There are so many brands out there so how do I select the best available kitten food?
In the early days, a kitten should be fed small quantities of food around 4 times a day – remember that their stomachs are small and are easily filled. At the age of 12 weeks, you should make a concerted effort to reduce this to 3 times a day, ideally based around the family meal times.
Your kitten’s tummy will have become accustomed to a certain way of feeding and a certain type of food. Naturally, this will change during your kitten’s life stages. However, it is in everyones best interest that you continue to provide the food your kitten can digest. Cleaning up kitty diarrohea does not enhance the “new pet” experience!
Introduce new food items little by little and your kitten’s digestion will be fine.
Now, it is time to decide the best food option to fit in with the new feeding schedule. There are many commercial types and brands to choose from and it is worth spending a little time to ensure that you provide the most nutritious and appetising menu.
Unless you really know what you are doing, it is not recommended that you give your kitten homemade meals. It is difficult to get the vitamin, nutrient and portion control correct and can actually have an adverse effect on health and growth.
There are many tested and researched wet, dry and combination quality options available on the market. With a little experimentation, it should be fairly easy to provide nutritious, quick and tasty meals. Always make sure that you buy kitten food as this is created specifically for the needs of young cats. Consult the can or packet for feeding guidelines and use this as a starting point. As your kitten grows and becomes older, you should change to adult cat specific food. By this time, you will know the type of meals that your cat enjoys and it should be an easy transition.
Whatever meal combination you select, the food should be divided into three portions – morning, afternoon and evening. Kittens (and cats) prefer routine and will soon settle into a pattern. If at all possible, do not leave canned food lying out for too long in case it “turns”.
Leave an accessible bowl of fresh water out so your kitten can have a drink when necessary. Please, do not give your kitten milk from a cow! Sensitive kittens tummies do not digest milk well and, if you need to, you can buy a milk product which is specifically produced for cats.
It is always wise to keep an eye on your kitten’s food and drink intake in case they are eating too much or, indeed, not enough. You have probably introduced some treats into the diet but, beware, unless monitored carefully (especially if children are involved), your kitten could be come a “tubby tabby cat”.