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When do baby kittens start eating food


When can kittens start eating solid food?

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If there is one thing that we can all agree on, it is that kittens are insanely cute. Those of us lucky enough to have their homes overrun by the little critters will be very aware of the responsibility to ensure that they get the best care. A crucial part of this is successfully weaning them from milk onto solid food. The Cats Protection League survey in 2020 found that 16% of all neutered female cats have one litter before they are spayed. Given there are 5.3 million owned female cats in the UK,  that equates to a lot of kittens that need to be weaned onto solids. So, whether breeding was intended, or the kittens were an accident, knowing when to start weaning them onto solid food is essential for giving a kitten the best start in life.  

Table of contents

  • What is the meaning of “weaning”? 
  • Kittens are ready to try solid foods at 4 weeks old.
  • What are the pitfalls to watch out for? 
  • Is the timing of weaning different for hand-rears?
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What is the meaning of “weaning”? 

The Oxford English Dictionary defines weaning as to “accustom (an infant or other young mammal) to food other than its mother’s milk”. There is a second definition, which when talking about baby animals, is often conflated with the first: “accustom (someone) to managing without something which they have become dependent on”. In this context, removing the kitten permanently from the mother. This confusion is unfortunate as it suggests that kittens (and other baby animals) should be removed from their mothers when they start eating solid food. In fact, a kitten should remain with the mother at least a month after they have started eating solid food to ensure adequate socialization.  

“Early weaning”, as in early separation from the mother, can result in behavioural problems. It can be a challenge in hand-reared kittens. However, here we discuss weaning in strictly the sense of introducing a kitten to solid food. 

Kittens are ready to try solid foods at 4 weeks old.

Weaning a kitten from a 100% milk diet to solid food is a delicate business. Some kittens might start showing interest in their mother’s food from 3 weeks of age. Most will be ready to be introduced to kitten gruel by 4 weeks of age. At this stage, you should be actively encouraging kittens to eat solid food. Kitten gruel is a mash of high-quality kitten food mixed with kitten replacement milk formula. It is designed to be easy for the kitten to lap up.

As kittens get used to the gruel, the amount of milk added can be reduced gradually. It helps to serve the gruel in a flat dish. Such as a saucer or even an upside-down Tupperware lid if there is one to spare. This allows easy access to the food. Expect feeding to be very messy for the first few days. But most kittens should complete the transition to kitten food by 6 weeks of age. 

What are the pitfalls to watch out for? 

Just like human babies, kittens develop at different rates. So whilst some may be chowing down their gruel in no time,  they may have siblings who are struggling to get the hang of things. It may simply be that they need more time to get used to solids. Still, it is a good idea to weigh all kittens daily to pick up any problems early. Even if they are still nursing from their mother. A healthy kitten should gain at least 10 grams a day. If, after introducing solids, the kitten’s weight gain curve flattens or they become dull and lethargic, that is the cue to take the little one for a checkup with the vet to see if an underlying cause can be identified. 

Is the timing of weaning different for hand-rears?

Unfortunately, no. After several weeks of relentless night feeds, the temptation to get the little darlings onto solids earlier is understandable. Nevertheless, the magic age for introduction to solids for hand-reared kittens is still 4 weeks and certainly not before 3 weeks of age. 

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When Do Kittens Start Eating Food? Here's What Experts Say

Consider this your guide to weaning kittens from milk or formula to solids

By BethAnn Mayer

By the time you usually bring home a brand-new kitten at eight to nine weeks old, they’ve already gone through a significant transition: being weaned from milk to solid foods. However, you may find yourself in the trenches of new kitten parenthood at an even earlier stage. If you are fostering a kitten or have found a newborn, you have likely been bottle-feeding them milk or watching their mother nurse.

