When should you start feeding a kitten solid food?

Question

when should you feed a kitten solid food?

Answer 1

Their teeth start coming in around 4 weeks old so that's the time to get them to start eating wet food.  If you're going to feed them dry food too then try to get them going on that a few weeks later.  It may need to be mixed with water, kitten formula, or the wet food to get them to eat it.

Weening is a gradual process, starting them on solid food doesn't mean they won't suckle and you shouldn't wait until mom tries to stop them from suckling to get them onto solid food.

Answer 2

just put it out and they will eat it when they are ready to.

Answer 3

Usually they are able to eat canned soft food at about 3-4 weeks (along with mothers milk) and start dry food at about 6 weeks. You can always offer it early, but don't rely on them to eat just that. They need mothers' milk till at least 8 weeks. In the wild they nurse til at least 3 months.

Answer 4

It all depends on the kitten, you should make sure that the cat teeth have fully developed and that the kitten itself can handle cat food. You should also go with your gut feeling, you have raised the cat, if you think that it is not ready wait a little longer, you should talk to the person at your local pet store aboutt the different types of food. A good age to start your kitten on normal food is about 4 monthes but like i said, go with your gut feeling.  

Answer 5

My kitten started eating canned food at 4 weeks, but continued nursing.  His mother died when he was about eight weeks old (coyote).  He's doing fine.

Answer 6

If kitten is with mom,  the mom cat will start weaning kittens at around week 5.

Select a quality brand of kitten food with a named meat source as the first ingredient (chicken is good). Ideally, they should be given the same kitten food given the mother cat, as the kittens will quickly accommodate to eating mom's food. Use a shallow plate and expect their first experiences to be messy.

Although the mother cat will wean the kittens, they still need the nursing experience to satisfy their suckling needs, at least until they are eight or ten weeks old, by which time the mother cat will have gradually weaned them.

Orphaned kittens can be weaned earlier than their naturally raised counterparts. So, you can start weaning him when he reaches 4 weeks old. However, for now, you can already test his readiness to accept semi solid food. To test, drip some formula onto your finger and your palm. Test to see if he is able to l**k them. If he appears interested and can l**k off the formula, he is ready to lap from a dish.

She should already be weaned so if possible, always put the kitten on a wet diet instead of offering dry food. There are many misconceptions out there about feeding dry food to your kitten/cat. Please be aware that feeding dry food is convenient to the owner, but might not be the best for your kitten/cat.

You can start now by mixing her wet food with water to make a gruel. Then, encourage her to lap on the food dish. If she is unable to lap or does not know what to do, dip one finger into the gruel and gently place it on her lips. She will l**k it and might just find it palatable. Slowly move your finger into the dish as she sniff it. Gently dip your finger into the dish and allow her to lap on the dish. It takes some time but she will get the idea.