I have a friend that has adopted a cat and 3 kittens. The kittens were born a couple of weeks ago. When is it appropriate to feed cats solid food? What should the solid food be - regular cat food or something else?
Answers:
At about 4 weeks or so, mom will start to wean the kittens, at this time, blend some dry (kitten formula) food with water (or kitten milk replacer), to make a mush, think baby cereal consistency. Gradually blend it less and less, by about 6 1/2 weeks, soak the dry food in a bit of water to soften it, at about 8 weeks, they should be on completely dry kitten food.
Mom can also be eating some the kitten food, since she is a queen who is nursing.
when they are about a year old.
felines are actually technically "kittens" until one year old. Even though they may be approaching adult size around 7 months, they're still developing until one year.
soft food isn't necessary, and it's expensive. If the cat's stool is getting hard/compacted, you may want to give them some wet food so they have an easier time going poo. Nobody likes being constipated! But soft food isn't necessary every day, by any means.
Also, if you have a long-haired cat, the product Petromalt is great for preventing hairballs.
And for training them, Boundary spray works wonders. Stinky, but it's the only way my foster kittens would stop scratching my couch.
as soon as they navigate on their own put down a 50/50 mix of wet and dry KITTEN food. They need the extra vitamins in kitten food till they are a year old. Don't be cheap, buy a good food like Hill's science diet kitten formula. Put it on a plate so they can reach it easily and put down a shallow bowl of water.
I would start them on some dry food especially for kittens. You can moisten it with water so that their little baby teeth can chew it up. You can offer them the moistened kitten food somewhere around 5 weeks. They will probably eat some although they will probably still run back to mom to nurse as well.
8 to 10 or even 12 weeks old,at 10 weeks make sure the food is soft
I got my two kittens when they were eight weeks (two months) old. So, I would say around two months is the appropriate time. Be sure to give them food that is meant for kittens only: regular cat food is too big for them to chew, and they need the proper nutrients in the kitten food.
Kittens require about twice the energy per pound of body weight as a mature cat. Kittens should be completely weaned by six to eight weeks and be accustomed to a regular diet of a complete and balanced growth-type food for kittens. It is recommended that kittens be fed three to four times a day during this period of rapid growth, and a source of fresh, clean water should be available at all times. Moistened dry food or canned food left at room temperature can become unpalatable and may even spoil if left out for several hours, so uneaten portions should be removed and discarded after one hour. As with other animals, any diet changes should be made gradually over a 7 to 10 day period to avoid causing digestive upset.
Kittens tend to be "occasional" eaters as they take a large number of small meals throughout the day. After consuming a small portion of the food, the kitten leaves and returns at intervals to eat. This behavior should not be confused with a reluctance or refusal to eat. If food refusal is prolonged and/or the kitten shows signs of illness such as listlessness, diarrhea, repeated vomiting, discharge from the eyes or nose, straining to urinate or constipation, or unusual hiding in dark places, a veterinarian should be consulted.
From seven months to one year, kittens should be fed twice a day. Kittens should be fed as individuals, and amounts to feed will depend upon activity and body condition.
Your friend has to wait until they stop drinkin there mothers milk and your friend has to give them kitten food b/c it is smaller than normal cat food but your friend can feed the cat reg cat food you can tell your friend to go to google and type in kittens for more info cuz that will help better then someone tellin him and he need to take them to the vet to get their shots when they get old enough cuz that wayu they will be healty and grow to become older
Kittens need the higher protein and essential nutrients of kitten chow to start when started on solid food. 5 weeks of age is a good age to start weaning the kittens. When weaning, you can offer soaked kitten chow. Just soak some kitten chow in water or milk replacer (formula) until soft; store this in the fridge and it will last for a day or so. Plus, while mom cat is nursing, she should also be fed dry kitten chow. She needs the nutrients to feed her self and her kids. Also, kittens learn from watching their mom. They will start trying to eat her food, learn from her to use the litter box, groom, and other habits (like drinking from a faucet). Some kittens take longer than others to wean, so don't be concerned if at 8 weeks of age, they are still nursing.
At about 6 months of age kittens can be switched, gradually, from kitten chow to adult cat chow. Many people recommend a mix of kitten and cat chow until 1 year of age or just feeding kitten chow until 1 year of age.
I have worked in a shelter and every nursing mother with kittens would get a large dish of kitten chow, a dish of soaked kitten chow, and water, of course. Kittens would often try to eat the kitten food at the same time mom was eating, and would act like ravenous lions when we put the soaked kitten food in each morning. Good luck!
when they are ready you will know I have 5 week old kittens all eating regular food but one is not read yet. They will just do it on their own, so leave it out for them, but small bite size.
Mine were eating IAMs canned cat food at 3 weeks. (abandoned by mother/given to my vet at 2 wks/given to me at 3 weeks) and solid by about 6-8 weeks. I didn't feed them kitten food. Never had health problems with them. They're over 6 years old now.
Kittens should be fed kitten food until they are about one year old. As a matter of fact, the nursing mother should also be being fed kitten food right now, because she doesn't just need enough nutrition for herself, but for the kittens, as well.
The dry kitten food can be moistened with some water, to make it soft for the babies. As long as the food is there, they will follow the mother's lead and begin to eat when it is time. Be sure to have some unmoistened stuff there for momma too.
I particularly like Royal Canin Baby Cat food. It is a very small kibble, highly nutritious, and made for kittens up to four months of age. Please, also, tell your friend that these kittens need to stay with the mother and littermates until they are 10 to 12 weeks old. Too many people adopt out the kittens as soon as they are eating on their own. Then, we get questions on this board about cats that try to milk tread and nurse on people and objects, and the owners want to know how to stop it. The only way to stop it is to let the kittens stay with the mother until the mother weans them.
Another thing kittens learn from being part of the litter is how to play nice. They learn, from iteraction with their littermates and their mother, not to extend their claws when they are playing, and how not to bite too hard. That's another frequent question.how do I get my cat to stop clawing and biting me so hard when we play.
Apart from the behavioral aspects, the kittens are still getting important immunilogical value from the mother's milk. They really should weigh at least three pounds before they are adopted out. At less than three pounds, antibiotics, while they may be necessary at times, can have devastating side effects for kittens for kittens who weigh less than three pounds.
Just like children, animals need to be raised properly to be the right kind of adults. They need more time with their mother and litter than most people allow them to have.
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