How to Wean Kittens

There are as many different ways to wean kittens as there are cat rescuers and cat breeders in the world. So there’s no one right way to do it. There are hundreds of them! However, there are also a lot of wrong ways. The tips below spell out some important things to remember when weaning kittens, and perhaps more important, some things you should avoid.

Things You'll Need

• Saucer or small flat plate
• Canned kitten food
• Fork
• Dry kitten food (ideally, a formula made for very young kittens rather than just any brand of kitten food)
• Moist baby wipes
• Optional: digital scale that measures in grams and ounces (highly recommended), kitten formula or goat’s milk, baby food (chicken or lamb)

Instructions

1. Determine when to begin your weaning efforts. If you know the kittens’ exact birth date or can estimate it within 2 to 3 days, you should start at 4 weeks. If you don’t know when the kittens were born, it’s best to check their weight to determine the right time to start. If the kittens are mixed/random-bred, you should wait until they weigh at least 450 grams. Smaller purebreds (such as Siamese or Cornish Rex) should be 350 grams or more, while larger purebreds such as Maine Coons or Ragdolls, should be at least 500 grams. If you are hand-raising a kitten, you will know it is weaning time when the kitten starts to chew on or bite at the nipple or syringe you are using to feed it.

2. 

   Open a 3-ounce can of kitten food. If you have 4 kittens, scoop out half the can. If you have more or less than 4 kittens, adjust the amount accordingly. You are going to waste a lot of food so it's best to start out with a very small amount. Distribute small clumps of food around the edge of the saucer so that it will be easier for the kittens to reach. Don't just put a lump in the center of a dish.

3. Taking one kitten at a time, put a bit of food on the tip of one finger. With your other hand, gently open the kitten’s mouth. Dab the food-tipped finger inside the mouth, wiping the morsel of food off your finger and onto the roof of the kitten’s mouth. Most kittens will taste and swallow the food and look at you with a puzzled expression. If they spit the food out or resist, wait a day or two before you try again. In such a case, the kittens may be too young, or you might want to begin with a mixture of kitten formula or goat's milk and baby food, using the same method.

4. 

   Immediately put another bit of food (or formula and baby food) on your finger and offer the kitten the opportunity to lick it off. Hold it in front of the kitten’s nose so it can smell the food. If you repeat this process two or three times a day, sooner or later the kitten will lick the food off your finger. Once one kitten does this, the others will quickly follow suit.

5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 with each kitten, twice a day. Once a kitten has licked food off your finger, put more food on and move your finger closer to the dish. You want to coax the kitten up to the edge of the dish and have it discover that it can eat food out of the dish rather than off your finger. As in the previous step, this will probably take a number of efforts.

6. You won’t use the whole can of food right away, so refrigerate unused portions. When using canned food that has been in the refrigerator, it’s important to heat it so that the kittens will be able to smell it. Put the saucer into the microwave for 5 to 8 seconds to accomplish this.

7. Once you have the kittens eating canned food on a regular basis, you will want to gradually introduce dry food as well. Begin this process by soaking a tablespoon or so of dry food in hot water for half an hour, until it is soft enough to mash with a fork. Then mix some of this soaked food in with the canned food to get the kittens used to the taste of it.

8. Increase the proportion of soaked dry food to canned cat food each day until you are at a half and half mix. At this point you can start to mix some unsoaked dry food with the canned food. Work it into the canned food as though you were mixing bits of candy or nuts into a portion of ice cream. Initially, the kittens will probably reject the dry food, but as you continue this process you will find them crunching on it happily.

9. If you plan to feed both dry and canned food to your kittens and cats, which is what many vets recommend, then do the mix-in process at one feeding each day and feed straight canned food at the other feeding. Otherwise, do it at each feeding. In either case, your final step in the weaning process is to gradually increase the amount of dry food until what you’re serving is mostly dry food that’s coated with bits of canned food. After a day or so of this, switch to dry food entirely at one feeding and continue to feed canned at the other feeding until the kittens are eating straight dry food.

Tips & Warnings

• Be aware that as soon as you put a dish of food in with the kittens, they will proceed to walk around in it. While the mother will probably be happy to lick them clean, you may need to help her by using the baby wipes.

• If the kittens are not in a cage when you begin the weaning process, make sure they are somehow confined when they have contact with the food. Otherwise they will track it anywhere they go.

• Never stick a kitten's nose into a bowl of food, especially if it's a mix of formula and baby food. They could accidentally inhale food and develop all sorts of problems as a result.

• You don't have to follow the entire process as spelled out here, especially if you are working with older kittens. It is quite possible to have kittens figure out how to eat on their own. But the sooner you get them eating, the less stress they will be on the mother, and if you have a large litter and a not-too-large or relatively young mother, this can be very important. Some mother cats become emaciated with the stress of producing enough milk for their kittens and this can make them more susceptible to illness.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish