Corduroy, Tweed, and Wembley are beginning to demonstrate their individual personalities: Darling is a talker Denby is always up for adventure and a good wrestle Corduroy is brave and confident Tweed is sweet and loves belly rubs and Wembley is a cuddle bug and full of silly mischief.

Corduroy, brave and confident!

You May Like: How To Tell If Your Cat Is Pregnant

Signs A Kitten Is Ready For Weaning

Bottle feeding is necessary until the kitten is 4 to 5 weeks old. Once that age is reached, there are several signs to watch for that signal the kitten is ready to begin the weaning process. When you are feeding the kitten its bottle, watch to see if it starts to bite and chew on the feeding nipple as it nurses. Once the kitten is biting on the nipple, place a small amount of formula onto your finger and see if the kitten licks it off. If it does, it is time to begin the weaning process.

Always make sure the kitten is healthy before weaning them off the bottle. Some kittens should continue bottle-feeding if they are not thriving.

What To Do If Your Cat Was Separated Early From Its Mother

If you adopt an orphaned kitten or one that was separated from its mother early, all is not lost!

Youll need to be calm and gentle with your new kitty as they learn to feel safe with you. For a very young kitten, having a foster queen provide its physiological needs is ideal. If that is not possible, then youll need to have veterinary assistance, a warm, safe space, and appropriate nutrition for your new kitten. For a very young kitten, handle it gently for 15 to 40 minutes per day so it becomes accustomed to human interaction. Offer plenty of playful stimulation similar to what the kitten would have experienced with its littermates. Teach your kitten social skills and gently provide limits. While these important skills are usually learned in the first weeks of life, most cats can still learn new behaviors beyond kittenhood.

Similarly, if you bring home an adult cat that was taken from its mother too early, it is important to be patient and allow time for bonding. Get to know your cats temperament and give it a chance to become secure in its environment. If you notice particularly aggressive or fearful behaviors, you may want to seek the advice of a veterinarian.

Also Check: New Cat Peeing Outside Litter Box

Other Key Elements And Precautions For Feeding Kittens

Below are some other things to bear in mind when feeding kittens, as outlined by Matejka:

• Make sure the food is verified by the AAFCO, which is a group that regulates pet food to ensure that it is balanced. Look for a product label that says the food “meets the nutritional requirements of kittens or all life stages established by the American Association of Feed Control Officials.”
• Be mindful of portions and calories. Check the package of the product for the suggested amount based on a kitten’s weight and age. The amount of food kittens require changes as they get older.
• Stick to regular meals and avoid “free feeding.” Kittens can be fed twice a day when they are over four to six months old. When kittens are young , they often can be allowed to “free-feed” as they will consume as much as their body needs. But once they’re older, stick with regular meals and measure out the exact amount of food they need per day, per meal.
• Do not overfeed them. Kittens may “always act like they are starving,” but it’s vital not to overfeed them, as this can predispose the kittens to obesity later in life. Those concerned about their kitten’s weight should consult a veterinarian to discuss what you’re feeding and how much you’re feeding your kitten.

How Is Weaning Achieved In A Practical Way

Its important to remember that weaning is just part of the process of preparing kittens for their new homes.

Normally, from around three or four weeks of age, the kittens should be offered highly digestible, easily eaten semi-liquid food on a saucer.

Examples include kitten kibble soaked in warm water so that it forms a mushy, porridge-type, slurry-like consistency, so that the kittens are able to lap the mixture easily.

Alternatively, wet food may be used to feed kittens, again moistened with warm water to make it easier to eat. It is better to use high quality kitten food rather than cat food designed for an adult cat, as it has a different nutrient profile, more suited to a growing kitten.

Small amounts of kitten milk replacer or even cows milk may be added to the food gruel: this may make the taste more appealing to kittens familiar with the taste of milk

A small amount of food should be offered four times a day. The shallow dish with food should be left down for the kittens, then removed after 15 or 20 minutes. Only a small quantity should be offered at first, and this should be gradually increased over a two week period, eventually offering the kittens as much food as they want, so that only a trace is left by the time they are finished eating.

Over time, dry food can be offered alone, without moistening it, as the kittens become accustomed to eating it, and as their teeth develop the ability to crunch the food.

You May Like: When Should I Take My Kitten To The Vet