Weaning of kittens should begin at one month of age, but it is usually not until almost two months that the transition to solid food is completely complete. That is why this stage is critical for a kitten. In addition, socialization takes place during its first month of life, which will be essential to have a he althy and happy cat in the future. If a very young kitten has just come into your life, either due to abandonment, death of the mother or being given to you, and especially if you have not seen yourself in the situation before, you can ask yourself:what can you feed a 1 month old kitten?
On our site we bring you the necessary information to be able to raise a 1-month-old kitten that is no longer with the mother and whose food will depend exclusively on you.
What do baby kittens eat?
Newborn kittens obtain the antibodies from their mother through the colostrum during the first hours of life and, later, from the mother's milk, the nutrients they need to put on weight in their first weeks of life. If the mother rejects her litter, does not produce milk or one of her cats is weak or sick, they must be fed with milk formulated for baby kittens, just like when we find abandoned kittens on the street, owing themfeed every 2-3 hours until three weeks of age. In addition, we must provide them with heat at all times, since they are not yet capable of thermoregulating themselves. From 10 days of life they will open their eyes and from 20 they start to get their teeth.
The energy needs of newborn kittens increase and reach 130 kcal/kg daily at 3 weeks From this time, the frequency of shots can be extended up to 4-5 hours. It is important to use milk formulated for cats, although if you don't have any, you can opt for emergency formula for puppies if necessary. If powdered, no more than a 48-hour serving should be prepared at a time. On the other hand, when reconstituted milk powder marketed for cats can be divided into portions and kept refrigerated until used. Before use, they should be heated to 35-38 ºC by immersing them in a lukewarm water bath, never in the microwave due to the risk of overheating or uneven heating.
Orphaned kittens should be bottle-fed, leaving the syringe for emergencies. To do this, they are placed horizontally, in sternal decubitus with their heads elevated to resemble the breastfeeding position. To facilitate the start of suction by the cat, we can put a drop of milk from the bottle on our finger and bring them closer to the kitten's mouth. During the bottle-feeding process, the bottle should never be removed from the cat, as it can cause an expiration of the content.
In kittens less than three weeks old, it is necessary that after each feeding the anogenital area is stimulated to induce them to do their needs, as we explain in this other article on How to help a kitten to defecate. A daily record of weight, meals, elimination and behavior in general must be kept, as well as maintaining a good temperature (30-32 ºC during the first week, lowering to 24 ºC in subsequent weeks) and that they are protected in a safe place.
Of course, before you start feeding a baby cat, especially if you have found it abandoned, it is important that you go to the vet, since, among other things, it will help you to know how old the cat is. kitty exactly. For more information, you can consult this other article on How to know the age of a cat?
How much does a 1 month old cat eat?
If at 3 weeks the kittens should ingest through milk, whether breast or formulated, at least 130 kcal/kg, per monthof age these amount to 200-220 kcal/kg daily distributed over 4-5 daily intakesFrom there, the needs grow much more slowly. In this way, a cat of a month and a half should consume about 225 kcal/kg daily, and when they reach 5 months it will be the maximum: 250 kcal/kg daily. At this age, growth will be quite complete and it will need less daily energy until it reaches, at one year of age, the daily calories of a standard adult cat (70-80 kcal/kg daily).
Normally, one-month-old kittens naturally still drink mostly milk if they are with the mother in a house, although since their teeth have come in they show an interest in solid food. Due to this, in freedom the mother usually offers prey to her young. If an orphaned 1-month-old kitten has just come into our lives, it is important to know that at four weeks of age his diet must be changed, although it must be based on largely with milk formulated for kittens.
For more information, you can read this other article on our site on How many times does a cat eat?, where we talk about both baby and newborn cats.
What happens after the first month of a cat's life?
A cat's socialization period begins at 2 weeks of age and ends at 7 weeks. During this time, kittens learn everything from their mother, and physical contact with humans is essential for optimal behavior in adulthood, as certain events during this time will have a long-term effect on the cat's personality. Ideally, it should not be handled by just one person, preferably at least four, as well as other animal species and people of different ages, which will increase its future sociability.
From the first month of life, the kitten begins the weaning stage, reducing its ability to digest lactose in milk and increasing the amylase enzymes that are responsible for breaking down the starch present in the carbohydrates of dry or wet food for cats. Weaning begins at four weeks of age and can take up to eight weeks of age, where the transition is complete.
How to feed a 1 month old kitten?
When we are in charge of a one-month-old cat, we can favor the introduction of wet food for kittens, but never force them. If they are not interested, better leave it for something later or try another food. Another option, especially if we don't have any type of food for 1-month-old cats, is to try a homemade diet, such as giving them chicken pieces and see if they are interested. Some cats can be very interested in this type of food, but we should not overdo it so as not to cause indigestion, since it is still very small.
To encourage weaning, you should change the bottle with which a cat would feed during its first weeks of life for a small plate with milkto teach them to drink from there and, little by little, add an amount of food marketed for kittens that will soften. Thus, the kitten will have it easier to start eating it. This amount of feed will be gradually increased until it feeds completely on it at around 7 weeks. The best feed that can be given to a kitten until it becomes an adult is a specific feed formulated for kittens, which the mother can also feed on until the end of lactation.
In short, the feeding a 1-month-old cat will consist of:
- Feed him milk formulated for baby cats.
- When he is four weeks old, he should start to be introduced to dry food to encourage weaning, and always do so gradually, starting with very little feed in relation to milk, until this proportion is reversed and finally only feed will be administered.
- Never forget that they have at their disposal a container with water, even if they still do not feed exclusively on dry food.
- They should be fed four or five times a day. It is not recommended that they always have food available, as it can cause them to get sick.
- We must bear in mind that a kitten from a month and up to at least 6-7 months triples the energy needs of an adult, so the food should be more energetic. The ideal is a food marketed for kittens.
- When they reach seven weeks, they should be fed exclusively with dry food and/or wet food for kittens.
To learn more about how to feed and care for one-month-old kittens, we recommend reading this other article on Caring for one-month-old cats.
