Feeding Your Kittens

Posted by Jeanne on March 5, 2009

The feeding of kittens is a little more complicated, mostly because attention must be paid to the frequency and amount of their meals.

The mother cat normally does the job very nicely for the first month. Your only contribution will be to see that she is herself well fed, both during pregnancy and after the young ones have arrived. She will need bone-building calcium and muscle-building proteins in particular, and more water than usual while she is nursing. If her milk supply seems insufficient you can supplement the kittens’ diet with a small amount of slightly warmed, watered-down milk (unsweetened evaporated milk is easier to digest than milk with a high fat content).

By the time kittens are a month old, they can begin to eat solids and should be encouraged to do so. Eggs, milk, fine-ground beef or horsemeat, or the various human baby foods containing meat are ideal for small, growing cats. It’s also not too early to start introducing them to garlic.

Up to two months, the kittens should eat about four meals a day, at regular intervals. Quantities are small perhaps a tablespoon of meat or half a jar of baby food at each meal, plus a shot or two of milk or milk-egg mixture.

After two months, the meals can be reduced to three (and eventually to two) a day, but quantities should be increased until the cat is getting slightly over a third of a pound of meat at each feeding. As noted, the amount may vary, depending on the cat. Whatever keeps her in fine fettle is just right for her. If you’re in doubt, however, consult your vet.

Tips for Feeding Your Kitten

Posted by Jeanne on December 18, 2008

Feeding a kitten is completely different from feeding a grown cat. A kitten is essentially a baby in every way and needs the right amount of nutrition to go from being a kitten to a healthy grown cat. Kittens are just like babies in that they need to eat right to have strong bones, muscles, and nervous system. You can’t feed a kitten the same things that a full-grown cat eats; he needs his own special food until he is old enough to move onto the next step.

It’s always smart to consult with your doctor before you start a regular feeding routine for your kitten. You do need to recognize that because your kitten has such high energy that he needs the proper food to fuel his body. You will find that your kitten will nibble throughout the day because he has a smaller stomach than a full-grown cat.

Just as with human babies, there are going to be times that your kitten doesn’t seem particularly interested in food, such as when he is teething or has lost a baby tooth. In the same instance, your kitten may eat a little more during growth spurts and such. Even when your kitten begins to look and act like an adult cat, don’t rush out and buy adult cat food. He needs to stick with kitten cat food until he is a year old, because of his need for a lot of calories.

There might also come instances that you need to consult with your veterinarian about your cat’s food needs such as if your female feline becomes pregnant or if your cat has health problems that are related to what he eats.