Exotic breeds of cats and cats make the owners and breeders carefully monitor their health. Underweight or overweight is a sign of health related disorders: in the end, this can significantly reduce the life expectancy of a cat or a cat. In addition, it is easy to estimate the quality of the breed as a result of a pet.
General information
The Scottish cats are not particularly large in size, this breed looks sleeker than the British. It does not matter if his ears are straight or hanging - the weight variation in the months of the first year of life will be the same.
The Scottish cat is distinguished by a developed musculature: the muscles of the body are well developed, and the length and weight of the body are average. An adult cat or a cat weighs 5-7 kg. It happens that the weight is much more - from 8 kg, the answer to the question about the weight norm here is ambiguous.
How much does a newborn kitten weigh?
At birth, not only the norms for a single kitten are important, but also the total number of kittens when there are more than one. If, for example, 5 kittens were born, then the weight of each one will be significantly less than if they were born only 3. The cat's womb, in which they were formed before birth, is limited throughout life. Free space to take nowhere - there is a limit for each adult female. Nature has come up with a way out of the situation, reducing the mass of each of the cubs born by this individual.
Subsequently, the weight of each kitten is close to the age norm of the first year of life, but it is necessary to provide all kittens with additional feeding when the mother cat produces little milk. The typical weight of Scottish kittens at birth is 60-140 g. If the cat is provided with an adequate diet, rest and walks, then the kittens will not have a critical shortage in weight.
Weight dynamics in the first weeks of life
The first 2 weeks, each Scottish kitten gains an average of 15 g per day. It is necessary to provide good nutrition to the cat itself. An additional supplement of her milk formula suitable for kittens is also suitable, in case this cat were supposed to die during childbirth. Some sorting over feeding won't hurt the cat: afterwards she will give all the excess feed to the kittens through all the same breast milk.
At the end of the “chest period” of the kittens, she herself will adjust her normal weight. For the first week, the weight of each kitten will grow on average by an amount greater than 100 g. The total weight of a kitten in 2 weeks from the moment of birth will reach an average of 270 g. Small cats are lighter than cats 1.5 times.
At week 3, kittens are given additional feeding to speed up the weight gain (if necessary). The third week of a kitten’s life will bring its weight to an average of 400 g.
If the kitten continues to gain weight normally, then you can still rely on the mother cat, but not for long. There comes a day when the kitten still needs to be fed with high-quality cat products, so that later a raised cat or cat will not face a number of diseases, including age-related ones.
Weight in the first months of life
By the end of the first month of life, the kittens will gain an average of 0.5 kg of weight. By 2 months, weight is approaching or exceeding a kilogram. After the 3rd month, weight is set at 1.5 kg or more. After 4 months after birth, each of the kittens "weight loss" by an average of 2.8 kg.
The rate of weight gain is non-linear - by the end of the first year of life, growth slows down until it stops (an adult male or a “Scot” female). From the 5th month the weight gain starts to slow down, and the kitten reaches 3.2 kg. When tracking the dynamics of weight gain, approximately 20% of the situation is predetermined by the genetic data of both parents. Half-month kitten weighs an average of about 2 kg.
Starting from six months, the weight table of a growing cat or cat is held to the following average values: by the end of the 7th month - 4.5 kg, in the 8th month - 4.8, in the 9th month - 5, in the 10th month - 5.2 kg, in the 11th month - 5.3 kg. By the beginning of the next year of life, a young cat or cat should weigh approximately 5.4 kg. An adult cat is often twice as weighty as a cat: it can weigh 6 kg, it is 3 kg. From this point on, the cat or cat is considered an adult.
The amount of feed, weather conditions (if the animal goes out into the fresh air), the absence of acquired chronic diseases and genetics are decisive in the weight category. It often happened when the cat was “fed”, giving it above the norm, which is why it gained the maximum weight - up to 7.5 kg. Further busting or shortage - 100% is no longer the norm.
Feeding in the first year of life
Like kittens of other breeds, Scottish for up to 3 weeks consume only mother's milk. If a misfortune occurred, for example, the Scottish cat died during childbirth, from malignant diseases or accidental poisoning, or ran out to the roadway, refused to feed the kittens and other accidents, milk formulas suitable for orphaned kittens would be very close to cat milk.
A good product is manufactured, for example, by a company. Royal Canin, specializing mainly in dog and cat food. Manufacturers of such products ensure that the fat content does not exceed 10%, and the vitamin content of the formulations is sufficient for a growing organism in dogs and cats.
If there is no specialized store or veterinary clinic nearby with a mini-store where you can choose food for any kittens and puppies, proceed independently. Rustic (farm) milk to reduce fat bred in half with boiled water or cleaned of cream and give a newborn kitten to taste. Begin to otpaivat it, From day to day, gradually reducing the number of meals per day, but increasing the volume of each complementary food.
It is possible to take food of any average purebred kitten as a basis - all kittens consume approximately the same amount of milk. A specific breed - all the same Scottish cats - require their volume of food in the first days and weeks of life, but you can keep the life of your ward and let him grow, adhering to the norm of "street" kittens.
The main thing - do not overfeed, do not underfeed and do not forget about the regularity of feeding, otherwise the kitten will be late in gaining weight, it will not fully develop properly, which will lead to illness and its premature death later.
What to give?
After about 20 days of life, it is permissible for the kitten to enter another feed. Whether it is industrial feed or boiled beef / chicken, try to stick to the same food line. If you do not have time to cook him a piece of meat every day or the other, you will want to switch to dry food, but this should be done gradually so that the kitten's body can adapt.
It is in the first months of life that a cat has a taste preferences, which he will stick to. After a month, a kitten can be weaned from consuming only milk. An adult cat does not live long on one milk - it also needs other products.
Do not aspire to give immediately, in addition to meat (or feed), several other products, such as a boiled egg yolk, black bread, broth. This is not an adult cat, and a kitten may have indigestion. The cat is not a man, he will not endure such a variety on the very first day, he will simply vomit, act gradually.
If the goal is to diversify the food of a Scottish kitten, do not mix several foods in one meal. If a kitten has a rash under its tail, then it is an allergy. By responding in time, you exclude the product that caused it. In addition to the general rules of the diet, each animal has its own "unloved" product.
Raw yolk is given according to the same recommendations as milk with cream. As for industrial feed, kittens that have just stepped over one month of age need to be soaked beforehand. After 1.5 months, that is, already at 2.5 months of age, they will learn to eat it in a dry form, but do not forget about regular pouring fresh water into the “trough”.
Before the kittens are 3 months old, do not give them canned food and raw minced meat - the digestion processes do not immediately self-adjust to assimilate such products. After three months of age, the kitten's diet approaches the menu of an adult cat or cat. Mother cat should be protected: too late feeding kittens with natural cat milk can lead to exhaustion and early aging of her body. Everything is good in moderation, and experienced breeders are clearly aware of this.
What threatens gross violations of the diet?
Overfeeding can lead to premature wear of the digestive tract, in particular, problems with the liver and pancreas. The same applies to the use of cheap, low-quality feed, since the cat is not a rooster, it can not digest, for example, low-quality grain.
Attempting to translate exotic cats raised on feed, bones and other products from a human table will only bring a negative result. Such an adventure often ends with the death of these animals - they flatly refuse to eat.
Tips breeders on how to feed the kittens correctly, are presented in the video below.
