I Have a kitten and hes 5 weeks old

Question
I have a kitten that's 5 weeks old and I was wondering is that ok or what are the problems that might come along and what can i give her for food?

Answer
Hi Angie.  She's very young to be away from her mom, and there may be a couple of problems because she wasn't able to nurse long enough, but if she has already left mom, it's too late to worry about that now.

One thing that might arise is that she may be more susceptible to infections than other kittens her age who are still nursing.  This is because kittens gain protection against germs through breast milk.  Since her immune system is still immature, she doesn't have a great defense against germs she may come in contact with without the help of the antibodies she'd get from mom's breast milk.  So it's important to keep her indoors and away from any kitties who go outside right now.  You should also make an appointment to have her vaccinated against feline distemper, feline herpes and calici virus.  These are the most dangerous viral kitten diseases that she may pick up at this age.  Most kittens can wait until they're 8 or 10 weeks old to be vaccinated, but since she's no longer nursing, she should be vaccinated in about a week or so.

Another thing that might arise is an upset belly.  Kittens this young aren't always ready to transition to an all food diet.  It would probably be a good idea to also offer the baby some kitten milk replacement in addition to canned food.  You can find kitten milk replacement at pet stores, veterinary offices and even in the pet section at some value stores.  You can warm it in the microwave just a little and offer it in a saucer, or see if she'd like it from a kitten bottle.  

At five weeks, she's too little to be eating any dry food at all.  She has only milk teeth right now that can't crush hard food adequately, and dry food will pose a choking hazard to her.  When she's 8 weeks, she'll have some premolars in that will be a little better for crushing dry kitten food, but I still wait until kittens are 12 weeks before leaving them dry kitten food.  

Until then, she can have canned food.  Unlike dry food, which should say it's for kittens specifically, you can feed your kitten any canned food you choose.  It's nutritionally balanced for all ages unless it says otherwise.  But I would avoid anything that has a chunky texture for now.

Other than that, you may notice her suckling on things like blankets or clothing because she wasn't able to nurse from mom as long as she would have liked.  Try to make sure she doesn't suck on fuzzy materials, like wools or synthetics, that she may swallow fibers from, as they could cause blockages.  Other than that, the behavior is pretty harmless, and kittens usually outgrow it by a year and a half old.

Congrats on your baby!