3 or 4 weeks
Hi – thanks for your email. Your question is when do kittens generally start eating kitten food and eliminating on their own. If given the opportunity, many kittens will begin eating on their own (some kitten food) starting at 3 weeks of age. If they are nursing and don't have access to kitten food, then they obviously won't eat it. By 6-weeks of age, many kittens will be eating dry food only (if this process is started early – as in around 3 weeks of age). By 6 weeks, kittens should be offered an approved kitten food 4 times daily. Fresh clean water should always be available and replenished daily. Normally, the kitten weaning process begins at about four weeks of age. “With mom, they’ll start to try to eat her food, and she’ll push them away from her,” says Benson. But if you’re weaning a kitten that has been orphaned, you can start a little earlier, between three and four weeks.  Answers. Relevance. Rating Newest Oldest. Best Answer: They can start eating some solid food at about age 5 -6 weeks, but if there is a mom cat, keep letting her nurse them too until she chooses to wean them-that will give them the best nourishment. Around 5-6 weeks, start on can moist food first. My kitten was 5 weeks when I got him and he didnt have a problem eating can food, now he is 6 week's and he eat's Meow-Mix for kittens, they are small and perfect for him. Loca · 8 years ago. Kittens are usually old enough to start eating solid foods when they're around 3 or 4 weeks in age, according to veterinarian J. Veronika Kiklevich of CatChannel.com. They're usually read to eat solid foods exclusively when they're between 6 and 7 weeks old. By then there is no need for them to nurse with mom.  Weaning is the process of transitioning kittens from mother’s milk to solid food. During weaning, kittens gradually progress from dependence on a mother’s care to social independence. Ideally, weaning is handled entirely by the mother cat. When the kittens reach four weeks old, you can place them in a separate area for a few hours at a time to reduce their dependency on mother’s milk and her overall presence. Custom Search. When the kittens are between 3 and 4 weeks of age, it is time to begin the process of weaning them. It is time to teach the kittens to eat from a dish. I often begin by offering milk replacer (do NOT give cow's milk to kittens) in a VERY shallow dish. By the time the kittens are 6-8 weeks of age, they should be very able to eat straight canned kitten food. When that time comes, I strongly recommend that you purchase a good brand of kitten food and I recommend you feed only canned. The weaning process normally begins when kittens are around four weeks old, and is usually completed when they reach eight to ten weeks. When the kittens reach four weeks old, you can place them in a separate area for a few hours at a time to reduce their dependency on mother’s milk and her overall presence. Weaning. Mothers usually begin to wean their kittens at about 4 weeks of age. By 8 weeks of age, the kittens are eating solid food. Older kittens who are still with their mothers may occasionally nurse, but this is more for comfort and reassurance than for nutrition.
http://www.petplace.com/article/cats/dr-debras-faqs-and-posts/dr-debras-posts/when-should-kittens-be-weaned-and-when-do-they-urinate-on-their-own http://www.petmd.com/cat/centers/kitten/nutrition/evr_ct_weaning_kittens_what_to_feed_a_kitten https://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070522133435AAjjx4l http://pets.thenest.com/should-give-newborn-kittens-food-11425.html http://pets.webmd.com/cats/weaning-kitten http://www.askthecatdoctor.com/weaning-kittens.html http://pets.webmd.com/cats/weaning-kitten http://www.paw-rescue.org/kitten_care.php
what age do kittens start eating