How do I transition kittens from nursing? I know I should do it around 8 weeks, but any details on how to do it would be appreciated. Thanks.
Vanderlone....the best thing to do is to make sure that mom is eating in the same room as where the kittens are. My foster kittens got really curious and started eating mom's wet kitten food around 5 weeks of age. They were completely weaned by 9 weeks of age.Originally Posted by vanderlone
How do I transition kittens from nursing? I know I should do it around 8 weeks, but any details on how to do it would be appreciated. Thanks.
You may want to provide your kitten with a snugglekitty:Originally Posted by TortieBaby
I have a 5 month old kitty that still tries to nurse from her mama. It's really annoying because whenever the mama is about dry I'll catch the kitty trying to nurse again. I hope you don't end up with this problem. It seems harsh, but after a while, don't let them nurse. If you see them nurseing, take them away from the mama. Otherwise she will never get to dry up.
Tortiebaby...are the kittens fixed?? If not....at 5 months of age, they can become pregnant. If you cannot take care of these kittens...perhaps you can find them new homes. Most important will be for these kittens to be spayed/neutered so they cannot have kittens of their own.Originally Posted by TortieBaby
The kittens live outside now. The mama got pregnant again and the babies died inside of her, she had surgery last Saturday and has been inside ever since. During her pregnancy she would beat up her first kitten. It was "tough love" and I guess she was telling them they need to quite nursing. Anyways, we asked them to fix her during the surgery so she will not have to go through that again, thank goodness! She loves her kittens again now, but I don't think I'll have to worry about them nursing anymore.
Ok...but you do realize that males can still get a female cat pregnant for up to a month after his neuter. I have heard similiar stories from people who swore up/down/left/right that no cat could get to their intact cats...but a six foot fence is not going to deter a male and whether you "know" there are no cats are not...an intact female tends to draw intact males to them. My vote..get the females fixed first...then your male.Originally Posted by TortieBaby
Don't worry. We live in the mountains. There are no male cats for probably 100 miles, plus we have 6 foot fence around the house. The kittens usually stay on the proch where I keep an eye on them. Also, I have 2 adult cats that live outdoors with them, one being an intact male who will guard his territory(and girls) with his life. He had been showing slight interest in them lately, but thankfully they have still been beating him up if he gets close. My hubby and I were talking the other day and decided that with his next paycheck we will get either the male or both females fixed, no buts about it.