I have a kitten that is 9 weeks old and still wants to nurse. He eats kitten food and drinks water on his own but if his mother is present, he'd rather nurse. The mother cat is a wool-sucker and I keep thinking that she'll just let him nurse with no end in sight. She doesn't care if he nurses and will lay there until he's done. Should I wean him? Or will mother cat eventually stop letting him nurse?
We're keeping the kitten, so it's not an issue of when can we give him away. I was just wondering if it's healthy behaviour for him to continue nursing. I would rather he not become a wool-sucker like his mother cat.
And the mother cat is spayed :)
Answers:
see my answer to "What exactly is weaning?". There is nothing wrong if the mother is willing to let the kitten still nurse or attempt to nurse. Like children, kittens do not all age at the same time. Nor should you force dry food on a kitten at a specific age. If dry food is left with the mother in a proper nursing area you will find that the kittens on their own without interference by humans will in fact learn to eat it. This is normal process. People do not need to put the food in front of them. Cats have been delivering and raising their young for years without people and will continue to do so. Just let them be and all will be fine.
some moms wont ween. my dog never did the puppies were still wanting to nurse at 12 weeks. you need to help with this.
Thanks for getting momma cat spayed. :)
I would separate momma cat %26 baby, for then the kitten focuses on eating solids. It's true that as long as momma can is around, and still has milk available, the kitten will nurse. If you separate them for a week or two, that'll give momma cat time for the milk to dry (and to recover from spaying, if it was done recently).
Let him or her have that treat they love so much Mom will dry up and then the paw to the head will start we have cats on the farm here and even some of the adults stop in for that yummy momma's milk I got to pull them off so babys can load up Not to worry mom will dry up and babys will grow.but they never forget mom and her milk.
Weaning is an important part of kitten care. Whether the kittens are being cared for by their feline mother or are being orphan raised, the method and timing of weaning can have lifelong effects on the babies. Learning how to wean can help the kitten develop emotionally and socially.
Timing is Everything
About 4 weeks after birth, the mother cat normally begins to evade the kittens and discourages nursing. At this time, the kittens also naturally begin to show a decline in the length of time they nurse. More of their time is spent exploring their new world.
At this point, it is time to start offering food for the kittens to sample. Even if the kittens are being orphan raised, begin offering food around 3 to 6 weeks of age, when the kittens weigh over 500 grams. At this point, increased gentle human handling can improve the kittens' physical and social development, and make them more accepting of people.
Feeding
At around 3 to 6 weeks of age, begin offering food to the kittens. Canned food, semi-moist or even dry kitten food moistened with water are all acceptable. Offer the kittens small amounts of soft food in a shallow dish. Up to this point, the kittens have been suckling to get their nourishment. Now, they need to learn to open their mouths and bite in order to get food into their mouths to be swallowed. Learning to do this results in some messy feeding times. Kittens will typically walk and fall in the food dish. They may even try to nurse on the food, resulting in some pretty messy kitties. Eventually, they learn normal eating behavior. Some people will place the food on a cookie sheet and place it in the bathtub and let the kittens learn. This allows for easy clean up.
Offer the food several times a day for about 30 minutes at a time. When the kittens no longer seem interested in the food, clean them up and put them back with their mother. During this time, allow the mother to stay away from the babies for longer periods of time. For some mothers, you may have to be persistent. Some mothers and some babies may not wean properly. Mothers that do not begin to push away their kittens by 4 weeks of age will need help. Weaning should progress slowly, to reduce the incidence of anxiety and mammary gland inflammation in the mother.
Several times a day, remove the babies for 1 to 2 hours at a time. Food should only be offered for short periods of time, but keeping the babies separate from the mother can encourage natural weaning. As the kittens age, more and more time should be spent away from the mother until finally, the kittens are on their own.
By the time the kittens are 8 to 12 weeks of age, they should be eating solid food and no longer nursing. For most kittens, separation from the mother should be delayed until the kittens are 12 weeks of age, to allow normal socialization and bonding.
Hope this helps
u can wean ur self, but that doesn't assure mommy wont stop =) ask a vet their opinion honestly or try what u know
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