I have 4 four week old kittens. All have been doing well and now want to start weaning them. Problem is mummy cat (Jinx) keeps eating what i put down before the kittens have had chance even to sniff it! She even pushes them away while eating it! Is this normal?

bushg

it is not time for her to wean them...she will do this own her own. I know that you did not ask for this info...but as a person that is involved in cat rescue. Please spay your cat, we have millions of cats in this country that is put to death each year, because of lack of homes for them. also many cats are feral and eat what they can when they can. Good luck

DocWill

When the babies start biting and chewing at their mom instead of sucking (3-4 weeks of age), they may be started on some finely textured canned food. At first it may be necessary to mix solid food with a little formula and /or smear a little around their mouths gently with a finger. All of this should be done away from the mom.

** post edited to eliminate some name calling

bushg

mothers will naturally stop allowing kittens to nurse between the ages of 8 and 12 weeks. If a kitten is weaned to early, it misses out on a chance for the mother to teach it valuable kitten lessons.( believe me a cat can teach her kitten better than a human can )Changing a kittens diet to young can cause diarrhea...which can cause dehydration and rapid weightloss. This can be deadly for a kitten because they have so little weight to begin with. I say better to let the mom wean them at her pace...I personnaly would not introduce them to food untill they were at least 6 weeks old.

Fr_Chuck

Several posts of name calling were deleted, that did not add anything of value to the orginal post.

Sadly just being totally wrong on a subject is not reason for me to delete a answer, but please review the follow web sites on weaning kittens
Weaning them to early can be extremely dangerous for the kitten

While some interest in food will begin at the 3 or 4 week time frame, full weaning does not take place for at leat another month. And as noted it is normally a natural thing the cats do for thierself and often people can mess up nature by trying to rush the natural way things happen.

Weaning A Kitten From Its Mother - Tips

bushg

wow fr chuck, i just read the site and it convinces me even more on my orginal post. also it gave me great insight on the suckling of covers, .thank you I hope that everyone looks at the website that you provided...It never hurts to educate ourselves on our furry friends.

labman

I seldom post to cats or other areas I know little about. I do post in dogs where I have far more training and experience than the average dog owner. Some of the worst advice I have ever read was found by less experienced people Googling up some crackpot website they lacked the knowledge to recognize as dangerous. DocWill is fairly new here, but I would take his word over a website I know nothing about. When I direct people to a website for dog info, I usually stick to the AVMA or the AKC.

RubyPitbull

My goodness! What the heck is going on here? Ruby2, I am sorry that your thread seems to have experienced a breakdown here.

I am primarily a dog rehab person but I am also involved in a local TNR program when I am asked to help out, and have experience with working with cats. My background is on rescuing all animals that have been "dumped" by people who choose to go with the irresponsible approach. With that in mind, I have to tell you all that what DocWill wrote is correct. We do exactly what he is describing for both pups and kittens who have been abandoned too young. Obviously, the preferred method of weaning, when a mama cat is around and available, is to allow the mama to do her work. This is how kittens learn. Usually, Mama has the kittens weaned by the time they are 8 wks old. It has to do with those sharp little teeth hurtin' the heck out of her. When she has enough, she starts letting them know that the breakfast bar has been closed. That can begin as early as 5 or 6 wks or as late as 8 wks. It all depends on the Mama. If it appears that she needs help, or her nipples are becoming sore and infected, then we get involved and help her, no matter what age the kitten is.

What I am about to state is for the benefit of all the newer posters here. On this website, we are all allowed to voice our opinions, and for those of us who have the background and experience, we are obligated to correct any misinformation posted. DocWill is an emergency hospital Veterinarian. I would not dismiss anything he has to say regarding animals. If I did disagree with him, I would defer to him, but state that this isn't a case where a young animal has been abandoned and ask if he would recommend someone interfere with the animals at such a young age. You should have given him a chance to post further information rather than slap him down immediately.

Getting into such nasty back and forth as this seemed to have evolved into, is a huge problem here on AMHD. No name calling, personal attacks, and abusive language. It is the only major steadfast rule. The site owners want us to help people. When I see something I don't agree with, unless the person is totally and completely off the mark, I will always say, "Well, I don't fully agree with you because,...." We are here to help people the best way we know how. Personal attacks are just not constructive. I think the "agree/disagree" link has been greatly abused throughout this site. It would benefit all to reread the rules of conduct. If you are having trouble locating this information, I am always willing to help.

Ruby2, as someone who deals with unwanted animals all the time, I must state that if you love your cat, the kindest thing you can do for her is to have her spayed after those kittens have been weaned. Among a host of other benefits, it will avoid her developing uterine cancer as she gets older. In the U.S. we have millions of animals that are euthanized every year for lack of space. Most of the victims are cats. If I told you what I have seen over the years, the things people do to unwanted pets, it would make you physically ill. Please, for the sake of your cat, do this responsible thing for her. If you have financial concerns, there are quite a number of low cost spay/neuter clinics throughout North America. If you cannot find one near you, please post back and let me know the area that you live in. I will give you all the info that I turn up.

bushg

ruby 2 my post has seemd to cause quite the stir...so i decided to call various vets in my area...this is my findings...1 vet said to have them fully weaned by 6 weeks 1 said by 8 weeks .. 1 said not to give them food untill at least until 5 weeks of age and 1 said between 8 and 12 weeks and not later thatn 12 weeks...also they said mama cat should be on kitten fromula while feeding. also I looked on various web sites and saw the same conflicting info...so I guess it is up to the owner...vet and mama cat to know when the time is right. good luck

labman

I found this at the ASPCA site, Thank You for Helping Us Help Homeless Pets.:

''3. At first, curious kittens will probably want to play with their food rather than eat it, but the youngsters will soon catch on as they watch mom eat. By the time kittens are five to six weeks old, they should be nibbling on dry food consistently. This process of gradually introducing kitten food is important in training the cats to eat when they are weaned.''

I would trust the ASPCA more than some cat picture site. Perhaps somebody owes DocWill an apology.