What Age Do Kittens Eat Kitten Food
Buy this milk replacer at pet and farm supply stores and some grocery stores.
What age do kittens eat kitten food. When young cats are old enough around 8 weeks old they start to eat food on their own whilst simultaneously decreasing the amount of milk they suckle from their mother. Here are some foods to offer your kitten during her first year. Some of these are good foods while others can be special treats. Your four week old kittens can eat dry food but it may be tough at first.
When to wean kittens. Although some cat foods are labeled as appropriate for kittens and cats of all life stages these aren t appropriate for your kitten unless feeding tests support the label claim. Basic kitten feeding guide. Serve kitten milk replacer in a shallow bowl.
Her primary kitten food. Make the transition easier by mixing it with kitten milk replacer. The exception would be larger breed cats such as the maine coon which do not reach adult maturity until they are 18 months to two years of age. For example set out a tablespoon of food per kitten at 8 am 11 am 3 pm 6 pm and 9 pm.
For these reasons most experts recommend you feed your kitten specially formulated kitten food until age 1. Kittens are essentially baby carnivores with specialised needs. Your kitten should be eating a good quality. If a kitten is introduced to a variety of foods during her first year of life however then even if she has a favorite food she will eat others.
As a general rule cats that are less than one year of age are considered kittens. Continued how do i wean a kitten off of mother s milk or bottle feeding. When kittens are first born they are completely helpless their eyes are closed their ears are folded and they can t stand keep themselves warm or eat on their own they rely on mom for everything. But if you re weaning a kitten that has been orphaned you can start a little earlier between three and four weeks.
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. Plan to give the kittens wet food 4 or 5 times each day. A healthy diet will ensure proper growth and development minimize the risk of disease and keep your kitten s teeth clean and healthy. Do not use cow s milk as this will cause stomach upset and diarrhea in some kittens.
Since kittens will eat solid food periodically during the day you need to serve food multiple times. It is important to feed your pet a kitten formula up to one year. Kittens can eat a variety of foods depending upon their age. Kittens naturally wean off their mother s milk at around 8 12 weeks of age.
Learn more about newborn kittens in our kitten guide. Normally the kitten weaning process begins at about four weeks of age. Gradually reduce the amount.