At what age do cats eat alone?

From the first stages of life, the feeding that a kitten takes it must be very balanced so that the deficits do not generate problems in the future. A good diet is equivalent to the good health and well-being of our cat.

Whether you have nursed a kitten or have a kitten with puppies, you will be interested to know when they start to eat the kittens on their own. Therefore, in this article we are going to talk about the age and type of food that kitten puppies ingest, so read on and discover with us at what age do cats eat alone.

What food do kittens take at birth?

The first food a kitten takes at birth is breast milk. This food is very important for them, since it will transmit the maternal immunity against the main infectious pathogens.

If we have adopted a kitten at breastfeeding age or his mother rejects it, we should give a bottle every two hours with special cat milk, which is very digestive and should avoid cow’s milk. For more information, we recommend consulting the following article: “How to feed a newborn kitten”.

The milk that kittens take, both by natural lactation and by artificial lactation, is rich in fatty acids, colostrum (antibodies) and vitamins.

When do cat puppies start eating alone?

The lactation of a kitten lasts about 9 weeks, and when they start to get their teeth out, that is, on four weeks, you can start eating feed. We must feed him with a feed appropriate to his age, it is advisable to moisten it a little with water so that it is easier to start in the process of chewing, or add a little wet food (pâté or chips in sauce).

The food that cats should take from the end of lactation until the year of life should be composed of highly digestible proteins, antioxidants and omega 3 and omega 6. This feed must be of quality and the quantity to be given is estimated according to the weight and the guidance tables that come in the containers. However, depending on the characteristics of our kitten, the veterinarian can tell us if he should eat more or less.

The commercial names of food for growing kittens have names like “kitten”, “growth”, etc. So look at this detail to select the best food for your little one.

If you prefer, you can make homemade food for this stage of life but, as a veterinarian, I recommend a complete feed, since it is very difficult to maintain a perfect balance between all the nutrients.

Progressive changes

Now that you know from what age the kittens start eating by themselves, if you try different feed to see which one is the most appropriate, you should know that the change in diet must be made progressively and introducing little by little the new food, since the sudden changes cause intestinal dysbiosis that result in diarrhea or vomiting.

If he continues to live with his mother, little by little he will stop breastfeeding them, so it is not necessary to separate them. Likewise, it is not advisable to remove puppies from the mother before a certain age, since it is with her mother and siblings that the kitten begins to learn the typical behavior of the species. For more information, see our article on “When can kittens be separated from their mother?”

Once the weaning process begins, the kitten will go instinctively to the bowl of food, if it is not so we can teach him giving him a little food with our hand so that he goes catching the routine. If you live with the mother, it is advisable to let her eat in the same dish so that she can observe and imitate her.

He himself will be rationing, although it is always advisable to watch him to avoid getting involved. On the other hand, it should be noted that the ideal container will be a large flat dish.

Other care to keep in mind

By eating more solid may the kitten strut, and a way to help is stimulating the gut with care, giving soft massages. We will leave a small tray of sand at your disposal and begin to make your depositions there.

Coinciding with the beginning of the ingestion of solid foods and by itself, the first internal deworming will occur, very important to maintain the health of our kitten. On the other hand, we must offer free access to fresh and clean water. The water bowl should not be too close to the food bowl and, of course, far from the sandbox, if possible in another room.

If you want to read more articles similar to At what age do cats eat alone?, we recommend that you enter in our section of balanced diets.