How long until kittens eat solid food?

Answer 1

Usually about 4 weeks. They often mimic the mother when she is eating. They go over to her dish and look at her eating. Also milk being supplied from the queen (female cat) is decreasing. This helps spur the baby kittens to try water and food.

Answer 2

Answer:

By 5-6 weeks old.

Answer:

I think that giving dry food to a kitten at such a young age is not ideal as it is very hard and brittle. Kittens usually begin the weaning process around this age, so they really need soft food that is easy to digest. Mushed up wet food, or wet food that is throughly mixed with a little water or kitten milk is the best type of food for them right now.

Dry food is more a convenience food for us, as it is easy to put in a bowl and leave for several hours. However, dry food is certainly not a requirement for a cat's diet.

Kittens and cats are strict carnivores. They get all their nutritional needs from meat. Kittens in particular, need a lot of Protein and Fat in order to grow and develop in a healthy manner. The best cat foods are the ones with a very high meat content (labeled as Chicken, Turkey, Tuna, etc.) as the FIRST ingredient with no grains, wheat, or corn. A lot of dry foods contain a high amount of grains and cereals and rather low levels of actual meat in them. The cereals do not give any nutrition to the cat at all; cats have evolved to get their nutrients from meat-based protein, not plant-based protein, and thus many cats have trouble digesting such foods that include grains and other plants.

Dry food also contains no moisture, so is quite dehydrating. Cats are notoriously bad drinkers, even when they are thirsty. This is because they have evolved to get all their needed moisture from their prey (their ancestors were cats that lived in very dry and arid environments where water was hard to come by). It is a trait that has been passed down over the thousands of years.

Canned or pouched food has anywhere between 60 to 80% water. Seeing as in the wild a cat's prey is around 70% water, wet food provides a cat with more than enough water each day. This is especially important if you have a male cat or kitten. Male cats are much more susceptible to urinary tract infections (UTI's) which is often caused by not enough water over a period of time, so feeding a predominately wet diet will ensure his water intake is high.

Answer 3

Is there a particular reason you want to feed your kitten dry food? Dry kibble is incredibly hard and brittle and young kittens especially may be put off as they won't be able to crunch a biscuit piece in order to eat it. Your kitten may not even like the taste of the food (this isn't uncommon in cats).

Dry food is more a convenience food for us, as it is easy to put in a bowl and leave for several hours. However, dry food is certainly not a requirement for a cat's diet.

Wet food, especially for young kittens, is much easier for them to eat and digest. Kittens and cats are strict carnivores. They get all their nutritional needs from meat. Kittens in particular, need a lot of Protein and Fat in order to grow and develop in a healthy manner. The best cat foods are the ones with a very high meat content (labeled as Chicken, Turkey, Tuna, etc.) as the first ingredient with no grains, wheat, or corn. A lot of dry foods contain a high amount of grains and cereals and rather low levels of actual meat in them. The cereals do not give any nutrition to the cat at all; cats have evolved to get their nutrients from meat-based protein, not plant-based protein, and thus many cats have trouble digesting such foods that include grains and other plants.

Dry food also contains no moisture, so is quite dehydrating. Cats are notoriously bad drinkers, even when they are thirsty. This is because they have evolved to get all their needed moisture from their prey (their ancestors were cats that lived in very dry and arid environments where water was hard to come by). It is a trait that has been passed down over the thousands of years.

Canned or pouched food has anywhere between 60 to 80% water. Seeing as in the wild a cat's prey is around 70% water, wet food provides a cat with more than enough water each day. This is especially important if you have a male cat or kitten. Male cats are much more susceptible to urinary tract infections (UTI's) which is often caused by not enough water over a period of time, so feeding a predominately wet diet will ensure his water intake is high.

Answer 4

Most kittens are ready to eat some solids between 4 1/2 to 5 weeks old. You should always start them with some soft food mixed with kitten milk replacer, NOT cow's milk EVER. You can use a bit of goat's milk but the kitten replacer is preferred as it won't give them diarrhea. Put the kittens around the plate and gently touch their face to the food so they can smell it. You can also just place a tiny bit of it in their mouths to make them taste it. All kittens grow at different rates, so some will dig right in, some will not be interested.

By 5-6 weeks, kittens should be eating mostly all solids and rarely nursing. They should be weaned to solids by 6-7 weeks. It's a process and cannot be forced- so have patience!!

Answer 5

They will wean between 7- 10 weeks of age.

Answer 6

Kitten usually begin eating solid food at about 4 to 6 weeks of age, although some kittens start a little later. The weaning process can last several weeks so should not be rushed.

Answer 7

4 weeks