Contents

  • When do kittens start eating food and drinking water?
  • What do you feed a 4-week old kitten?
  • How do you introduce kittens to food?
  • Final word on caring for and feeding newborn kittens

In these cases, you may wonder, “When do kittens start eating food?” Weaning is usually a natural process, particularly if the Mom is involved. If you’re bottle-feeding, the process may be a bit trickier, and you may have to help lead it. Regardless of your situation, understanding what to expect can help you know when to have kibble and water on hand as a kitten gets ready to wean. Consider this your guide.

When do kittens start eating food and drinking water?

The weaning process involves going from the mother’s milk to kibble and water, which is what a kitten will eat and drink in some form for the rest of their lives. If the mother cat is around, she’ll know when the time is right to start weaning, and it’s best not to interfere.

Generally, kittens will start to be ready to take small tastes of solid foods and water at around three to four weeks of age. The food and water are complimentary at this young age, so don’t worry too much if they play with it more than they eat it. They’re still getting most of their nutrition from Mom or a formula in a bottle.

What do you feed a 4-week old kitten?

You’ll start by feeding the tiny cat what’s known as “gruel,” or moistened cat food, as well as some dry kibble, formulated for baby cats. A small-batch gruel recipe calls for one-half can of wet kitten food with one-quarter can of formula. Put one half of a can of gruel and dry food in one dish in your kitten’s crate and a bowl of water in another dish.

Adult cats generally drink 50 to 60 milliliters of water per kilogram or 2.2 pounds of body weight. You can put that out for a kitten, but don’t be surprised if she doesn’t drink it all. The kitten should still have formula three times per day (about every eight hours), or she should be allowed to nurse as desired.

How do you introduce kittens to food?

Remember, weaning is a process, and it may be a little harder for a bottle-fed kitten to navigate without the instincts of his birth mother. No need for any kitten-parent guilt, though—you’re doing a ton to help lay a great nutritional foundation for the little guy. Patience and monitoring will be essential as your kitten transitions to a new dietary source.

At four weeks, offer the gruel, dry food, and water, but don’t stress about how much the kitty’s eating. You do want the kitten to start getting used to the taste and texture, though. If you’re bottle-feeding, you can offer gruel off a spoon or from a tongue depressor if the kitten doesn’t seem to be eating from a dish.

At five weeks, swap baby cat kibble for kitten kibble and formula for water when making the gruel. If you were using a tongue depressor at four weeks, try to transition from it by slowly lowering it towards the dish of gruel to signify that’s where the food is going to be in the future. Keep half a can of kitten kibble in a dish for each kitten you are caring for, plus gruel or wet food. Set out a water bowl too.

Weeks five and six are transitional. You want to keep feeding kittens milk or formula plus kibble to mitigate any digestive issues. Slowly reduce the amount of formula while increasing the amount of kibble. By seven weeks, the kitten should be eating mainly dry food, and he should be fully weaned at eight weeks.

Final word on caring for and feeding newborn kittens

If you’re caring for an orphaned kitten, you may be confused about when you’re supposed to start feeding him solid food. It’s a slow process that takes about a month. Weaning may also look a little different for nursed kittens and bottle-fed cats. First, let the mother take the lead if you’re looking after a mama cat and her kittens. Interfering as she weans her kittens from nursing can make it more challenging for everyone. Whether the kitten is eating from Mom or a bottle, you can start putting out gruel, dry food, and a water dish at four weeks. Let the kitten explore, and don’t worry too much about how much they’re eating. Most of their nutrition and hydration are still coming from milk or formula. You’ll gradually reduce the amount of milk or formula the kitten gets while increasing solid foods, and eventually, your kitten will only eat cat food and will only drink water. As always, discuss any concerns with a vet.

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When kittens start eating on their own, how to teach them to eat on their own

A new pet has appeared in the house, but bad luck - too small. Early weaning can occur for many reasons. The situation is serious, and the new owners will have to teach the baby all the necessary skills themselves. One of the problems acutely facing the owners is accustoming to independent eating.

