What to feed British kittens?

The desire to have a pet often leads to the fact that the baby appears in the house, where they have not heard anything about the daily routine and diet. And if a cat breed is considered capricious or has a characteristic predisposition to intolerance of certain types of food, the scale of the problem is even worse. How to feed the British kittens, if it is such a fluffy pet appeared in the house? Is it possible to give them ready-made food or will they have to cook by themselves?

Food options for straight British in 1-5 months at home are quite varied. But to check whether small kittens eat regular food, it is not necessary. Better from the very beginning to be guided by the recommendations of breeders and veterinarians. Then, allergic reactions, stool disorders or colic in an animal can be avoided.

The first and foremost rule when feeding a British kitten is the timely introduction of new dishes and careful adherence to meal times. The orderliness of the regime allows you to maintain the health of the pet at the proper level. And this is very important, especially if we consider that the emergence of the British as an independent breed occurred artificially - by selection.

What can feed a small kitten and a half? Should I give organic foods at home, and what is better to use as a complementary food? How many times do British babies eat, and how to properly accustom them to feed? New owners always have a lot of questions.

In the first 3 weeks, the mother’s milk is the only and best feed for the kitten. Further, the food becomes more diverse. For the first feeding in the nursery or private breeder most often used special milk for kittens, approximate in composition to the mother. The new owners usually get a grown-up three-month-old Briton, ready to switch to a regular diet.

• In 1 month only wet food is introduced, from 4 weeks of age it is given three times a day. In the diet - special milk from the pet store (you should not give it as usual), cream, liquid milk porridges, beef, ground into mashed potatoes.

• In 1.5 months British kitten already needs to expand the diet due to new dishes, cottage cheese is added. Complementary feeding is given 3-6 times, gradually milk-feeding is stopped.

• In 2 months feeding frequency increases. Serve food should be 6-8 times, in small portions. In addition to the already used set of dishes, canned food intended for kittens as well as a small proportion of soaked dry food are introduced into the diet.

• In 3 months It is possible to translate the growing up Briton to a full 6 meals a day with 1 feeding with dry food. They give finely chopped chicken and beef meat, canned food and preserves, by-products, cooked and chopped, egg yolk. For feeding can be used and boiled fish fillets (sea, boneless), and canned meat for children. Dry food is still given in the soaked form.

• At 4, 5, 6 months the number of feedings is gradually reduced. By six months old, the baby will be only 4 times.The share of dry food reaches 30%, it is given not soaked, high-quality cheese is added from moist food, which is the most valuable source of calcium.

• In 7 months and beyond The number of feedings remains almost unchanged, 3-4 times during the day, with a share of dry food up to 40%. A young growing organism during this period no longer needs milk - it is removed from the diet, while expanding the list of meat types. In addition to chicken and beef, you can give a turkey, rabbit.

This is not to say that the definition of "regular food" is appropriate for the diet of British kittens. But homemade food in their diet is quite appropriate. It is only necessary to approach the process of its preparation. For example, you can not do without meat, because cats are by nature predators.

It is introduced already in the first month of life, in the form of scraped meat fibers. You can also use mince without any additives. The meat is pre-frozen for at least three days, then thawed and doused with boiling water to destroy the bacterial flora. Both fresh beef and crushed must be given without any additives, salt, spices, onions in any quantities are excluded. As the pet grows, the meat is cut into small pieces.

From the third month of life, a small Briton is ready to absorb by-products. Weekly, boiled beef liver is introduced as complementary food, and 3-4 times during the week, chopped by-products (heart and other liver) are mixed with the main food. A portion at a time should not be more than 100 g.

Only sea fish is suitable, better in the form of fillets - without extra bones. Serve her kitten raw or boiled. It is important to properly pretreat the product. To freeze it for 3 days, and then pour boiling water over it to destroy the helminth eggs.

Egg yolk is a valuable source of vitamin D, which protects baby’s bones from deformation, rickets and other possible health problems. It is mixed into cereals and other dishes, previously ground. The frequency of introduction into the diet - 1 time per week.

