Just like all mammals cats begin their life feeding on their mother’s milk. Their mother’s milk is generally the best for them and has evolved for millions of years to provide optimal nutrition for a newborn cat. Despite this, it is important that at some point a kitten is weaned of their mother’s milk so that they can begin their independent life, starting to eat pet food.
Because mother’s milk is so nutritious it is absolutely crucial that you don’t start to wean your cat too early. Generally speaking around 5 weeks is best. You can usually tell if your cat is ready to be weaned as it will begin to show signs of independence, such as opening its eyes and being steadier on its feet.
To wean a cat once it has begun to demonstrate its independence all you need to do is to provide it another food source. So, you would begin to feed it formulated cat’s milk, avoiding cow’s milk as it can be toxic for cats causing problems like diarrhoea. You will then progress onto solid pet food.
In order to foster your cat’s acceptance of solid food you can mix it with milk or gently offer the food to the kitten. It is important to be gradual here, offering about a teaspoon of solid food to begin with and allowing your kitten to either go back to their mother for her milk or another milk-source.
