how to introduce kittens to food

the cheeky monkeys now have baby teeth, kitten calendar says to start food on Saturday, How do I go about that? Just put it down and see what happens or do they need some kind of help?
Is it best to try 'pate' or meat in gravy, both my cats love the gravy kind, but seeing as the meat is kinda big I wonder if pate is the way to go for the little ones.

I feed Iams kitten canned food and kmr mixed together- I feed in small jar lids because kittens love to dive into food- I put a tiny bit on their chin so they lick it off, then put it on their paw, that causes them to look down, when their head is down, I slide the jar lid over to them to see if they will eat it. I NEVER push their faces into the food- that can cause some problems with breathing and make them fight to get away. When they are ready, they will begin to eat on their own, because the formula or mother's milk no longer satisfies them.

Originally Posted by hissy

I feed Iams kitten canned food and kmr mixed together- I feed in small jar lids because kittens love to dive into food-

I put a tiny bit on their chin so they lick it off, then put it on their paw, that causes them to look down, when their head is down, I slide the jar lid over to them to see if they will eat it. I NEVER push their faces into the food- that can cause some problems with breathing and make them fight to get away. When they are ready, they will begin to eat on their own, because the formula or mother's milk no longer satisfies them.

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Are you supposed to let them eat all they want, or just give them a little at a time? Our kitties are starting to eat food, and a few of them REALLY like it.

Go with the pate-style and mix in a little warm water to make it soupy, not runny. I usually like to confine the kittens in an easily-cleaned room or crate as I introduce them to the food as they like to run through it, roll in it, splash it around. LOL But, actually as humorous as this may be, the others sometimes will groom the food off of the kittens and then go straight to the food bowl.

Don't be alarmed if they don't take to it right away - give it time and patience.

Oh - and since Momcat will stop doing butt-duty after they being eating on their own, you might also want to introduce them to the litter box at the same time.

Best of luck and let us know how it goes.

~gf~

Originally Posted by evnshawn

Are you supposed to let them eat all they want, or just give them a little at a time? Our kitties are starting to eat food, and a few of them REALLY like it.

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It is my own opinion (others' mileage may vary) that growing kittens need as much to eat as they can get. In my house, the rule is: if the kittens are in the kitchen, feed them.