When To Wean Kittens Off Their Mother
The weaning process also varies from kitten to kitten.
When to wean kittens off their mother. But the weaning period of your kitten usually lasts for about 6 to1 0 weeks. A kitten must be weaned from its mother once it reaches four weeks. Weaning refers to the process by which a kitten goes from mother s milk to solid food. You can also complete this process in your kitten when it becomes 8 to 10 weeks old.
Mother kittens can suffer from mastitis an infection of the breast due to milk accumulation. The next month of life is still full of essentials for a growing kitten even if it isn t consuming its mother s milk all of the time. When the kittens are between 3 and 4 weeks of age it is time to begin the process of weaning them. Follow these simple steps and your care of kittens will aid in good health for them.
The process generally begins when a kitten is around four weeks old and should be complete by eight to ten weeks. Even after a cat mother weans off the kittens she cannot be separated from them straight away. Weaning simply means a baby no longer nurses from its mother and receives nutrition from a non maternal source. It s not a good idea to let kittens go to a new home before the age of 8 weeks.
This means that the kittens are removed one by one from their mothers. Weaning kittens is a fairly easy process but must be done correctly for the health of the kittens and their mom. Mother cats will typically start to wean their kittens off their milk at one month of age. However stubborn kittens will keep latching on its mother s nipple even after the weaning phase.
Weaning can begin earlier in the case of orphaned or hand fed kittens. This does not mean that this is the time that the kittens can go home though. The best time to start weaning your kitten is when it is 4 weeks i e. The process will be slow but must be completed by the time the kitten reaches 8 to 10 weeks.
Whenever possible kittens should remain with their mother during the weaning process as she will inherently know what to do.