At around 10 - 14 days, a kitten’s eyes and ears start to open. Between 2 -3 weeks they start to stand and take wobbly steps, building up their muscles, and learning to walk. During this time, they still get all their nutrition from mother’s milk. Once a mother sees that their kitten is mobile, they’ll begin the weaning process themselves in the wild.

Do not give your kitten cow’s milk. This is not a suitable replacement because your kitten’s stomach cannot process it. The kitten will end up with diarrhea. [3] X Trustworthy Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Leading organization dedicated to the prevention of animal cruelty Go to source

It is ok to separate them for a few hours a day at around four weeks. Make sure that they have their own litter box and food/water bowls. Eventually, your kitten will become more independent and will willingly chose to be away from its mother. [5] X Trustworthy Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Leading organization dedicated to the prevention of animal cruelty Go to source Do not worry if your kitten has been orphaned. Your kitten has strong instincts when it comes to self-preservation. It will figure out a way to feed itself, even if its mother is not present. Most people that raise orphaned kittens choose to wean them onto solid food early, at around four weeks or so. At this point the kitten’s stomach has developed to the point that it can process solid food. It just needs to be taught to eat solid food. [6] X Research source Hand Rearing Kittens. Bloomfield. Publisher: Able Publishing

If you have a newborn that’s been removed from its mother, you’ll need to replicate the suckling nature of its normal feeding time with an eye dropper. Fill the eye dropper with the replacement milk you’ve purchased. Hold the kitten securely and then slowly add a few drops of milk into the kitten’s mouth at a time. Alternatively, some people dip their finger in the milk and let the kitten lick it off this way. [9] X Trustworthy Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Leading organization dedicated to the prevention of animal cruelty Go to source

Refrain from pushing the head of the kitten into the bowl. Doing so could cause him to inhale the milk, which could lead to lung issues. [10] X Trustworthy Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Leading organization dedicated to the prevention of animal cruelty Go to source If the kitten is initially reluctant, return to dropper feeding or to his mother. However, begin every feeding by offering the bowl first to encourage the kitten to drink from the bowl.

You can introduce your kitten to this gruel and other moist foods around five to six weeks. [12] X Trustworthy Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Leading organization dedicated to the prevention of animal cruelty Go to source

To complete the transition, moisten the kitten food less and less until it is accepted by the kitten in its original consistency. A bowl of water should always be available next to the food dish. [13] X Trustworthy Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Leading organization dedicated to the prevention of animal cruelty Go to source Make sure that your kitten has the opportunity to eat around four times a day until it is six months old. At this point, it is ok to transition them down to two meals a day. [14] X Research source Talk to your vet about feeding methods. Some vets promote the “ad lib” or “free feeding method” over the scheduled feeding routine. Proponents of ad lib feeding argue that it accommodates persnickety eaters - or those cats who won’t eat at scheduled times. In general, if this seems to make your kitten/cat happier, it is ok. If your kitten turns into an overweight cat, you might consider going to a scheduled feeding schedule to limit the amount of food they consume a day. [15] X Trustworthy Source American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Leading organization dedicated to the prevention of animal cruelty Go to source