When Do Kittens Need To Start Eating Kitten Food

Because of that newborn kittens do not need food until they re old enough to begin weaning.

When do kittens need to start eating kitten food. By the end of the week their weight will have increased to close to 15 ounces. Weaning when a wise mother cat determines that her kittens are mature enough to begin eating solids she ll slowly but surely start deterring them away from nursing as frequently as before though she will continue some of it. At this point you can start to introduce kitten food. Do not use cow s milk as this will cause stomach upset and diarrhea in some kittens.

It s for their own good left to their own and nature s devices kittens no longer need mom s nutrition at 8 to 10 weeks. Just like human babies kittens do a lot of growing in the first year of their lives. A kitten has different nutritional needs than adult cats so it is important to educate my new pet parents on kitten nutrition and when to switch from kitten food to adult cat food. 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.

By making sure a kitten is on a proper feeding schedule you ll be able to monitor your kitten s growth and ensure they are receiving appropriate nutrition. To begin weaning a kitten mix the kitten food with formula so they recognize the taste. Plan to give the kittens wet food 4 or 5 times each day. Begin by feeding your kitten soft or wet canned food.

As they grow used to eating solid food and their teeth continue to develop begin to mix in dry food softened with a bit of water. If they re only eating canned food they should be fed four times daily. Without some canned food they won t get enough nutrition to grow properly. If you are bottle feeding you ll notice the kittens are drinking much more at each feeding but at fewer feedings probably four to five times a day.

Serve kitten milk replacer in a shallow bowl. If the kittens are still with their mother mom will gradually say no to frequent nursing sessions and tell them to find other food sources. When they start biting and chewing on the bottle they re ready says benson. Kittens can begin eating solid food at around four weeks old.

At this age you can start introducing solid food use wet food at first and try mixing it with kitten formula. Gradually increase the amount of dry food over several days paying attention to the feeding. We want these little guys growing up to be big strong and healthy. If you are feeding your kitten both dry and canned foods then twice a day canned feedings are sufficient.

Continued how do i wean a kitten off of mother s milk or bottle feeding. How do i switch from one kitten food to another. The kind of food and how much a kitten consumes directly affects their growth rate and development. For example set out a tablespoon of food per kitten at 8 am 11 am 3 pm 6 pm and 9 pm.