weaning kittens

hi there
well my spayed cat gave birth to three lovley silver tabbies 3 weeks ago and now i have to think about weaning them but havnt a clue as i have never had a litter of kittens before there very active now and get out of there bed and walk around the conservatry, im having to move then as england has got the sun out ( im shocked to say the least) but anyhow has anyone any ideas how to wean kittens and when to start im so confused, at least mummy has taken care of them so far but i need to carry on her good work

thanks for reading
jenni

What I do is make sure they have access to mom's dry food (ideally good quality kitten food). They will see her eat it and try it on their own eventually, usually they start getting curious about that at 4-5 weeks of age. Some are slower than others to start crunching on dry food.

Then the other thing I do (around 4 weeks) is start offering a plate of "mush" - canned kitten food mixed with some kitten formula (like KMR). I make it into a "slurry" type consistency. They may not go for it right away, but it usually doesn't take long. Mom can eat it if they don't, it will be good for her anyway.

I serve it on a big dinner plate, so they all have easy access. At first, they will get IN the food to eat it. That's normal. It's messy but cute.

As for the other end of business, you can give them a shallow pan to potty in. Make sure it's NOT clumping clay litter, because they will "sample" it (eat it) and clumping litter is bad news in the digestive system. In addition to that, give them access to mom's box - they will likely be more curious about that than their own - but I do both.

Originally Posted by beandip

Then the other thing I do (around 4 weeks) is start offering a plate of "mush" - canned kitten food mixed with some kitten formula (like KMR). I make it into a "slurry" type consistency. They may not go for it right away, but it usually doesn't take long. Mom can eat it if they don't, it will be good for her anyway.

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Just going to add to this, warm up the formula before you mix it in with the canned food. This way the mix (always called it "kitten gruel") is warm. If it's cold the poor things will get chills and may get sick from the cold food on their tummies.

If they don't seem immediately interested in it, try dabbing a little on your finger then rub your finger on their mouths so they lick it. That can get the more reluctant ones started.


Oh, and lay a towel under the plate. Preferably a dark one. That and having another on hand to wipe dirty kitten faces and paws will help prevent them from getting food everywhere.