How Old Are Kittens When They Are Weaned From Their Mother

At around the fourth week feline mothers will naturally begin to wean their kittens.

How old are kittens when they are weaned from their mother. The whole procedure is slow moving however and a queen cat may continue to nurse casually until the kitten is about 2 months old often for soothing purposes. If you are bottle feeding an orphaned kitten or one whose mother isn t able to feed her weaning can begin as early as three weeks. The process typically takes between four and six weeks with most kittens completely weaned by the time they re eight to ten weeks old. The aspca states that the weaning process which is typically initiated by the mother generally starts around four weeks.

This is because the weaning process can take another 4 to 6 weeks. It s not a good idea to let kittens go to a new home before the age of 8 weeks. Orphaned kittens or those weaned too soon are more likely to exhibit inappropriate suckling behaviors later in life such as sucking on blankets pillows or your arm. While most kittens are weaned by 8 10 weeks most experts recommend leaving kittens with their littermates until 12 13 weeks so they can be properly socialized.

For kittens the process starts as early as 4 weeks of age completed by the time they re 2 to 3 months old. Even at that stage it is still too early to bring home the kitten. How do i start the weaning process. Weaning weaning simply means a baby no longer nurses from its mother and receives nutrition from a non maternal source.

The weaning process usually continues for about another month until the kittens are fully weaned between eight and 10 weeks of age. During this time the kittens will still occasionally nurse on their mother but they will also start to eat liquid kitten food. The process of weaning usually starts when kittens are about three to four weeks old and takes two to three weeks to complete.