Weaning Kittens
When kittens are around 4 weeks old, they start to be introduced to many new things, from food to new surroundings. This is a fun but crucial and potentially dangerous time for them.
Starting the Weaning Process
At around 4 weeks of age, you can begin offering your kitten something other than the bottle to prepare them for weaning to kitten food. Be prepared for some messiness at first as they learn how to eat and drink properly.
Many foster parents offer a saucer with milk as well as a flat plate with "kitten gruel"—a mixture of milk and canned kitten food that creates a soup-like texture. Some go directly to offering canned kitten food mixed with warm water. The specific formula is up to you, but it’s important to use kitten milk and/or kitten food. Avoid cow’s milk, which can cause diarrhea and dehydration, and adult food, which lacks the nutrients essential for a kitten’s growth and development.
Monitoring Feeding Time
If you have multiple kittens in the litter, monitor each kitten during feeding to ensure everyone is getting their share. Often, there will be a "food bully" who tries to prevent others from eating. Pay extra attention to the smallest kittens to ensure they are eating enough. For example, you may need to separate the smallest kitten from the group to feed them individually, as I did with a recent litter.
Some kittens will easily transition to eating on their own, while others may need supplemental bottle feeding. Ideally, all kittens should be weaned within a week, but they should all be eating well on their own by the time they are 6 weeks old.
Litter Box Training
Setting Up the Litter Box
For litter box training, use a shallow box, like those cases the kitten food comes in, as their tiny legs can’t climb very high yet. Be sure to use non-clumping litter because kittens may try to eat the litter while exploring the box. Ingesting clumping litter can cause serious medical issues.
Teaching Kittens to Use the Litter Box
You may need to show the kittens how to dig in the box by gently moving their front paws in a digging motion. If they miss the box, place any bowel movements in the box to help them learn where it should go.
Kittens usually train themselves to use the litter box fairly easily, though there may be some initial misses. However, most should be using the box within a couple of days of being introduced to it.