How old should a kitten be to eat solids?

Answer 1

Kittens usually begin the weaning process around 4-6 weeks of age. They begin by taking an interest, or picking at their mother's solid food. At this age they will still be suckling and getting nutrients from their mother, but putting a tiny bit of wet food down every few hours will entice them to eat. You could see if they will lick food off your fingertip or off their own paws. This first stage can take several days.

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. It is easy for them to eat and digest. It is advisable not to try dry food as, even softened with water, kittens may still not be able to eat it. As the kittens get older and bigger, you can slowly decrease the amount of water or kitten milk you use in the food, and leave slightly larger chunks for them to chew.

Be sure to feed them from a plate and not a bowl, as it is easier for the kittens to pick up the food.

Answer 2

Well I'm sure the age but maby make sure your cat has teeth and didn't just get them wait a few weeks if you cat did just get them. If your cat already has teeth then make sure he/she has alot and they are strong.

Answer 3

The kitten should have some teeth in the front and some teeth in the back.

More information:

At 4 weeks a kitten is ready for small quantities of solid foods. However, any solids, at this time, should be served in a very moist (soft) condition, in very small pieces, and in very small quantities. During this transition, the kitten should be allowed to continue nursing as much as it likes. In 2 -4 weeks they will have made the transition. The more teeth they have, the better.

Answer 4

Edited by ID: It does depend on what the cause of shifting a kitten to solids is.

Found Young stray: I have found kittens as young as 2/3 weeks old and they have willingly eaten adult canned cat food (preference over kitten sachets). In saying that, I wouldnt feed a kitten with their eyes still closed or very wobbly on their feet (I would purchase kitten formula from a vet - store bought kitten milk is not formula for replacing mothers milk - only a lactose free milk) If you want to introduce solids, start with canned cat food for kittens - as this is similar to milk/solids or regurgitated/chewed meat and is often very smelly and soft to attract the kittens attention but certainly still have kitten milk readily available. For dry food, I would wait at least until 5 weeks. Though they can eat solids at 5 weeks, a kitten should never leave their mother younger than 12 weeks - this is still quite shorter than a kitten naturally would in the wild (usually 6-7 months)

Weaning: If you are trying to wean, I wouldn't start until about 4 weeks, just have a bowl down with the wet kitten food and the kittens can choose to eat it or not. Don't let them pig out on it either, their eyes will be bigger than their stomachs and the excess will come back up :)

Answer 5

A kitten cat eat adult cat food at any age; the main difference between kitten food and adult cat food is the caloric content. Kittens need more calories in order to properly grow and develop into a full-grown, adult feline. Kitten food is supposed to aid in this process by being more calorie-dense with more vitamins; however, it is often more expensive and less economical. One could theoretically feed more servings of adult cat food to a kitten, supplemented with vitamins, until it is grown. Until a kitten is weened, it is not so much an issue.

Answer 6

One year old.

Answer 7

at least a year