Weaning Kittens From Mom

She won t let them nurse as easily and may start hissing at them.

Weaning kittens from mom. Watch her for signs that she s preparing the kittens for weaning. Normally the queen or mother cat will handle kitten weaning on her own. 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. Kittens generally nibble solid foods at three to four weeks.

It helps for nutritional balance in your kitten. Weaning a kitten is the process of transitioning the kitten from mother s milk to solid food. 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. As the litter grows up mom has less to do with them.

It can even pose a choking hazard to them and it doesn t do them any good since they should avoid becoming dehydrated. At that point place cup of milk replacer and kitten chow in a shallow bowl. Avoid giving kittens cow. But when the queen has trouble producing milk or when a litter of kittens is orphaned we need to intervene.

If this happens you can let the little ones nibble on the queen s food. The weaning process can also happen naturally. Before weaning your kitten make sure that it s around 4 weeks old with the ability to focus and walk steadily. To help weaning kittens become less dependent on mom and her milk place them in an area separate from mom for a few hours at a time.

Purchase canned and dry food specifically manufactured with kitten nutrition in mind. 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. These formulas have the higher levels of calories protein and calcium that growing kittens need. However try to avoid allowing kittens to eat dry food.

Warmth ensure that you keep the weaning kittens warm. Then dip your finger in the food and present it to your kitten to encourage it to eat from the bowl. At this stage when they re around a month old you can start supplementing them with kitten food. If the kittens have a mom they can become interested in her food and begin to eat it naturally.

When you are weaning a kitten onto solid food it s important to use a food formulated specifically for kittens. Packaged food formulated for weaning kittens is the best choice. Ideally weaning is handled entirely by the mother cat. Weaning is the fun messy adventure of helping a kitten transition from nursing or bottle feeding to eating solid food on her own.

Make sure this area has a litter box and water bowls. It manages the calorie intake and the nutritional needs of kittens. But be careful using this equipment and never leave the kittens alone. You can either use hot water bottles or heating pads to make them warmer.

If your kitten is reluctant try feeding it with an eye dropper or by letting it lick the milk.