In order for an unpretentious kitten that has appeared in the house to eventually become a healthy, active and beautiful pet, it is important to feed him correctly from childhood. Irresponsible owners do not worry about this and feed the animal with food from the table, without even realizing that, for example, kittens are better not to use dairy products. Natural food when feeding is quite acceptable, but the complexity causes proper calculation of proteins, fats, carbohydrates and other elements that are important for the health of a kitten. Therefore, it is easier to buy ready-made feed, in which all the necessary substances are already balanced.
The importance of proper diet
Owners who do not pay attention to what the kitten eats, soon face serious problems. If signs of poisoning from expired milk are immediately noticeable, then the detrimental effect of many harmful natural products is detected gradually. Alas, often the symptoms are already late.
If the kitten has an inappropriate diet, the kidneys, liver, and other digestive organs are damaged.
Animals that do not regulate a portion of food are prone to weight gain, and from here begin urolithiasis, diabetes and other problems. Diseases of the teeth and oral cavity, skin diseases, and allergies are becoming serious consequences.
It is very important at an early age, when the kitten's stomach is still getting stronger, to lay the foundation for a long and healthy life.
Feeding rates depending on age and weight
Up to the age of six months, the kitten gains 100 grams of weight per week. In six months, the growth of the animal stops, and the weight continues to grow. However, these indicators do not apply to each individual, as there are pedigree features. For example, the final weight and size of a Maine Coon is established only in two years, and until this age the pet of this breed grows rather slowly.
After studying the characteristics of the age and weight of the pet, the owner will be easier to calculate the desired daily portion of feed.
The older a kitten gets, the less energy its body spends, which means that as it grows, the amount of daily ration should be reduced.. So, if absolutely tiny baby needs 48 g per 1 kg of weight per day, then already from 4 months this portion decreases to 32 g per day, and from 7 months this indicator is at all equal to 24 g. To accurately calculate the feeding rate, you can use usual measuring cup. It is sold at a pet store.
Such dishes not only makes it possible to properly feed your pet, but is also a fairly convenient container for filling dry food. From the package to pour dry granules problematic.
Calculating the amount of food depending on the type of food
Ready cat food from different manufacturers differ in nutritional value. In order not to be mistaken with the dosage, manufacturers place on the packaging a table of age and weight, as well as the recommended volume for a particular animal.
Dry
Dry foods are granules, similar in structure to the usual crackers. Their composition contains meat, cereals, vegetable products. All components are dried by a special technology. The convenience of dry food is that they can be left in case the owners need to drive off for a long time, for example, a day.
Leaving a large portion in the bowl, the owner may not worry that the animal will remain hungry or the food will deteriorate.
Minus dry products - a small amount of moisture, a maximum of 10%. In this regard, it is very important that a kitten fed dry food should always have access to fresh water. When choosing a dry food, try to avoid economy class products, choose premium and super premium products. Many of them produce special food depending on the age and weight of the pet, for example, "For kittens from 3 months" or "For cats, prone to weight gain." On average, the amount of dry food is calculated as follows.
| Kitten's age (months) | Daily dose (g) |
| 1-2 | 30-50 |
| 2-4 | 40-65 |
| 4-6 | 55-70 |
| 6-12 | 60-80 |
Wet
Wet food can be found in pet stores in the form of canned food or bags. Looks at a variety like slices of meat drenched in sauce. The composition contains various types of meat, poultry and fish, vegetable products and cereals. In this case, the feed contains 10% more moisture than dry options. In addition to the above ingredients, premium and super-premium feed include vitamins and other beneficial supplements. Sometimes offered in the form of pates. Kittens usually prefer wet food.
If the kitten's diet consists of both wet and dry food, then it is important that the proportion of wet food is not more than 25%.
Be sure to take the feed from one manufacturer. Prefer product that is sold in proven pet stores. Do not take the products that food supermarkets offer. The smaller the daily amount of feed indicated on the packaging in the table, the better and more nutritious the feed. So, a good wet food is 5% by weight of the animal. Averages:
| Kitten's age (months) | Daily requirement (g) |
| 2-3 | 170-210 |
| 3-6 | 210-300 |
| 6-9 | 210-300 |
| 9-12 | 170-255 |
Feeding frequency
Small kittens, whose age has not yet reached 3 months, it is recommended to feed often, but in small portions. Then the feline child can be transferred to three meals a day. From 5 to 12 months, the pet should gradually get used to two meals. Usually, everything depends on the weight and breed of the animal, but more often the cats are larger than cats, and therefore female representatives of most breeds can be fed once a day.
So that the pet has developed a habit since childhood at a certain time, it is recommended to adjust it to your mode. For example, if the owner gets up at 8.00 in the morning and comes home from work at 18.00, then in the morning it is recommended to feed the animal immediately after waking up, and it is better to move the evening feeding session to a later time, for example, at 20.00. Especially since no one is insured against force majeure, and if the owner has to stay at work or in traffic, the pet will not starve, because he was already used to having dinner at 8 in the evening.
If in 20 minutes the animal has not eaten the proposed portion, then remove the food.
It is not recommended to leave food in a bowl until the next feeding. If it is a wet product, it will quickly deteriorate, and dry granules permanently in a bowl can lead to overeating and weight gaining of the pet, and this, as already noted, faces serious health problems.
See the following video for kitten nutritional guidelines.
