What and how to feed a kitten?

With the appearance of a small kitten in the house, the new owner has a huge amount of worries, one of which concerns the nutrition of the baby. Properly formulated diet includes a full range of vitamins and trace elements that are important for strengthening the immune system and the formation of the internal organs of the animal. Thanks to a balanced diet, the body of fluffy lumps will be able to independently combat a multitude of diseases.

Artificial feeding of newborn kittens is allowed only in a few cases - if the mother cat disappeared, died or does not allow the cubs to get to her, having received postpartum stress. In the presented situations, it is better to find a feeding cat that will be able to accept someone else's baby and feed him as his own. In some cases, it is allowed to attach the kittens even to dogs, but the owner must be present nearby in order to pick up the kitten in case of danger.

Proper nutrition of newborn kittens is the key to their good health. If small fluffy lumps were early weaned off from the mother, their feeding falls on the host’s shoulders. Previously, breeders needed to look for similar in composition food options for newborn babies, but thanks to the progress artificial mixtures for animals began to appear on the shelves of most pet stores.

The main issue breeders who will self-feeding newborn kittens, is the study of the specifics of their feeding. Some owners use the old way and try to feed the little creatures. from pipette. Other owners use special baby bottles. Of the options presented, the most preferred is a bottle. With its help, the baby will learn to suck, thereby developing a natural reflex.

The first attachments to the bottle for the baby will be exhausting, since he will not be able to suck the food on his own. The owner in this case will have to gradually squeeze out the milk so that the kitten gets the drops in his mouth. Perhaps a kitten will be very hungry after a few feedings, as it does not receive the necessary amount of food, so it will quickly figure out how to eat with the help of a nipple. In addition to milk, kittens should be given warm water, but not from a bottle, but from a pipette or syringe. So must pass the first 3 weeks of life of a fluffy baby.

After 3 weeks of life, fluffy babies have an interest in other types of food, thus it becomes possible to transfer the animal to more serious food. At the age of one month, kittens tend to start eating from a bowl. Most veterinarians claim that the most suitable food that carries vitamins and minerals is natural food.

On the other hand, the breeders claim that in the diet of a monthly kitten must be present dry or canned food, as part of which there is a full range of vitamins, so necessary for the younger body.

Having chosen natural food, the pet owner will have to spend a small amount of time near the stove and prepare suitable dishes for the kitten, bringing them to a watery consistency.

It may be:

• semolina, boiled in milk or water;
• infant formula or diluted milk;
• boiled egg yolk;
• cottage cheese mixed with milk;
• boiled vegetables;
• low-fat meat broth;
• boiled beef, chicken fillet, fish.

Small kittens are in many ways similar to human children when they begin to receive complementary foods. Food is also ground by a blender, and the number of feedings per day should be at least 4 times.

With a kitten reaching a month and a half, soft cheese varieties can be included in the diet, as well as goat milk, diluted according to the formula 4: 1, where 4 parts are goat milk and 1 part is water. At such a young age, babies should not use pure cow's milk, since their intestines and stomach have not yet become stronger and may not digest it. Further, it is proposed to get acquainted with the products that need to be included in the diet of a two-month-old cat:

• low-fat chicken fillet;
• boiled fish;
• milk products;
• porridge cooked in milk or water;
• Fillet of beef;
• dry food in the soaked form;
• vegetables;
• raw yolk.

3 month old - This is the most important period in the first year of a kitten’s life. At this time, the body is finally formed, the weight increases, the appearance is determined, and most importantly, the teeth change begins. For this reason, veterinarians are advised to introduce solid foods into the diet.

In addition to meat, in the kitten's diet should appear additional products containing the maximum amount of nutrients. These include:

• fish raw and cooked;
• raw vegetables;
• cottage cheese;
• yogurt.
• porridge on milk.

At the age of 4 months, the kitten is activated weight gain. For this reason, products that promote muscle development should appear in the diet. Formed teeth by this time can already chew on any food, cut into large pieces.

