This article will help you learn how to feed your kitten correctly. Let’s take a closer look.
How often should I feed my kitten?
How often should you feed your kitten to prevent starvation and overeating? Kittens gain weight quickly when fed correctly. They should be fed about twice as often as adult cats.
Up to 2 months of age, kittens need to be fed five to six times a day because their small stomachs cannot take in large amounts of food. Just like small children, they should be fed frequently, but in small amounts.
When a kitten is 3-4 months old, it can be fed four times a day.
At six months, a kitten can be fed three times a day.
At 8 months, the kitten can be switched to two full feedings a day. This is much more convenient.
What is the best way to feed a kitten?
The diet a kitten is fed depends on its age. Up to one month of age, if the mother cat no longer feeds her own milk, it is necessary to give her a commercially available formulai-substitute or make your own. And remember that you cannot give cow’s milk to a kitten this small because it is so fatty.
When the kitten is one month old, it can be given cottage cheese and low-fat kefir.
By half a month, kittens learn to feed themselves. Now let’s take a look at which products are more suitable for kittens.
As a kitten is the young of a predatory animal, meat is essential in its diet, mainly lean meat (it does not need added fat). Raw meat is better left out of the diet, but can be covered with boiling water, or simply boiled in water.
Chicken or other poultry meat can be given, but without bones to prevent injury to the animal, and bones are not allowed in food. It is preferable to give the kitten a chicken fillet, which should be ground before presentation to make it comfortable to eat and prevent choking.
Vegetables are vitamins. They can be given to your kitten in any form, but it is best to cook them to start with.
It is advisable to give fish that is marine and pitted, or river fish if you wish, but it must always be cooked.
An egg should not be given more than once a week, and only the yolk, as boiled eggs are not digestible by animals.
Cottage cheese is a very useful product for kittens and also for cats. It is rich in dangerous trace elements. You can put a little sour cream on the cottage cheese to make it tastier, but do not overdo it to avoid upsetting the kitten’s stomach.
Kefir and milk should be included in the diet of a 6-8 month old kitten, but it is important that they are not fatty.
- Cheese is a very useful product, but should be given no more than twice a week.
- Grass is the basis for vitamins. You can grow your own at home or buy it from a pet shop.
- Above all, make sure your kitten has fresh water!
- What not to feed a small kitten?
- Butter and other fatty dairy products;
- raw freshwater fish, as it may contain worms and other parasites;
- sausages of all kinds;
- poultry bones;
- under no circumstances give pork to a kitten, it is useless and dangerous.
Should I feed my kitten dry food?
When introducing homemade food to your kitten, you can choose your own diet.
Buying dry food for your kitten saves you time because you don’t have to cook it – just put it in a bowl and that’s it. However, if you choose this option, give preference to professional foods such as Royal Canin, Hils. They contain a wide range of essential vitamins and minerals, and also help to build your kitten’s muscle mass.
Dry food should be given to kittens after soaking in a little kefir or broth.
What canned food should I feed my kitten?
In addition to dry food, there is canned cat food. Many canned foods cause disorders and there have been cases where kittens have died as a result of frequent feeding with poor quality canned cat food. It is essential to choose and use products that have been tested and are of good quality.
Read also: How to get your cat used to toileting