The main source of nutrition for a kitten in the first months of life is food that does not require significant effort during absorption, but is nutritious and satisfying. This category includes all porridges that are cooked in their own way at each age.. Up to three months, the food is boiled in milk with the addition of water, sugar is completely excluded. From six months of age give the dish 3-4 times a week. Cook completely milkless rice, oatmeal, semolina.

Obligatory component of the "children's" diet of the British - boiled vegetables rich in fiber. Babies are given carrots and cauliflower, chopping ingredients, flavoring them with a small amount of vegetable oil. You can add prepared vegetables in the main meat dish or porridge.

The source of calcium in the kitten's diet 3-4 times a week are products of fermented milk group - natural yoghurts without sugar and additives, cream, cottage cheese, kefir. Choose a product with a low percentage of fat.

If we are talking about growing an elite, purebred animal, you should pay attention to premium and superpremium products from the very beginning. Brands like Royal Canin even have special food for British kittens in the British shorthair line. Products of Acana and Chicken Soup brands are considered even better. From brands easier breeders recommend Hills, Pro Pac. Veterinarians advise owners of British cats to avoid forming an overly nutritious diet for pets, because the breed is generally prone to gaining excess weight. If you choose a specific brand of food and canned food in pouches or jellies, then the pastes in jars should also choose this particular brand.

If you want to give your pet the best, you should pay attention to the grainless product of the highest class - Earthborn Holistic. The American brand produces a high-protein product with small granules, ideal for both a kitten and an adult cat. Another option - feed Go! Natural, produced in Canada. They also belong to grainless, contain a balanced combination of meat, vegetables, cereals, fats, vitamins.

Each owner decides for himself whether his pet will eat only dry or wet food, and in what proportion the dishes will be combined. Standard options: 50/50, 70/30, 60/40%. In any case, the animal should always have access to clean water. And the food should be poured into a bowl only at the time of feeding - the rest of the time it should be clean. To create a balanced diet, you can follow the example of experienced breeders recommending:

• alternate feeding dry and wet food (in the morning it is better to enter into the diet soft pieces in sauce or canned food, then feeding continues with a dry product);
• regularly offered to the animal cut into small pieces of meat;
• it should not be saved on the stern for a pedigree or elite animal, it will lead to a deterioration in its health.

What should not be given to British kittens? In fact, the list of products here is the same as in the case of adult animals, which also have an impressive list prohibited products:

• cheap feed (dry, in canned food and preserved food) - the cheaper the product, the more low-grade raw material goes into it;
• fresh raw meat;
• pork - it contains microorganisms dangerous for the representatives of the cat family and too fat for animals;
• river fish (you can sea, where there are no small bones);
• milk on reaching the age of six months - it is not absorbed, causes indigestion;
• onions - dangerous to the health of the animal;
• sweets, pickles, smoked.

At observance of a correct diet and exclusion of harmful products there is no doubt that the pet will grow and develop properly. For the British there are their own limitations. For example, kittens with a lilac color are not recommended by-products that can affect the color of the coat.

The first and most important thing that veterinarians remind of: the pet's diet must be well-established, without surprises or drastic changes. It is recommended to immediately determine: whether the pet will receive natural food or a balanced balanced meal. If an animal eats food, it is necessary to introduce fresh food into its diet rarely, as a complementary food.

An animal suffering from constipation or other disorders of the stool, most often characterized by eating disorders. If the owner gives porridge and meat for one day, and only dry food for the other, this is guaranteed to lead to problems in the digestive system. It is worth talking to the breeder, to which diet the baby is used. Seafood is recommended to give with caution - they can cause increased intestinal motility or lead to breakdown of the chair. If problems have already occurred and last more than a day, the animal loses its appetite, weakens, discharge from the eyes appears, you should immediately contact a doctor.

For information on how to feed British kittens, see the following video: