When To Wean Kittens Off Mom
Dip your fingertip or the syringe or bottle the kitten is used to nursing from into the liquid let the kitten lick it then guide him by moving your finger down into the bowl.
When to wean kittens off mom. But when the queen has trouble producing milk or when a litter of kittens is orphaned we need to intervene. Kittens generally nibble solid foods at three to four weeks. Make sure this area has a litter box and water bowls. How do i wean a kitten off of mother s milk or bottle feeding.
To teach your kittens how to lap from a bowl place some kitten replacement formula in a shallow feeding bowl. If you are weaning a bottle fed kitten dip the nipple of the bottle or syringe eye dropper in the formula instead of using your finger. Once they re weaned feed them a high protein kitten diet. 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.
Blend these ingredients together until the. 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. Kittens require a lot of protein and they eat a lot. Please do not push.
The first thing in weaning a kitten is to deal with the separation from its mother. Weaning a kitten is the process of transitioning the kitten from mother s milk to solid food. When you are weaning kittens you can add into the kitten formula a bit of canned or dry kitten food. When they start biting and chewing on the bottle they re ready says benson.
It is advisable to keep the queen i e. You ll also want to be sure to purchase high quality cat food which will be introduced to the kitten gradually. Weaning refers to the process by which a kitten goes from mother s milk to solid food. When you first start weaning your kitten off of its mother s milk you ll want to buy milk replacer.
If you give away or sell your kittens let the new owners know what a kittens needs nutritionally. It s an important part of the kitten s development and needs to be done at the right time and in the right way. How to wean kittens. Serve kitten milk replacer in a shallow bowl.
It is not recommended to separate the kitten from its mother. So slow dealing with the separation is always fine. Repeat this until. When they ve reached the bouncing off the walls stage they re probably done with nursing.
The kitten is able to spend more time alone without the mother if it becomes independent. Normally the queen or mother cat will handle kitten weaning on her own. But if you re weaning a kitten that has been orphaned you can start a little earlier between three and four weeks. He should be fed kitten formula canned and dry.
A good rule of thumb is to see if a meat is listed first on its ingredients. Weaning can begin earlier in the case of orphaned or hand fed kittens. With mom they ll start to try to eat her food and she ll push them away from her says benson. The process generally begins when a kitten is around four weeks old and should be complete by eight to ten weeks.
Do not use cow s milk as this will cause stomach upset and diarrhea in some kittens. Place a high quality dry kitten food in the blender with kitten milk replacer and hot water. However you must be very careful about crushing the dry food really well. Certainly this can be done with a fork or spoon but i love to use my blender.
The mother around the kitten in the initial weaning stages. Dip your finger into the formula and offer it to the kitten to lick it off. It is designed to replicate the nutritional value and to a degree the taste of its mother s milk.