My anxious cat won't wean her 2-month-old kittens. What to do?

Hello there, Kittens are typically weaned at 8 weeks of age. Kittens that are weaned later in life may chronically suckle on objects through their lifetime. Sometimes this can become an obsessive behavior, lead to ingestions of non-food objects, or can cause injury to another pet. In the wild, most kittens would be quite independent from their mother already. Chronic suckling can only happen in captivity when they are kept together longer than they normally would be- being kept together means there is no natural end to the suckling. I'd recommend keeping them strictly separated for a few weeks to months to try to stop this behavior. They will likely become anxious and vocal at first, but it will be for their benefit in the long run. I hope this is helpful. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

The kittens should be weaned at 6-8 weeks. Not all animals are natural, nurturing mothers, and she may just not know how to make the kittens go away. I would recommend separating them. The kittens still need a safe environment and easy access to kitten food, but they no longer need mom for milk.

The weaning process typically begins around 4 weeks of age and "ends" around 8-10 weeks of age. Given the circumstances, the mother cat may be a bit more clingy and that's fine as long as she isn't interfering with the kitten's normal activity and appetite. You can try gradually acclimating her to its absence by gradually separating them for ever increasing periods of time. Use toys, treats and playtime as distractions for the mother.

At 6 weeks they are old enough to be weaned. You can started with dry kitten food mixed with a little water and canned food to entice them. If they eat well, then you can decrease the amount of canned food and water until they are eating dry food. The mom will also help by letting them nurse less and less. Once they are eating a good meal 3-4 times a day, they do no need any milk from mom and go to a new home.

Some kittens do nurse longer than others, and wean at a later date. He does need to learn to eat regular food, however, you can try to wean him. To start, mix dry kitten food with kitten milk replacer formula so they recognize the taste. Smear the mixture around their mouth with your finger and let them lick it off. Once they get used to the taste, they’ll seek it out elsewhere. As he get used to this, add in more dry food, and less formula until you have completely eliminated the formula.

It's possible Aleria is anxious about the kitten moving around. Unfortunately, you cannot train her away from this behavior but there are a few things you can do at home which may help. Here is a great article about cat's instinctual needs: https://www.petcoach.co/article/why-every-cat-needs-a-place-to-climb/ Use a Feliway diffuser, set aside 30 minutes a day for vigorous play and you may even look into an interactive toy. This behavior will generally stop on it's own. When the kitten is 12 weeks old, I recommend to have your cat spayed. Having a cat spayed has many health and behavioral benefits. Additionally, 1 female cat can have almost 30 kittens in a year if not kept indoors and away from male cats. That's a lot of kittens/cats to care for! I hope this helps and please feel free to post any additional questions.

Hello, thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. As long as the mom will let them nurse she will make milk. I would not call it abnormal but it is not really good for them to nurse after 8 weeks of age. They actually become lactose intolerant after that time and even though they seem OK it could cause them issues in the long run. The mother usually stops the kittens from nursing around 8 weeks of age because they will get teeth and start biting the nipples making her uncomfortable. They must not be doing that since she is still allowing them to do it. The mom continuing to make milk also puts a strain on her body nutritionally and she may get underweight and unthrifty. It is best to separate the mom from the kittens until the milk dries up and then have mom spayed. Hope this helps. Best wishes.