Research overview: weaning age and the transition to solid food in felids

Weaning marks the shift from dependence on maternal milk to consuming solid prey, a gradual transition whose timing varies with species and circumstances. This overview surveys weaning ages across the cat family, from small species weaned within weeks to large cats nursed for several months. It reviews how cubs begin sampling meat while still suckling, how mothers facilitate the transition by bringing prey, and how nutritional and social factors influence weaning timing. The review considers the energetic significance of weaning for mothers, who can then begin to recover condition and eventually breed again. Understanding weaning is important for managing hand-reared young, interpreting birth intervals, and modeling maternal investment in wild and captive felids.