Contents

  • 1 What is the duration of natural feeding of newborn kittens with mother's milk

    • 1.1 What to do if the kitten is without a mother

      • 1.1.1 Video: How to make your own kitten formula

    • 1.2 When the kitten is ready to feed

  • 2 How to introduce first complementary foods

    • 2.1 Table: sample menu for kittens

  • 3 How a kitten learns to eat by itself

    • 3.1 Video: how to teach a kitten to eat from a bowl

    • 3.2 Possible problems when switching to self-feeding

  • 4 Specialist tips for accustoming kittens to new food and bowl

    • 4. 1 Video: how to choose a bowl for a kitten

  • 5 Safety precautions for a kitten starting to feed on its own

  • 6 Table: diet and nutritional norms for kittens

What is the duration of natural feeding of newborn kittens with mother's milk

In nature, in its natural habitat, a mother cat feeds her cubs for quite a long time. In a small litter (up to 5 kittens), breastfeeding can last up to six months. But the main period lasts about 3 months:

In street conditions, there is no question of any special diet. But for pets, the transfer process is different, and it is possible to choose food for babies that best meets the needs of a growing kitten.

What to do if the kitten was without a mother

A kitten can be left without a cat for various reasons. The task of a person is to replace his mother as much as possible, to provide nutrition, security and education.

First of all, you need to equip a place for the baby. It should be quite secluded. It can be a special house for cats or a box - there are many options. It is necessary to line the bottom with soft flooring: put a blanket or diaper. The place for the house should not be located in a draft, but you should not install it near the battery either.

Heat transfer in kittens is not yet perfect, therefore, for very young ones (up to 2 weeks old), additional heating should be provided, for example, place hot water bottles wrapped in a towel in a box.

The owner will also have to feed the baby. Newborns are fed quite often - every 2-3 hours. In veterinary pharmacies, you can buy special bottles with nipples, as well as a dry mixture - a substitute for cat's milk. True, the latter is quite expensive, so you can prepare nutritious milk yourself. Whole cow's milk is not suitable for feeding kittens, it does not have sufficient nutritional value and may cause digestive disorders.

There are commercially available dry mixes from different manufacturers for feeding kittens

Video: How to make your own kitten formula

When the kitten is ready to feed

Although breastfeeding can last quite a long time, you can start accustoming a kitten to self-feeding from 3 weeks of age. This applies to all babies and does not depend on belonging to a particular breed. As soon as the kittens begin to more or less stand on their paws and walk, you can try to offer them other food.

My cat had 3 kittens in the litter. They started walking at the same time, but eating from a bowl at different times. One of the kids already in a month deftly managed with a thin porridge and even tried to steal a granule of dry food from his mother from a plate. The second mastered lapping from a bowl by 1.5 months. But the third one, up to 2 months, ran away from the plate, as if from fire, and then he ate very little. I preferred to find my mother and kiss my breast. So it seems to me that readiness for complementary foods is an individual trait.

How to introduce the first complementary foods

Caution should be exercised when introducing the first complementary foods. You need to offer your pet new food gradually, in small portions. Keep in mind that cats, like humans, can have allergies. Therefore, new food is offered to be licked from the finger first, and only the next day a small portion is served in a bowl.

Table: sample menu for kittens

Kitten age (weeks) Type of food Quantity (at a time)
3 Milk 10-16 ml
4-5 Milk + porridge 16-18 ml/g
5-6
  • milk;
  • porridge;
  • cottage cheese;
  • special pâté for kittens.
~20 g
6-8
  • boiled chicken;
  • fish;
  • minced meat;
  • prepared canned food.
30-40 g
8–10
  • meat in small pieces;
  • dry food
40–50 g/according to package directions

How a kitten learns to eat by itself

Kittens are naturally curious. They have a wonderful sense of smell, and they will be extremely focused on sniffing the muzzle of the mother after she has eaten. The most daring will try to lick their mother's lips. This is a signal that babies are ready to try other foods.

