Weaning of Cats, When and How?

Newborn kittens need nothing more than milk from his mother to develop, but there comes a time when they will exchange milk for solid foods.In this article of Animals and Pets Online we will explain how and when to wean kittens .Although there will be differences if the litter has been raised a bottle or, on the contrary, has the presence of his mother, the process to replace liquid feeding with solid will be the same for all kittens, so read on to know the steps you should follow./p>

Feeding the kittens

Before explaining when and how weaning of cats happens, it is important that we know some basic aspects of their feeding in those first weeks of life.If we want to know when they start eating the kittens we have to go to the beginning , to colostrum .This liquid is the one produced by cats as soon as they give birth and is characterized by their immunological properties.That is why, as soon as the kittens are born, once their mother releases them from the liquid bag amniotic, cuts the umbilical cord and cleanses them of secretions in the nose and mouth, we can observe how they go to a nipple to start breastfeeding by ingesting the precious colostrum that, later, will be replaced by mature milk.

The breast milk will be the exclusive food during the first weeks of life.The milk completely covers all the needs of the kitten in terms of both physical and psychological development.Besides, mother and young communicate during the la Ctancia.Everyone will purr in a wellbeing sign.If the cat knows that her little ones are well and feeding satisfactorily.For their part, they massage their breasts with their forelegs, which is a stimulus for the output of the milk.

The kittens are born with their eyes closed and will spend most of the day sleeping.By eight days of life their eyes will begin to open.Approximately one week later, with about 15 days, they will take their first steps and, around After three weeks, you can start eating solid foods, starting a transitional stage until they completely replace the milk.We will explain the process of weaning cats in more detail in the following sections.

When to wean cats?

The ideal age for to start weaning kittens is around three weeks of life .Before, as we have seen, they need nothing more than milk and, therefore, we should not try to eat anything, we will not even offer them water.

With three weeks, the kittens already interact a lot with each other, they play, their mother leaves them time alone and every time Your interest in the surrounding environment will be greater, and this will include food.If we ask ourselves when and how weaning takes place, data like the ones we mentioned indicate that they are ready to start the process.

Anyway, we should know that weaning is not an exact science.There are cats that show interest in food later, while others will be earlier.We must respect their times and , above all, bear in mind that we are facing a process that must always be done gradually and naturally.We must also take into account that e breast milk has to be part of their diet, at least, until 6-8 weeks of age, so that nursing kittens will remain until about this age.

How to wean cats?

Once we know when to wean kittens, the time has come for us to know how to wean them.To do this, we can choose different formulas .Yes, for sale we will find feed or food wet, always specially formulated for growing cats, or we can choose to prepare homemade food.

If we opt for the feed we will have to start soaking it with warm water to form a porridge, since otherwise 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 basic that we know that this is not synonymous with human leftovers.We would have to contact a Veterinary specialist in nutrition and make a balanced menu, always taking into account that cats are carnivorous animals that require a diet based mainly on the intake of meat and fish.

With three weeks we can put the kittens a plate with the food we have chosen 2-3 times a day .A low-edge plate will facilitate access.Yes, they will continue sucking on demand and eat solid if they want.If the kittens do not have mother and we are feeding them with a bottle, so we are interested to know how weaning of orphaned cats should be, we must know that we can put the dish before giving it to them.Then, we will let them drink the milk they want.

Little by little we will notice that they will be eating more solid and less milk, so we will adapt the quantities, always gradually.If we give them porridge every time we must prepare them more solidly.It is very important that we accompany the increase of solids with the offer water foundation , as it is imperative that kittens are always well hydrated.They must have clean and fresh water freely available.We insist that weaning of kittens should never be finished before 6-8 weeks .Early weaning and early separation from the family will have consequences on the cat's future character.If the kittens are with their mother, she will decide when to end breastfeeding.

Any questions that may arise regarding how and when to wean cats may be resolved by our veterinarian.

When to remove the cats from the mother?

As we have already pointed out, the weaning of cats and the separation of their mother should be something that marks the feline family itself.An early separation will cause socialization and behavior problems in the kittens in the future.Therefore, it is not recommended to separate them before 6 weeks of age.

For more information about this, do not miss the following article: "When can kittens be separated from their mother?".

If you want to read more articles similar to Weaning of cats, when and how? , we recommend that you enter our Breastfeeding section.