Unweaned kittens
Ideally, kittens should not be separated from their mothers before they are eight weeks old, as this better prepares them for their future. However, sometimes the mother is not around to care for them, and you may find yourself taking on the responsibility of caring for the kittens. While caring for unweaned kittens is hard work, witnessing their growth is incredibly rewarding.
Unweaned kittens need special kitten milk – human cow's milk is unsuitable and does not provide the necessary nutrients. Eight-week-old kittens require constant care, needing to be fed every few hours, and ideally, someone should be able to care for them 24/7. Before weaning, kittens are very sensitive and prone to illness. If you notice your kitten has eye discharge, a runny nose, decreased appetite, or a fever, please take it to a veterinarian as soon as possible.
Kittens usually don't know how to use the litter box until they are four weeks old, so their mothers will encourage them to go to the litter box. Therefore, when caring for kittens, ten minutes after feeding, gently massage their urethra and anus with a cotton swab or cotton ball moistened with warm water for one minute to encourage them to go to the litter box.
On the other hand, when kittens are about three to four weeks old, or start chewing on bottles, we should begin to assist them in weaning. First, add kitten milk to a nutritious, high-quality kitten weaning food to help them gradually adapt to the taste of the new food. Once the dry food has become a soft, mushy consistency, the owner can let the kitten try to eat from the food bowl on its own, or feed it small amounts at a time. The owner can gradually reduce the amount of milk the kitten drinks and slowly increase the amount of dry food.
Here is a suggested feeding schedule:
- 4-5 weeks old: Add kitten milk to the kitten weaning food, soaking it to form a soft paste. If the kitten is not eating much of the new food, the owner will need to continue to feed the kitten enough kitten milk.
- 5-6 weeks old: Weaned kittens are more interested in eating dry food, and owners can also add a little water to the dry food.
- 6-7 weeks old: By now, kittens should be fully weaned and eating solid food.
