What Can Kittens Eat At 4 Weeks
For the first three weeks of a kitten s life it will get all of the nutrients it needs from either its mother or from being bottle fed using a kitten milk replacement formula.
What can kittens eat at 4 weeks. According to tufts cummings school of veterinary medicine some vets even recommend offering mama kitty the same kitten food while she s nursing since its high protein and fat content will help her recover and stay healthy. By 6 or 8 weeks the kitten should be off milk replacer and eating only this kitten food. Newborn kittens usually require eating after every 2 3 hours but for those that are 4 weeks old their feeding pattern can cut down to 6 8 hours. 4 week old kittens are at the stage where owners can begin to train them.
Feedings will occur less frequently and a bowl of formula or other liquid kitten food should be made available for a kitten to start drinking from. When it comes to calories the recommended rate is 8 calories per ounce of bodyweight. Neonatal kittens can t eliminate on their own so they need assistance in getting their bladder or. If they cry for food don t worry.
Basically 4 week old kittens can eat every six to eight hours. If they don t seem to like the gruel that first then you may need to still give them the milk replacement so as to ensure they get enough calories. At 4 weeks old your kitten is experiencing a critical time for his development and growth. During weeks 4 and 5 a kitten will slowly increase how much food it consumes in a meal.
At 3 weeks your kitten began to be weaned and transitioned to solid food. If your little furbaby doesn t seem to take to the gruel right away you might have to still provide milk replacement in addition to make sure she s getting enough calories. There are always hungry at that age due to the growing process. A kitten of four weeks may be starting the weaning process but she won t be weaned completely for another week or two.
By the end of week 5 a kitten should only be nursing three times a day but at each meal it should be consuming about 3 tablespoons of milk or formula. You can offer soft starter food to kittens at 4 weeks which is when weaning normally begins. Newborn kittens need to eat every two to three hours but at 4 weeks old you can cut this down to every six to eight hours. Kittens can be introduced to solid food during their fifth week although they ll continue nursing for a few weeks after this.
Mix some of the formula in with this food so that the familiar smell will entice them to eat. At this point your kitten will be growing. Yet from around four weeks on your kitten will enter the weaning stage where he or she begins the transition towards eating solid foods. By the ninth week your kittens will finish.
Until she has weaned naturally don t switch her over completely to solid foods. If you are bottle feeding an orphaned 4 week old kitten you can start weaning her gradually from the bottle to soft solids over the next few weeks. Learn more about newborn kittens in our kitten guide.