When Would Kittens Naturally Wean With No Human Intervention?

[laughingduck]

Im just curious if anyone on here has kept a mom and her kitten together, and when the kitten weaned itself (completely) from mom? I know generally people say they wean at 8 weeks, but is this the natural weaning time or is it more humans intervening so they can adopt the kittens out?

 

[Willowy]

I kept a kitten from a pregnant stray I picked up, and he nursed until he was almost a year old. It was really funny because he was more than twice her size! She eventually put her foot down and cut him off. There's another cat family I kept, I never saw her nursing them after 5 months or so, but she and a couple of the kittens are fairly skittish so they might have been nursing when I wasn't looking.

Unspayed feral/farm cats usually stop nursing the previous litter when they go into heat again. Although I have occasionally seen well-fed farm cats nursing one from the previous litter along with the newborns.

I think usually what we mean by weaning is that they're eating solid food and CAN stop nursing, not when they'd naturally stop nursing.

It's better for kittens to stay with their mothers for at least 10-12 weeks; 8 weeks is really too young to have learned all the proper cat manners. The kittens tend to be much better pets if their moms have finished teaching them all their cat lessons .

 

[laughingduck]

Thanks for the reply Willowy! That is so cool you had one that nursed for a year. I was curious as I know there is such a wide range in how long humans nurse for (I am currently nursing my 20 month old, whereas other people wean much earlier!) Also, I am currently fostering a momma cat and her babies. We are keeping two kittens (I always believe in getting kittens in twos so they have playmates) and we are debating keeping mom too, although 3 cats was not exactly in the plans, but she is sooooo sweet and will be harder to adopt out. At the very least Id like to foster her until she gets a home so she doesnt have to go back into the shelter. I was wondering if the kittens I keep will still be nursing once the others go back. It is going to be heartbreaking separating them! This is my first foster since becoming a mom myself and I find the thought of separating them all so sad!

 

[Blakeney Green]

It really depends on the mom. I've seen some cats kick their kittens off the nursing as soon as they could eat food (or even sooner, and they had to be given to another mom,) but I've also seen cats nurse 4+ months.

My foster kitten is five months old, and he has to have been nursed up till within a few days of being dumped or he would have died, since he can't eat solid food.

Sorry not to have a specific answer, but it's really inconsistent.

 

[laughingduck]

YaI guess that it varies with cats just like people. I wonder if there is anything I should be doing to make sure the kittens are fully weaned by 8 weeks?

Why can’t your foster have solid food? What does he eat??

 

[Blakeney Green]

Why can’t your foster have solid food? What does he eat??

He has a pretty rare medical condition called megaesophagus. His is the most severe case the vet had ever seen and affects his entire esophagus. Basically his esophagus is extremely enlarged and has very little motility, so his body is not able to transport solid food from his mouth to his stomach. The vet thinks he must have been born this way.

He eats a very soft canned food dissolved in KMR (kitten formula) and has to be held in an upright position for 20 minutes after eating so gravity can take the food to his stomach.

 

[laughingduck]

Wow! Poor kitty. Ive never heard of that. Kudos to you for taking him in!