In a similar scenario, the animal must be fed up to six months. At the age of 6 to 10 months, the number of feedings per day should be reduced. In this interval, the growth activity of the body decreases, but taste sensations are formed.

Having stopped the choice on natural food, the owner of a kitten will need to follow some rules. From the very beginning of feeding in the diet, it is necessary to introduce as many different products as possible. If a child does not learn to be vegetables or cereals from childhood, it will be almost impossible to retrain an adult. For this reason, the baby from childhood should receive a variety of dishes.

The main and most important rule of teaching a kitten to homemade food is not to feed it with handouts from the human table. In food prepared for household use, added a lot of spices that adversely affect the health of the animal. But the most annoying will be the subsequent annoyance of a beggar who will not miss the opportunity to steal inaccessible food from the table.

As an additional feeding veterinarians are advised to purchase weed in pet stores, contributing to getting rid of accumulations of wool in the stomach. If the breeder does not trust the purchased plants, he can independently grow grass on the window. The main thing - do not forget about the natural vitamins necessary for the health of the cat.

Breeders who are professionally engaged in breeding cats are ready to share with the novice owners the features of the food basket for kittens. Beef meat, chicken, in some cases, turkey and even boiled goose are especially honored in this list. Fish in the diet of kittens also plays an important role. The main thing is to remember that in marine fish there are no harmful elements, which is not the case with river dwellers. Everybody knows that fish products are a strong allergen. For this reason, the fish in the menu should not be often enough 2 times a week. Most kids fish boiled, and adults can eat them raw.

The most suitable food for kittens is milk.. However, not all adults can consume cow products. In some creatures, the stomach may not accept natural lactose. As an analogue, it is proposed to feed the animal with yogurt. But it is important to ensure that its fat content is not high.

Another essential product for a kitten is considered cottage cheese mixed with yolk. As the main delicacy amiss rennet cheese mixed with sour cream. For the full development of the body a kitten is required to use fiber, which is in the composition of vegetables and cereals. At a small age, kittens should be given porridge, cooked in milk. Slightly grown up individuals fit cereals with vegetables, boiled in meat broth.

Ready-made feeds sold in every pet store are becoming more and more popular every day. And indeed, they are very convenient, since they have a pre-calculated dosage, they are fairly easily and conveniently stored at home, do not take up much space.

It is important to note that the feed contains the necessary elements for the full growth of small creatures. For most manufacturers, the priority is the characteristics of cat breeds, on the basis of which each individual type of food is compiled.

For small kittens, special types of feed are produced. It is from them that the animal should be taught to industrial products. For a start, the kitten should be offered canned jelly-like consistency with finely chopped pieces of meat. They are sure to appeal to every cat. When the baby gets used to the wet food, you can start adding dry pads to the food, gradually reducing the amount of jelly-like canned food and increasing the dry feeding. So it will turn out to transfer an animal to full dry food.

In the first days after the birth of a kitten with bottle-feeding, the baby should be given a bottle with the mixture every 2-3 hours. For this reason, the feeding procedure is quite exhausting and requires the constant presence of the host house. And already after 3 weeks in the diet of a kitten, you can enter additional feeding. By 4 weeks the kitten should have a clear meal schedule and consist of about 5-8 feedings, including night time. But unfortunately, there are times when additional feed is required to be given to babies much more often.

The breeder is invited to become familiar with the change in the number of feedings per day, depending on the age of the pet.

• A kitten of 2 weeks of age should be fed approximately 10-13 times a day, including at night.
• Fluffy lumps of monthly age eat 8-11 times a day, including the night.
• In the period from 1 to 2 months of feeding should be 7 times a day. Night in this case is excluded.
• From 2 to 3 months the nutrition of the kitten consists of 6 feedings.
• In the period from 4 to 5 months, the kitten must feed 5 times a day, except for the night.
• From 5 to 9 months baby feeding consists of 4 times.
• From 9 months to a year, the kitten is fed 3 times.
• With the onset of one year old kitten must be transferred to two meals.

In addition to the number of feedings of the kitten, the owner needs to know how much food the animal should eat at one time.

