more weaning help!

I'm sure this has been posted a million times and I'm sorry but... I need some help!

My sisters cat has 3 kittens a little bit more than 4 weeks ago and we need to get them off Mom's milk!! At least I think so, because Mom has little punctures and stuff around her nipples and swatted a kitten yesterday.

What is the absolute best way to wean a kitten??? We tried giving them some warm wet kitten food and they did not like it one bit and we tried to put some of the juice on their mouthes so they could lick it off and get the idea.

I can see their teeth and have heard some different remedies but umm, does anyone know how long it'll take for them to start being interested in food? how many times a day do we need to put them in front of the food to get them to eat? Are they still going to drink moms milk in the process and is that dangerous?

Please help! Thank you.

You can try mixing up some KMR and wet food and warming it up till it's stinky. Then try putting a bit of the mixture on the roof of the kitten's mouth. Some will catch right on (once they realize the taste), others might need a few tries...and some will need to get pretty hungry but eventually they will all get into it. Try offering a small amount more often to catch them all when they are hungry.

Good luck!!

Maybe put the food down and remove mom a bit for some TLC.. They will get hungry and lap it up or bottle feed.

Maniiac al - I'm in the same boat as you. Here's some great advice I got from some people on the forum...

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=83891

The kittens do need to start being weaned, but not completely away from Momma. They need to begin being introduced to solid foods now, but it could take a few days to a couple of weeks to fully wean. I wouldn't fully wean until at least 8 weeks old, when they begin eating dry kibble. Trim the kittens nails so that when they nurse and tread, they aren't hurting the Mom.
Is the Momma kitties, nipples look red, inflamed, or hot to the touch? It is probably just the kittens treading on her, but it is still a good idea to make sure she doesn't have any other problems going on.
As well, I would recommend keeping the kittens with each other and the Momma cat, until they are at least 10-12 weeks old. The Momma cat can be spayed as soon as the kittens are weaned.
Good luck.