How to Make Kitten Gruel (Guide/Ingredients/Tips)

If you have a new kitten or adopted one you may be wondering how you can feed it. In particular, understanding what gruel is and how you can make it for it.

What is gruel?

Gruel is a food mixture for kittens. It is used to wean kittens from their mother’s milk to solid foods. It is a mixture of quality tinned cat food, or dry cat food, with kitten replacement formula. It is a simple mix for kittens.

What you will need to make the gruel

Description	Image	My Rating
01. PetAg Kitten Milk Replacer Click here for the price on Amazon
02. Purina Fancy Feast Kitten food Click here for the price on Amazon
03. Iams Dry Kitten Food Click here for the price on Amazon

Now that you know what gruel is keep reading to learn how to make the gruel when you should be offering your kitten this gruel, when to wean her to soli food, and so much more.

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How to make kitten gruel

In this section, I will explain, step by step, what you need to make the gruel. You will see that it is quite simple to make.

Get the following items:
- A quality Kitten canned food. or dry kitten food.
- Kitten milk replacement formula
- A mixing bowl
Mix the ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Mix it until it is quite a thick texture, like custard.

Some further tips

It’s important to get a good tinned kitten food (Click here to see the price on Amazon). Or a quality dry kitten food (Click here for the price on Amazon).

Also, the texture is important, do not make it too runny, or too thick. You will know if it looks too thick because it will be difficult to mix.

Now you have learned how to make gruel, what the best consistency is, and the best ingredients to use. Keep reading to learn when to wean her off, and much more.

How do you wean a kitten off gruel?

Once you have your gruel made and your kitten lapping it up there will come a time, in some weeks, when you need to wean her off it. In this section, I will explain how you go about doing this.

This is a gradual process, and quite simple to do. In the last section, I explained how important the texture is, remember? Well, as you wean your kitten off it, this becomes even more important.

Start by gradually adding less and less kitten milk replacement formula. But, do not do it drastically. It needs to be bitten by bit, are you with me?

The dangers of changing the texture too quickly

If you change the texture too quickly then your kitten may stop eating the gruel. And you may have problems transitioning her to solids.

So, you have learned the importance of gradually changing the texture to wean her off gruel. Keep reading to learn when you should start introducing your kittens to solids and even consider weaning.

When should kittens be introduced to solid food?

Cute American Kittens

In this section, I will explain when you should consider moving your kitten to solids. The best way to explain this is to explain the respected timeline of a kittens development.

The best time to start introducing your kitten to solid food is from 6 weeks old. This is when you can start with some gruel and gradually introduce solid food until your kitten is fully transitioned to solid food.

What your kitten should be eating at other stages

In your kittens first two weeks you should expect your kitten to be drinking her mother’s milk. This will continue up to week 6, as discussed earlier. When weaning starts. This weaning onto solid foods should take approximately 3 to 4 weeks.

So, now you know when the transition to solids should start, roughly how long it should take and what your kitten will typically consume at their other stages.

Keep reading to learn how you can tell what age your kitten is, if she is new to you, so you can gauge what stage these steps will happen.

How can you tell how old a kitten is?

In this section, I will explain how you can tell how old your kitten is. This is helpful if you have a new kitten, or maybe you adopted it and unsure what development stage it is at, are you with me.

Physical signs of your kitten’s age

Source: Found Animals

Age (Approximately)	Indication
1 day old	Eyes closed & ears folded
3 days old	ears start to unfold
6 days old	eyes will start to open
10-15 days old	days eyes fully open (pupils not dilated)
2 weeks old	The kitten will attempt to walk, but not very well.
6 weeks old	Kittens eye color will change to permanent color
8 weeks old	Should be at least 2 lbs in weight.

Now you know what to expect at each stage. This is a loose guide, every kitten is slightly different and may not map onto this exactly by the day. Keep reading to learn what you can feed your cat if you have no formula.

What can I feed my kitten if I don’t have any formula?

If you find yourself in the awkward situation of not having any kitten milk replacement formula and you are looking for a Quick emergency option you are in luck. In this section, I will explain what you need.

Why cows milk is not ideal for kittens

You may instantly think that cows milk from your fridge is the natural replacement for your kitten. But, this is not the case. Kittens are usually lactose intolerant. So, it could cause them to have diarrhea.

Emergency formula

However, if you have no alternative, according to this site, you can use it but it needs to mix as follows:

8 ounces milk
2 egg yolks
A teaspoon of vegetable oil

Mix this for an emergency alternative for kitten milk replacement formula. But, as stated earlier, this should not be used regularly.

So, you have learned why cows milk is not ideal, and how to use it for emergency kitten milk formula replacement. Keep reading to learn if water is ok for your kitten.

Can you give kittens water?

In this section, you will learn if it is ok to give your kitten water. Maybe you are running out of ideas on how to nourish your kitten and wondering if this is a viable option.

Yes, you can give kittens water from 4-6 weeks old. Before this age, they should not be drinking water. At that stage, they should be drinking their mother’s milk or kitten milk replacement formula as an alternative.

You have learned when is an ideal stage to offer your kitten water, when it is not a good stage to give to them, and what they should be eating at their earlier stages in life. Keep reading to learn how you get your kitten to use a bowl.

How do I get my kitten to eat from a bowl?

Click here for the price on Amazon

If you have been watching your kitten collect milk from her mother (click here if its getting older and still nursing), or you have been feeding her from a bottle. You may be wondering how you can get her to start using a bowl. In this section, I will explain how.

Here is what you need to do:

Get a shallow kitten bowl.
Locate the bowl in a separate room
Start with a milk replacement formula
Top up with bottle feeding, if needed
As she gets older, wean her onto solids using gruel.

This process is quite simple, but it will take some time. it is not an overnight procedure. But, if you stick with it, in time, she will be eating out of the bowl naturally.