• Before the age of one week, the kitten should consume 30 ml of food per 100 g of its own weight. Accordingly, if the kitten weighs 200 grams, then the milk should be 60 ml.
• At two weeks of age, a kitten should eat 38 ml per 100 g of its own weight.
• At 3 weeks the volume of food should be 48 ml per 100 g of kitten weight.
• At 4 weeks of age, a kitten should eat about 50 ml of food per 100 g of its own weight, followed by an increase in this amount.

Further, it is proposed to get acquainted with the daily feeding of the growing individual.

• At one and a half month the kitten should consume 120 g of food per day.
• The daily diet of two-month kittens should consist of 160-180 g of food.
• The daily rate of kittens aged 3 to 6 months should consist of about 200-240 g. At the same time, 40 g should be meat products.
• Half a year old babies need to eat 180 grams of food.
• In the period from 10 to 12 months it is necessary to reduce the amount of food to 200 g per day.

In drawing up the diet of a small kitten, the age of the animal is of paramount importance. In the period from 2 to 4 months the kittens have teeth.. For this reason, babies can be partially transferred to adult food, thereby accustom the animal to self-eating and drinking from its own cup. In this age gap, the kitten is marked by active growth, health promotion, and the formation of internal organs. Finally established the work of the gastrointestinal tract. That is why the menu of fluffy lumps should be enriched with the maximum amount of vitamins. Diet is important to supplement protein foods.

In the next phase of development - from 4 to 6 months, the baby begins to actively gain weight. That is why the basis of the diet should consist of products that increase muscle growth. By this time, the kitten's jaw is completely formed, his teeth are all cut, respectively, the baby can eat large pieces of beef or chicken meat. Some breeders prefer to give pets offal. But before they need to be cut into pieces. For this age gap, an increase in calcium in the diet, which is in most dairy products, is necessary.

In the period from 6 to 10 months the growth of kittens becomes almost invisible.. At this moment the taste preferences of the animal are formed. The owner of the animal should be more vigilant. It is strictly forbidden to indulge a kitten and pamper him with delicacies.

Most people think that their favorite cat food is milk and sausages. In reality, everything is much more complicated. In order for a cat to be healthy, it must be taught from childhood to a proper balanced diet.

In addition to food, which must be present in the kitten's diet, there is a list of undesirable foods.

• Liver. In its composition there is a huge amount of vitamin A and D. With regular feeding of this product in the animal's body there will be a glut of vitamins, which can lead to negative consequences. At the same time, spoiling the kitten with the liver is not prohibited. It can be given several times a week as a vitamin variety.
• Dry feed economy class. Of course, they attract many breeders with an inexpensive cost, but they have a huge amount of harmful substances that, with long-term use, adversely affect the health of the animal. Why are only dyes and all kinds of preservatives.
• Food made from legumes. They cause constipation and bloating. By a similar principle acts on the cat's body and potatoes.
• A fish. With constant feeding of the kitten with fish products, the animal develops urolithiasis. To avoid such consequences, the fish should be given no more than twice a week. A kitten at the age of one month to feed the fish is not worth it at all.

Below is a list of products hazardous to the health of a kitten.

In this case, it is proposed to consider products that can lead to the saddest consequences - death. And the death of the animal will come not immediately, but after a certain period of time.

• Sweets. For a little kitten is a real poison. The animal's body is by its nature not adapted to eating chocolate. It is good that not every individual eats sweets or cookies.
• It is very dangerous for a kitten to give fish skeletons and bird bones.. Their structure in a cracked form can cause irreparable harm to the animal's body. When a cat breaks bones, pieces of the skeleton break up into fragments with sharp ends. They also enter the stomach, respectively, can scratch the esophagus or even pierce it, which leads to internal bleeding.
• Expired Products. Any food for which the shelf life has long expired is a breeding ground for many pathogenic bacteria and putrefactive microorganisms. This food will not lead to anything good, especially if you feed it a little kitten.

The information provided will help novice breeders to feed a newborn kitten and grow a healthy adult cat out of it.

In the next video you can find out what the breeders feed little kittens with.