Weaning is the process of helping a kitten transition from nursing (or bottle feeding) to eating solid food on her own. Kittens need extra support during this time to help ensure they're receiving proper nutrition and caloric intake. It can take time and patience to help them become independent eaters, but with the right knowledge you’ll have them eating successfully!

When is a Kitten Ready to Wean?

Baby kittens will be nursing with a mama cat or, if orphaned, bottle feeding. Around 5 weeks of age, they will be ready to start trying out some meaty foods! Keep in mind that every kitten is an individual, and some kittens may need a bit more time on the bottle than others due to health issues, differences in weight or size, or mere preference.

Weaning at the right age is essential. When weaned too early, kittens can experience life-threatening issues like emaciation, dysbiosis, diarrhea, dehydration, hypoglycemia, and even death. Be sure you know the kitten’s age and aim to start weaning right around 5 weeks.

Weaning shouldn’t be extremely messy. If your kitten is absolutely covered in food, it’s possible they are too young to wean. Take a look in their mouth: do they have teeth in the back of their mouth (premolars)? If not, they are not an appropriate age for weaning. Step back to nursing, and wait until those back teeth come in to try again.

If they have premolars, they’re around 5 weeks old and it’s appropriate to introduce them to solid food. If they don’t have premolars yet, it’s too early.

Watch my video about When and how to Wean:

Kitten Weaning Supplies

You’ll want:

Wet kitten food: Make sure the food is labeled specifically for kittens. Kitten food is higher in calories, fat and protein that the kitten needs to help grow big and strong. Wet food is the healthiest choice for kittens to start off with, as the moisture content will help them stay healthy and hydrated.
Dry kitten food: Some kittens may prefer dry food, and it’s a great idea to introduce them to both so that they’ve got experience with each texture, and can express their preferences.
Shallow food dishes: Choose a kitten-friendly dish with a low lip so that they can easily access the food.
Baby spoons: You may find it helpful to use soft baby spoons as you’re weaning!

Introducing Food for the First Time

Once you’ve confirmed that the kitten is old enough to start the weaning process and you’ve accessed the right supplies, it’s time to give them their first bite!

Place a small amount of wet food in or near the kitten’s mouth. Observe the kitten’s level of interest and capability. Does she want to try more? Is she able to take a big bite, or is she latching onto it as if she is nursing on the meat? Can she eat from the dish, or does she only understand it from your fingers or a spoon?

Meet her where she is. If she’s excited about the food, but doesn’t understand the dish, bring the food to her mouth with your hands or a spoon. Whatever gets her trying the food—that’s enough for now.

After one or two bites, she might lose interest. That’s normal! Don’t push them to eat more than they want during the first meal. Think of how human babies try food: they may take one bite of something new, then nurse on mom. Kittens are the same. Let them take as many bites as they’re willing, but continue allowing them to nurse after.

Eventually, they’ll want so many bites that they eat full meals of wet food, and no longer want to nurse! It’s normal and healthy for this transition to take several days.

Supplemental Feeding is Essential

Throughout the process, it’s essential to supplemental feed with a bottle (or allow them to keep nursing with mom, if mom is present!) Supplemental feeding ensures that your kitten is getting all of the calories and nutrition she needs during this slow transition.

Step by Step: How to Give a Weaning-Age Meal

Step 1: Offer wet food

Place a bit of wet food in or near the kitten’s mouth.
Observe her capabilities and meet her where she is. If she needs hand or spoon feeding, that’s perfectly fine!

Step 2: Offer supplemental nursing

Once the kitten has eaten all she’s willing to eat of the meat, allow her to nurse so she can stay nourished and healthy.
Bottle babies should be offered a bottle after every meaty meal until they are eating successfully on their own.
Nursing kittens should retain access to their mama until they are eating successfully on their own.

Step 3: Weigh and monitor

You’ll know a kitten is eating successfully on her own when she’s far more interested in solid food than nursing, and when she’s gaining weight each day.
A healthy weaning kitten will gain at least 10g every day.

Remember: there's no such thing as "tough love" for kittens! They are babies, and quickly become sick if they aren’t getting enough hydration or nutrition. Supplement for as long as needed.

Monitoring the Kitten

It’s essential to weigh the kitten throughout the weaning process. Don’t skip this step! If her weight drops or steadies, you’ll need to supplement with a bottle, try a different method of eating or a different diet, or scale back to kitten formula.

You may notice that your kitten begins to tremble while weaning. Don’t worry. It’s actually normal for kittens to shake while trying meat for the first time! If you see other concerning behaviors or signs of distress, reach out to your foster coordinator or veterinarian to discuss.

Mastering the Skill

Over the course of several days, kittens will begin mastering the skill of eating on their own. Before supplemental feeding stops, they will need to master:

How to take a bite rather than suckle on the food
How to eat from the dish rather than from your hand
How to recognize that food has been offered and find it when hungry
How to eat enough to no longer be dependent on nursing

Kittens won’t usually recognize what you’re doing when you’re first offering wet food in a dish—you’ll need to actually place them in front of it and show it to them repeatedly. Simply putting it in their area is not a guarantee that they will eventually walk to it and eat. Feed them actively to help them understand. Over the course of several days, your kitten will start to make the connection, and will even come running with excitement when you bring a new dish.

You can help kittens transition from hand or spoon feeding to eating from a dish by gradually lowering your hand towards the dish and leaving it there as they eat. Eventually, they will understand that the food is in the dish.

Once the kitten demonstrated a full understanding of eating wet food, is gaining weight at each meal, and is rejecting or showing significantly decreased interest in the bottle, they’ve officially mastered the skill.

Fully weaned kittens should be offered 3-4 meals of wet food per day, and can be given free access to both dry food and water.

Learn how to transition a kitten from hand-feeding to using a dish:

Introducing Water

As you introduce solid food, you’ll also want to start to introduce water. Be sure you’re providing water in a small, shallow dish and cleaning/refilling it daily. Never provide a large dish that can cause a safety hazard to a tiny kitten; keep your water dish to about 2 inches high. It's normal for kittens to struggle with water at first, but she should be drinking confidently within 1-3 days of introduction.

Introducing Kibble

While wet food is the ideal primary diet for a weaned kitten, it’s also important to introduce them to kibble at this age—while they are impressionable, exploring, and learning new things. This will help them develop willingness to eat either diet type, which can be important for them in the future.

Choose a kibble that is developed specifically for kittens, and offer it freely. Water and kibble can be offered at all times, while wet food is offered during specific meal times.

“Meat” Them Where They Are

The most important rule of weaning is not to rush—this transition should take place on the kitten’s timeline, not yours! You wouldn’t expect a human baby to go from nursing to solids in one day, so please don’t expect a kitten to make the transition rapidly either. Think of weaning as a process of 3-10 days, during which you’re observing the kitten closely and making sure they’re supplemented with nursing or bottle-feeding until they’ve fully got the hang of solids.

You've got this!