Mary Allen
Now the kittens are slowly getting a taste of it. The first hurdle is over when they learn to swallow the animal samples instead of sucking them – with your help.
During the first four weeks, the mother’s milk is the kitten’s source of life. The milk meal is full of nutrients, contains important antibodies, and tastes delicious. During this time, the infants do not need any additional food. But after that, it’s time to get to the meat pots. The first prey killed is brought by a free-ranging farm cat to her pups when they are about four weeks old and let them chew on it. The can opener is responsible for the care of the kittens: even if the mother cat’s milk is still flowing freely, offer the offspring additional food from the fourth to fifth week.
The kittens usually get a taste for it when they watch their mother eat and curiously put their nose in the bowl. But first, they have to learn to swallow instead of sucking. To practice, serve each kitten some yogurt or cream on their finger. You can also put some porridge on the kitten’s mouth to encourage it to lick it. The mashed food (canned food is best for puppies) is first crushed with a fork and mixed with a little milk to form a soft mash and warmed to body temperature.
Stable children’s crockery But be careful not to let any mashed food get in his nose or clog his nostrils during the first attempts. If you like to prepare something for your kitties yourself, you can serve up mini portions of cream quark whisked with raw egg yolk and warm water as an introduction to the animal diet. Ceramic bowls with a rim that is 3 cm high and a diameter of 19 cm are particularly suitable as containers for children’s food. Large and stable, they make it possible to have meals together and are not easily tipped over. Complimentary food is given three to four times a day. The puppies can eat as much as they want. After an hour, the food leftovers are disposed of (they must not be offered again) and the bowls are thoroughly cleaned with hot water. Kittens are always offered everything fresh but please never cold from the fridge. Otherwise gastrointestinal problems are inevitable. Drinking water is also served when complementary feeding begins. Usually, the mother cat weans her kittens when they are six or eight weeks old. In the meantime, the little ones have gotten used to eating solid food and can now fully cover their nutritional needs.
Caloric consumption of kittens’ puppy food is now left uncrushed. You should also stop mixing with milk because after weaning the mother’s milk, the kittens have less and less able to digest the lactose. The addition of milk can therefore cause diarrhea. It is important that the growing kittens are adequately supplied with minerals and vitamins. Calcium deficiency, for example, would quickly lead to bone growth disorders. A good ready-to-eat puppy food must contain everything. Supplements are therefore too much of a good thing. As long as they don’t get too heavy, the kittens can eat to their heart’s content. At the age of eight or nine months, the kittens are then ready for adult food.