When should i start giving my kittens regular cat food?

Burton

My female cat had kittens a week and 2 days ago. I was wondering around how many weeks should I introduce them to regular cat food?



Easter

Generally their mother will wean them at the appropriate time and will show them to the food she is fed. However, if it is dry food it may be too hard for them to eat. You may need to soften it with water or consider feeding them wet food for a little while. But, as kittens, they should be eating kitten food for at least 6-8 months.



Debby

To cat food, or kitten food? you should wait a year to give them adult cat food.



Lashell

Mom cat should be on a good quality dry kitten food while nursing and this will be in the room with the kittens, at 4-5 weeks you can give them CHICKEN AND RICE CANNED food mashed up with warm water - tiny amounts only, even rice pablum is okthey will start eating the dry on their ownplease take them to an SPCA when they are old enough rather than giving away free in the newspaper.. there are people that will come to your home with kids look nice but will be selling kittens to research labs, or using as snake food (cheaper than buying a guinea pig) or to get their fighting dog trained to kill....these people know how to fool you and wont tell you they are gonna do bad stuff...



Johnetta

They should be ready to eat WET KITTEN FOOD or VERY SMALL KIBBLED DRY FOOD {ONLY IF YOU ADD WATER TO IT AND WAIT 5 minutes until it is soft} at about 5 weeks maybe before or after depending on how often the mother is able to keep breast feeding. As they get bigger the breast feeding alone will not be enough. What we did is we tried giving them a little wet kitten food at 4 weeks and we fed it to them in a plate large enough for the mother to eat some too. That way, she will go to the plate first and if {and only if} She thinks its ok she will let the little ones eat too if she thinks they are ready. She will be protective of them, which is perfectly normal, and it worked for us. We did this once a day, watching them to assure all is ok, for about two weeks while they were still feeding from the mom. Then just see how it goes. They definitely need kitten food because they have more nutrients. Good luck. There are also a few websites to give you all the info you need. Try entering "newborn kittens" and see what youll get.



Ailene

6 Months To 1 Year. Depends On How Fas There Growing. Ask Your Vet.



Cinthia

Most kittens are weaned at six weeks of age. Mama Cat will typically do this on her own, so its a good idea to start offering food around this time, even if you notice some kittens are still nursing. Most kitten kibbles are a little crunchy for the young babies, and Ive found that softening them with a supplement called KMR (Kitten Milk Replacer) is a great thing. Its more nutritious than softening the kibble with water or canned food, and its highly palatable, so the kittens really love eating it. Some kittens are stragglers and do need extra motivation to eat. Its important that you dont stand on priniciple with the six week rule - if Mama wont allow the kittens to nurse, and they wont eat the kibble, you may have to step in and supplement them. This doesnt happen often, but its important that youre aware of your potential surrogate-mommy duties. Dont hesitate to call a veterinary hospital if you have any questions or concerns. Kittens are fragile, and its always better to be safe than sorry.



Ardis

Dont worry about it you can give momma kitten food, it has good protine in it and will help her with nursing, when they need to start eating kitten food, momma will show them where it is and how to eat it. Just dont worry about it it is her job to wean them.



Enedina

You can start at about 4 weeks. Take some wet food and make it mushy, add warm water to it. Start by introducing them to it with your finger they will lick it off. Usa a paper plate at first they will suck the food off the plate after they know what it is, surprisingly they are rather quick learners. They will still drink the mothers milk for a couple weeks after but this will also give her a well needed break.