When and how are cats weaned?

Kittens are beautiful little balls that are born blind and deaf. During their first two months of life they depend on their mother (or some benevolent human, if she is missing) to be able to keep themselves protected from inclement weather and also to feed themselves.

But they grow very fast, so much so that it is best to have the camera ready every day to be able to take some of them. And it is that, as soon as we expect it, it will be time to start giving them another type of food. so yes you want to know how is the weaning of cats, do not stop reading.

Kittens must be cared for by the mother

As much as we love kittens, it is extremely important that they are with their mother during their first two months of life. She will be the only one who can take care of providing everything they need: nourishing milk, warmth, education ... and mother's love.

For this reason, I only recommend taking charge of the maintenance of the furry ones if their mother is absent, if she rejects the little ones or if there is some veterinary reason why the babies cannot drink milk from their mother.

What happens if they separate from her prematurely?

Well, these problems may arise:

Lack of habit in toilet
Difficulty learning to use the litter box
Lack of bite control and scratching during play
Relationship problems, showing antisocial behaviors
Lower defenses
Lack of nutrients, which in the long term can lead to strange behaviors, such as eating plastics

This does not mean that we have to be overly concerned about those kittens that we pick up from the street, but it does mean that we will have to be more aware of them.

When and how are cats weaned?

In normal situations, the mother cat will begin to wean them as soon as they are 3 weeks old. Little by little, and always with great care, he will force them to eat other things (if he is living inside a house, or other animals such as mice or birds if he were in the field). Of course, the little ones will continue to drink breast milk, but less and less.

If these same kittens have been unlucky enough to lose their mother, then we will have to take care of everything. So that, as soon as they reach the third week we will introduce them wet food for kittens without cereals. It is likely that at first they do not want to eat it, but for that we can open their mouth and introduce very little food - very, very little - and then close it firmly but gently.

How many times to give them food and how many milk?

It will depend a lot on what the kittens ask for. From the third week on, the milk no longer feeds them as much as before, so you have to be very aware of them. To give you an idea, I'll tell you how I weaned one of my cats:

Third week: 3 feedings of milk + 2 of wet food for kittens.
Fourth week: 2 feedings of milk + 3 of wet food for kittens.
Fifth week: 1 milk intake + 4 wet food for kittens.
From the sixth to the eighth week: I gave him only wet food, often soaked with milk or water.
From two months: wet food with its drinker filled with water next to it.
From four months: I think for kittens with its drinker filled with water.

And now she is a cat that has grown very well, and that I adore. Of course, he has a couple of pounds left over, but he has a heart that does not fit in his chest. 🙂