J. Veronika Kiklevich, DVM
Q. I have a question concerning a litter of 3-week-old kittens, and why the queen isn't feeding as much as she should. It seems that she is easily distracted or just plain bored. The kittens are hungry and cry when their mom walks away. Is it too early for kittens to drink a supplement or cat milk? Maybe I can teach them or show them how to eat and drink? Please respond soon as possible, I'd like to get started helping the kittens as soon as I can.
A. By the time kittens are 3 to 4 weeks old they can be started on kitten food. You can get kitten chow and soak it in water until it softens up or you can try canned kitten food. Put some out in flat pans so they can access the food easily. At first they will probably walk through the food and wear most of it, but eventually some will end up in their mouths and they'll figure out that it is pretty good stuff! Within a couple of days they should be eating more than they are wearing. They may continue to try and nurse on mom as well, but the sooner you can help wean them on kitten food the happier everyone will be!