what to feed your kitten for best health
'How often should I feed my kitten?' is a common question asked past many new true cat owners. Although the reply might seem simple, it can vary depending on your true cat's age, growth rate, and even breed. Knowing how much and how oftentimes to feed a young kitten thebest kitten food is primal to ensuring they accept a good for you kickoff in life. Let's explore normal kitten eating patterns in more than item.
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- How long should cats swallow kitten food for?
Immature kittens – upwards to four weeks
Newborn kittens will be getting all their nutrition from their mother's milk. Still, if you find yourself in the position of needing to hand-rear a kitten so you will need some special kitten formula milk – don't be tempted to give them cow's milk!
At this age, your kitten will demand to be canteen-fed every 2-3 hours. You'll also need to ensure they are toileting by stimulating them with a wet material if the mother true cat isn't there to do it. If yous find an abased kitten or if your cat neglects her kittens afterwards giving nascence, it would exist a good idea to become them checked over past a vet. Raising kittens is hard work, and information technology'due south best to seek professional advice.
- Top six kitten feeding tips: Proceed your young true cat strong and healthy
- Top six kitten care tips: A vet'due south guide
- Newborn kittens: A vet's guide to care
Weaning kittens – four-viii weeks
At four weeks, most kittens are willing to try a petty solid nutrient. Endeavour to observe them soft, pâte-similar foods at first, and consider mixing them in with a footling milk to encourage them. At offset, a taste is all they demand – most of their nutrition will be coming from milk. But over the side by side 2-4 weeks, they'll make a gradual transition to eating only solids.
At this historic period, it'southward best to leave solid foods down for long periods in lodge to allow them to explore and get a taste for it. Don't forget to refresh the basin regularly to make certain it stays safe, equally moisture nutrient goes off speedily. At four weeks, they'll be drinking milk well-nigh iv times a day, but this volition subtract naturally every bit their solid food intake increases.
First days in a new abode – viii-xvi weeks of historic period
Many kittens get off to their new homes from viii weeks of historic period onwards. This tin be an unsettling fourth dimension for them, so one of the best ways to assistance them feel more secure is by providing a routine. This will help them know what to expect each 24-hour interval. Making sure your kitten has set meal times is a large part of this.
Your kitten will need effectually four feeds a 24-hour interval at this age, with their recommended daily ration split up evenly between all four mealtimes. You should get in the addiction of weighing and body condition scoring your kitten to make sure they're getting plenty nutrient. You want them to abound and put on weight, but not to get obese Your vet will exist able to suggest y'all further on this. Something else to consider is what blazon of food to feed your kitten – you can choose either moisture, dry, or a mixture of both. At this age your kitten won't need milk, they will be getting all they need from their solid food. Water should e'er be provided though.
Whichever nutrient you opt for, brand certain that it is a diet specifically for kittens every bit this will be specially formulated to assistance with their growth and development. The packet guidelines volition tell you how much to feed your kitten per 24-hour period (which can then be divided into his iv daily meals). If you aren't sure how much you should be feeding, then speak to your vet.
16 weeks to 6 months
Your kitten will likely be on three feeds a day at this age, dividing their recommended daily ration into three equal portions. They should still be on a kitten diet at this age, as they are growing quickly. However, this is a common historic period for kittens to get overweight, so keep on checking in with your vet to make sure their growth is appropriate. Proceed an middle on how many extra treats or titbits you are giving them, every bit this is as well easy to overdo.
Six months to one twelvemonth
Your kitten's growth will have slowed and, although they are still growing and irresolute body shape, he will need far fewer calories. Whether they stay on kitten nutrient or change to adult food varies depending on their breed and whether they've been neutered – your vet tin assistance you decide.
At this age, 2 feeds a day is fine, and this frequency of feeding will keep correct through your true cat'southward adult life. Having said this, wild cats eat several smaller meals each solar day, so if your cat is more of a grazer and so y'all can do this too. The most important thing is to brand sure his recommended daily calories are split between the meals so that you know, no matter how ofttimes he eats the number of calories per 24 hours is withal the same.
How much food should I feed my kitten?
As kittens age their calorie needs change, then information technology can be difficult to decide exactly how much to feed them. Rather than guessing, information technology's worth calculating your kitten's free energy needs.
Young, unweaned kittens need xx-25kcal for every 100g of bodyweight (opens in new tab) each day. You tin use the calorie content on your kitten milk replacer label to determine how much milk y'all should feed your kitten. Weighing your kitten regularly can help to ensure they're taking enough milk to abound properly.
Once your kitten has fully weaned, unremarkably around eight weeks, he'll need to be taking in around 250-280 calories a day. However, this can vary between breeds and individuals, and so yous should take your vet's communication into account. Start by feeding the amount of food recommended on the cat nutrient label, so adjust equally necessary to brand sure your kitten gains weight at the correct rate.
In one case your kitten reaches six months of age or is neutered, you can outset to reduce their daily calorie intake to their adult requirement. On boilerplate, this is 200kcal/day, only this depends on your cat's weight. Your vet will be able to advise, or a calorie calculator (opens in new tab) tin help you.
How often should I feed my kitten wet food?
When kittens are very young and starting to wean at around four weeks of age, soft food should be available nigh of the time. This is so that they can explore and attempt piddling bits, as and when they like. As your kitten gets older you lot might make up one's mind to proceed him on moisture food, or change to only dry food, it's up to you lot.
Simply regardless of whether y'all are feeding wet or dry, the recommended frequency of feeding is the aforementioned. Kittens anile 8-16 weeks volition exist on four meals a day, at 16 weeks to six months they volition exist eating three times a day and by six months of age onwards they should be on ii meals per twenty-four hours.
How oft should I feed my kitten milk?
It depends on their age equally to how much milk your kitten needs. As discussed earlier (in the different historic period sections), newborn kittens volition be getting all their nutrition from milk and will need to feed every 2-3 hours. This lessens equally they get older and by the time they are fully weaned they shouldn't require any milk at all. From the age of 8 weeks old your kitten should only drink water.
Don't be tempted to requite cow's milk to your kitten, even as a treat, as information technology could cause tum upset.
How should I feed my kitten to avert obesity?
Obesity is i of the biggest brute welfare concerns for vets today, and information technology's estimated to touch over one-half of all cats. In one case cats become obese, slimming them down is much harder – so preventing unhealthy weight gain, right from kittenhood, is the best bet.
Computing the required daily allowance for a growing kitten is difficult, and feeding also little is merely as dangerous equally feeding likewise much. It'southward best to talk to your veterinary to find out how many calories your kitten needs each 24-hour interval, and calculate their feeding assart, in grams, from at that place.
Your vet can also recommend regular weigh-ins and cheque your kitten'south growth against a chart to make sure they aren't gaining more weight than is healthy for their historic period. For more info, read our guide to weight loss for cats.
How oftentimes should I feed my kitten: Conclusion
The main matter that influences how oft you should feed your kitten is his historic period. Only size and breed tin can come into it likewise. Large breeds will have the stomach capacity to take fewer meals far younger than small breeds such every bit Siamese cats.
Don't forget that all cats are individuals. If your true cat appears to be losing weight, is pestering for food, or is otherwise not coping with the number of meals they become, it might exist worth discussing their symptoms with a vet and seeing whether more than frequent meals would help.
Source: https://www.petsradar.com/advice/how-often-should-i-feed-my-kitten-a-vets-advice
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