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BiWiccanAndProud · Mar 2, 2011, 12:16 PM

Okay so I have looked all over the web for this answer and can't find it! I have found many sites that have explained that you shouldn't find homes for kittens till they are 12 weeks old because it can cause a lot of mental and physical problems (which is good to know I wouldn't want to separate them from the mom too early, so that worked out) and many sites have said they can stop nursing anywhere between 8-14 weeks. This however does not answer my question, I really need to know when to introduce dry or wet cat food to these kittens! I have already seen a couple of them investigating their mama's food but not eating it.

I mean what if one stops nursing before the others? What if they all stop nursing before I think they will? I want to make sure they have an alternate source of food.

BTW don't know if this will help any but they were born on February 4th so they are almost a month old.

hheath541 · Mar 5, 2011, 12:24 PM

Start putting a low saucer of food and water out for them at about 3-4 weeks. They probably won't start eating and drinking at that point, but it'll get them used to having access to it, and give them the chance to try it when they want to.

Make sure the dishes are low enough that the kittens can easily reach the food and water, without having to stretch or climb on the dish.

That's also the time when you should get a very low tray (I used a disposable oven pan) for them to use as a litter box. They'll need to be able to climb in and out of it easily, and it'll need to be big enough that they can stand and turn in it. Don't panic if they eat some of the litter (but you might want to use non-clumping/non-scoopable litter just to be safe). You'll need to keep it as clean as possible, and just enough litter to completely cover the bottom of the tray, should be enough.

BiWiccanAndProud · Mar 8, 2011, 10:03 AM

Okay next question. What if they are eating the cat food? Not kitten food. Cat food. Also should I get them soft food or dry food?

BiWiccanAndProud · Mar 8, 2011, 10:13 AM

Another question brought by my husband stupidly putting a bag of rice on the floor. My cats got into this bag of rice (not the kittens) is it still okay for us to eat or do I have to throw it out?

Wondergirl · Mar 8, 2011, 10:18 AM

How much were the cats into the rice? Spilling it all over the floor? Just some clawing in the bag? For how long of a time (5 minutes or 6 hrs)?

My first thought would be that, since I'll be cooking it, there's no problem -- unless it was all over the floor (throw that part away) or is full of cat hair. (Let your husband eat the cooked rice first and watch him for aftereffects lol.)

hheath541 · Mar 8, 2011, 11:37 AM

Kitten food should be fed to the babies and mom (at least until she stops nursing).

As for wet or dry, that's really up to you. If they're eating dry food OK, then you can stick to that. If they have trouble chewing, then you can give them wet food or put a little bit of water on the dry food to soften it up.

BiWiccanAndProud · Mar 8, 2011, 11:40 AM

Lol wondergirl. I have no idea how long they were in it there's a hole in the bag the size of a silver doller but I suppose you are right on the cooking part. As for hhealth, cool cool I was worried about when I bought kitten food if I should give it to mom and kittens, so that answers that. As for the cat food that the kittens are getting into now, will that effect them since it is cat rather then kitten food?

hheath541 · Mar 8, 2011, 11:47 AM

No, kitten food just has extra nutrients they need. Since they should be mainly nursing right now, it doesn't make a huge difference. They're already getting most of what they need from mom.

Kitten food will also help mom herself and the growing babies.

I had a problem keeping my mommy cat out of the kittens' food. It was the same food in both dishes, but she'd clean out the smaller dish the kittens could reach before eating out of her dish.