At what age can you start giving kittens solid food? Does it need to be some special kind of food? At what age do kittens get teeth and are they permanent ones right from the start? Should you give kittens milk to drink or is water ok? And how in the world do you trim kittens' claws -or is this necessary for the youngest ones?
Thanks! -Silver (-very unknowing-)

Did your cat just have kittens or did you just get one?

If your cat had kittens, they will be on mothers milk for at least 5-6 weeks sometimes more, but should be weaned from their mommy by then. Always provide new clean fresh water everyday, kittens/cats really should not have milk (from the frige) it can cause diarrhea and gas. By the time the kitten/s are walking around have KITTEN food availabe, it is in tinier bits and easier to chew for little mouths. If you have a kitten that has no mommy and is younger than 6 weeks go to the pet store or your vet and get kitten formula, the directions or vet will tell you how much and how often kitty should eat. You should contact your vet anyway, you will want kitty to see them for shots. I personally wouldn't trim a baby's paws, you have to be very careful not to cut up too high for fear of hitting a small vien and causing pain and bleeding. Your vet can also show you how and where on the claw to do this. Good Luck.

1)At what age can you start giving kittens solid food?
At about 6 weeks, a kitten should be weaned from it's mother and be eating solid foods (experimentation with solids can start as early as 4 weeks). Earlier could cause some stress on the digestive system. Also - unless ABSOLUTELY necessary, a kitten should NOT be taken away from the mother before 6 weeks (6-8 is about best) At this point, you can feed the same canned food as with any cat, but a kitten food would be better as it is higher in protein that kittens need. You might want to consider a feline vitamin as well (not necessary, but very good for them).

2)Does it need to be some special kind of food?
A higher protein kitten food would be better than an adult cat food - more supplements and more protein for their growing body. You will hear mixed reviews on soft/canned vs dry food. I actually feed a raw meat diet along with dry kibble, but the choice of food is up to you. Do not feed dry food until after 8 weeks old. Kittens should eat more often during the day than an adult cat - smaller more frequent meals is best (kittens can be fed however often they want to eat).

3)At what age do kittens get teeth and are they permanent ones right from the start?
Kittens will have their initial set of 12 teeth at about 4 weeks old - and a full set of temporary ones at about 6 weeks (26 of these). These are not permanent teeth - they will fall out (although you seldom see them). Somewhere between 3 months and 5/6 months, they will have replaced all of the "baby" teeth with a full set of 30 permanent teeth.

4)Should you give kittens milk to drink or is water ok? You will hear lots of mixed theories on this too (I have heard both sides from different vets). Cats, like humans, can have an intolerence to dairy products - so your kitten/cat may not have a very good reaction to it. I give my cats milk as a treat on occasion (although usually just yogurt). Do provide clean water at all times - bottles is best because of the varying chemicals in tap water.

5)And how in the world do you trim kittens' claws -or is this necessary for the youngest ones?
Too funny - - trimming isn't really necessary, but you will want to do it - it's not difficult to do at all. Purchase a small pair of claw trimmers at any pet store (don't go for the big ones - they're awkward and best left to large dogs if you ask me). I have just a little pair - start them off young so they're used to you handling their paws. Holding their paw in your hand, just press your thumb on the top of the paw and your forefinger on the peds - you'll see the little claws "pop" right out. Using the trimmers, just trim off the little pointy part - be sure not to hit the pink in the center of the claw (this will cause bleeding). Just go for a little at the pointy part and you'll get the hang of it. If the cat won't let you do them all at once, that's ok - - you'll get them next time. I don't bother with trimming the back claws.

Well, hopefully this will provide you with some info. Good luck on your new kitty venture - I hope that the "newbie" provides you with years of purrs and snuggles!!!


If you have any other questions - - please don't hesitate to post!!!
(how old is the kitty and what's it's name???)

Thanks so much for your advice!
Our cat got two kittens and they're three weeks old at the moment. They're totally adorable and just starting to play and wonder off around the house (causing their mother and our whole family a lot of worry!) Unfortunately they don't have names yet, because we're not sure if they're male or female, but we've got a vet scheduled for next week so that should be sorted out there.
Both of the kitties already have new homes waiting for them. I'm just so in love with them already that it's going to be tough seeing them go... Thankfully that's not until after some weeks.