Content
Newborn kittens need nothing more than their mother's milk to develop properly, but there will come a time when they will switch from milk to a diet consisting of solid foods.
In this article by PeritoAnimal, we will explain weaning from cats - when and how? Although there are differences in whether the litter was bottle-fed or, on the contrary, has its mother present, the process for replacing liquid food with solid food will be the same for all kittens. So, keep reading to know the step by step of this important phase of life for kittens.
Feeding kittens
Before explaining when and how the weaning from cats, it is important that we know some basic aspects of your diet in your first weeks of life. If we want to know when kittens start eating, we have to go to the beginning, the colostrum.
This liquid is what cats produce as soon as they give birth and is characterized by its immunological properties. So, as soon as the kittens are born, once their mother releases them from the bag of amniotic fluid, she cuts the umbilical cord and cleans them of the secretions from the nose and mouth, we can observe how they go to a nipple to initiate lactation, ingesting the precious colostrum that, later, will be replaced by mature milk.
O breast milk will be the exclusive food during the first weeks of life. Milk completely covers all the kitten's needs in terms of physical and psychological development. Also, mother and cubs communicate during lactation. All will purr in a sign of well-being. In this way, the cat knows that her little ones are well and eating satisfactorily. Kittens, in turn, massage the breasts with their front paws, which stimulates the flow of milk.
Cats are born with their eyes closed and will spend practically the entire day sleeping. Around eight days old, your eyes will start to open. Approximately a week later, with about 15 days, they will take their first steps and, around three weeks, may start eating solid foods, starting a transition stage until they completely replace milk.We will explain the cat weaning process in more detail in the following sections.
When to wean cats
the ideal age for start weaning kittens kittens it's around three weeks to live. Rather, as we've seen, they don't need anything but milk and therefore we shouldn't try to make them eat anything, not even offer them water.
At three weeks, the kittens already interact a lot with each other, they play, their mother leaves them a alone time and interest in their surroundings increases, and this will include food. If we ask ourselves when and how cats are weaned, information like the ones we've mentioned tells us they're ready to start the process.
Anyway, we must know that weaning is not an exact science. Certainly some cats will show interest in food later, while others will be earlier. We must respect your times and, above all, keep in mind that we are facing a process that must always be done gradually and naturally.
We must also take into account that breast milk must be part of your diet, at least until 6-8 weeks of life, so the kittens will continue to nurse until approximately this age.
In this other article you will see at what age cats lose their baby teeth.
How to wean cats
Once we know when to wean kittens, it's time to know what the weaning process is like. For this, we can choose different formulas. Thus, we will find food or wet food for sale, always specially formulated for growing cats, or we can choose to prepare homemade food.
If we choose the ration, we will have to start by wetting it with warm water to form a baby food, otherwise the kittens will have difficulties to be able to eat the hard balls. On the other hand, if we want to offer homemade food, it is essential that we know that this is not synonymous with human leftovers. We would have to contact a veterinarian specialized in nutrition and make a balanced menu, always taking into account that cats are carnivorous animals that require a diet based mainly on meat and fish.
At three weeks we can put a plate for the kittens with the food we choose 2-3 times a day. A plate with low edges will make their access easier. Thus, they will continue to nurse on demand and will eat solid foods whenever they want. If kittens have no mother and you are feeding them from bottles, then you might want to know what it should be like to wean from orphan cats. Know that you can make the dish with feed available. Afterwards, we'll let them drink whatever milk they want.
Little by little, we notice that they are eating more solids and less milk, so we adjust the amounts, always gradually. If we give them baby food, we must prepare them more and more solid. It is very important that we monitor the increase in solids with the water offering, as it is essential that kittens are always well hydrated. They should always have clean, fresh water at their disposal.
We insist that kittens must never be weaned before 6-8 weeks. Early weaning and early separation from the family will have consequences for the cat's personality. If the kittens are with their mother, she will be the one to decide when to finish breastfeeding.
Any questions that arise about how and when to wean cats can be answered by a veterinarian.
When can I take the mother's cats away?
As we have already pointed out, weaning from cats and separating from their mother must be something that marks the feline family itself. Early separation will lead to socialization and behavioral problems in kittens in the future. Therefore, it is not recommended to separate them before 6 weeks of life.
For more information on the subject, don't miss the article in which we detail when it is possible to separate the kittens from the mother.
In the video below you will see all the details of when and how to wean cats, don't miss it!
If you want to read more articles similar to Weaning cats: when and how?, we recommend that you enter our Nursing section.