If the kittens grow up with their mother, then the cat will take them to the bowl and teach them everything. But the baby without maternal supervision will be tight. Here all responsibility passes to the owner:

  1. Finger or spoon food is offered first. The baby can't handle the bowl. Most likely, he will step into it with his paws and immediately turn it over. Milk should come first. Kitten licked and wants more? He will fuss, meow loudly and show interest in every possible way. In this case, you can offer a saucer or bowl.
  2. Have the baby sniff the bowl first. Then you need to lightly poke his muzzle into the food. If you like it, it will start to lap up.
  3. At first, the kitten may choke (he will snort or sneeze), climb into the bowl with his paws, turn it over. The owner needs to be patient. Quickly enough, the baby will figure out what's what, and will begin to eat more carefully.

Video: how to teach a kitten to eat from a bowl

Possible problems when switching to self-feeding

When switching to self-feeding, a kitten may experience a number of problems. These include:

  • Gastrointestinal disorder. This may mean that the food did not suit your baby. Most often this happens against the background of feeding cow's milk. In order not to aggravate the problem, the kitten can be offered a liquid homogeneous porridge (for example, from oatmeal), boiled with the addition of a small amount of milk (“for smell”) or in low-fat meat broth. For constipation, do not forget to massage the tummy after eating.
  • Allergy. In kittens, it can manifest itself, as in humans, with rashes on the skin, hair loss. The allergen should be identified and eliminated. At the time of the kitten, you can switch back to full breastfeeding or formula feeding.
  • Psychological refusal of food. A categorical refusal of food may mean that the baby is not yet psychologically ready to eat on his own. At the same time, the owner should offer him food in small portions, but not be persistent. Literally in a few days or a week, the situation may change radically, and the kitten will begin to show interest in his bowl and its contents.

For my kittens, I cooked oatmeal in chicken breast broth. Blended in a blender before serving. The kittens felt the attractive smell of meat and ate with pleasure, especially since their mother ate the same porridge, only with meat.

Expert Tips for Kitten Food and Bowl Training

Successful accustoming to self-feeding largely depends on the dishes in which the kitten is offered food. It should be low, not slip on the floor, the bowl must be clean. It is highly undesirable to wash it with the product. The fact is that kittens have a sharp sense of smell, and extraneous odors will only scare him away.

A lot of how a kitten learns to feed itself depends on the bowl in which the food is offered

Also, experts give the following recommendations for the introduction of complementary foods:

  • The new food should be introduced gradually, mixing it with the usual one.
  • The consistency of the food should be compacted over time and only after the kitten will independently lap from the bowl.
  • Carefully monitor the temperature of the food offered (it should be around 37 about C). Hot or cold food will scare away the kitten, and he may not return to the bowl in the near future.
  • It is necessary to ensure a calm environment while eating a kitten, excluding sharp sounds and the movement of household members.
  • If there are other pets in the house, it is advisable to exclude their access to the kitten during feeding.

Video: how to choose a bowl for a kitten

Safety precautions for a kitten starting to feed on its own

Baby's safety during self-feeding is very important:

Table: diet and nutritional norms of kittens

Age Permitted Prohibited Quantity (g)/100 g kitten weight Number of meals
1 week Special formula (milk substitute) All offline food 30 10 times a day (with night capture)
2 weeks Special formula (milk substitute) All offline food 38 10 times a day (with night capture)
1 month
  • goat's milk;
  • milk formula;
  • grated buckwheat porridge.
  • smoked products;
  • pickles.
48–53 8 times a day (with night capture)
1–2 months
  • goat's milk;
  • porridge;
  • pates.
7 times (night excluded)
2–3 months
  • goat's milk;
  • porridge;
  • pates;
  • boiled chicken meat;
  • minced meat;
  • offal;
  • egg.
6 times a day
4–5 months Meat is added in thin slices, scalded with boiling water 5 times a day
5-9 months Dry food added 4 times a day
9-12 months Complete transition to dry food if needed or desired 2-3 times a day

Do not despair if something does not work out in accustoming the kitten to self-feeding. The main thing is to be patient and show maximum care for the baby and responsibility. In all non-standard situations, a consultation with a veterinarian is necessary.

  • Author: Veronika Eremenko