When setting up a kitten, most hosts feed it with the food that adult cats consume. But after all, the nutrition of babies is different, because their stomach is not the same as that of adults. It is necessary to give kittens that food that will be digested favorably. Proper nutrition of a kitten means providing him with wholesome food. You must also observe the regimen of eating food.
Mode
You need to know when to introduce complementary foods and how often you can feed kittens. Usually guided by the hungry look of the animal. But it is better to feed the baby 3-4 weeks after birth. By 4 weeks there will be a stable meal schedule.
How many times a day you need to feed an animal, depends on age:
- up to 2 weeks - 10 times a day;
- up to a month - 8 times;
- 1-2 months - 7 times;
- 2-3 months - 6 times;
- 4-5 months - 5 times;
- 5-9 months - 4 times;
- 9-12 months - 3 times.
From 1 year you can switch to a two-time meal of a kitten. In the future, this will be enough for the animal to be in good health. The necessary substances must enter the body.
How much food is given?
The amount of food should be calculated based on weight:
- 1 week - 30 ml per 100 g of animal;
- 2 weeks - 38 ml;
- 3 weeks - 48 ml;
- 4 weeks - 53 ml.
It turns out that depending on the weight, the kitten receives the necessary amount of food, which he needs for full development. The measure is important in this.
Essential Products
Important is not only quality care for kittens. Meals should be suitable for age. Do not give your pet hot or cold food. It is desirable that it has room temperature. The consistency of food should be taken into account: the first servings should be given in a porridge-like form. You can cook with a blender and a regular grater.
What does proper kitten nutrition include? The diet should consist of:
- lean meat - raw, boiled, frozen, scalded;
- liver - 1 time per week;
- porridge with meat and vegetables;
- vegetables - fresh and boiled;
- eggs
- low-fat dairy products.
If the kitten is full, then he sleeps calmly or sucks mother’s milk. But when the animals around the mother squeak, this indicates that they need to be fed. You need to prepare a bottle with a pacifier, a pipette and a special mixture.
What products are banned?
Kitten nutrition should not include the following products:
- dry and wet food;
- cow's milk;
- fatty dairy products;
- fish
- salt, spices;
- sausage;
- potatoes;
- legumes;
- cheese;
- pork
- sweets;
- flour.
Monthly Nutrition Principles
Nutrition may vary depending on the age of the animal:
- 2-4 months. The pet can eat on its own. At this time, he has active growth, a skeleton is formed. Food should include foods rich in vitamin and protein.
- 4-6 months. At this time, products are needed to increase muscle mass. You can give meat, offal, cut into pieces. Low-fat fermented baked milk or yogurt is also needed.
- 6-10 months. Growth at this time is not so intense. From time to time you can give low-fat marine fish.
Scottish fold kittens
There are animals that require special food. These include Scottish fold kittens. They have a peculiar care and nutrition. Animals will benefit from meat, which should be lean, slightly cooked. When preparing it, salt and spices should not be added. Great chicken breast. Scottish kittens still eat the liver.
Food should not consist of fish. If the kitten likes it, then it is necessary to choose its lean types - this is hake, pikeperch, sea bass. What else should include the nutrition of Scottish fold kittens? Several times a week they can be given low-fat cottage cheese, fermented baked milk, kefir. Whole milk cereals should be given to pets up to 5 months old. Kittens definitely need an egg yolk, which is mixed with cereals, mashed vegetables.
It is important to adhere to these standards so that lop-eared kittens develop correctly. Care and nutrition must be appropriate for the breed. The diet can have cereals - oatmeal, buckwheat, rice. Vegetables are great for them - carrots, cauliflower, asparagus. Products are boiled and mashed in puree.
Vitamins are also required for Scottish fold kittens to feel normal. Care and nutrition should be based on the recommendations of a veterinarian. He will advise the best type of vitamins that you can buy in specialized stores. Pets like grass, so it is advisable to plant it at home in a pot.
There are special feeds that are also used by lop-eared kittens. Care and nutrition should be complete, so you need to use dry food and canned food. These products have the necessary components for proper development.
British breed
Requires a special approach and a British kitten. His care and nutrition are peculiar. Owners can accustom a pet to natural nutrition, but vitamin complexes in which there are trace elements are required. The type of supplement should be chosen by the veterinarian.
Animals of this breed eat lean boiled meat. Useful for them is cottage cheese, sour cream, kefir, fermented baked milk with a low percentage of fat content. Quail eggs and cereals are great. After birth, you can give cereals from semolina, oatmeal, rice.
Only a varied diet will make the British kitten healthy. Care and nutrition are different from other breeds. The diet should have vegetables - spinach, kohlrabi, carrots, cauliflower. Chicken yolks are also good for them. Such food will allow the pet to have good health.
The consequences of malnutrition
A balanced diet is important. Due to the imbalance of beneficial components, serious health problems appear:
- Diabetes. There are individuals who have a genetic predisposition to this ailment. Therefore, the disease can occur with improper nutrition.
- Avitaminosis. With a lack of many components, health problems appear. For example, a lack of vitamin E causes deterioration in the quality of the coat.
- Allergy.
- Poisoning.
Some foods (chocolate, onion, garlic) are considered poison for pets. They should only be given safe food.
Finished feed
There is a lot of controversy over what is best to choose for kittens - dry food or natural food. If the finished product has all the minerals and vitamins, then it is great for a pet. Such food is useful, according to veterinarians.
Owners of kittens should consider the following rules:
- Do not mix natural feeding with dry food, as this food is digested in different ways. Otherwise, various diseases may appear.
- If one food is present in the diet, then you should not change it to another, since each product has its own composition. When mixing, imbalance is possible.
- You should not choose mass-market food for your pet. Only specialized, high-quality feeds are needed.
Recommendations
- No need to salt the cooked product.
- If raw meat is given, it should be frozen beforehand.
- Fish is prohibited castrated pets.
- You should not feed the animal large pieces of food.
- Oil and fatty products are contraindicated.
- Worms start in raw fish, so it must be processed in advance.
- Canned foods are dangerous.
- Meat and fish should not contain bones.
- There should not be pork in the diet.
Some owners, because of ignorance of the principles of nutrition of kittens, mix their food with industrial feed. But you can’t do this. If there is no money for high-quality dry food, then it is better not to use ordinary. Cats need good nutrition for good health and well-being.
What else do you need to know?
Kittens need 3 bowls: for water, dry and liquid food. Dishes should be comfortable and stable. Tanks should be washed regularly. The animal should eat where it is more convenient.
It is important to pay attention to the health of the kitten. It should be regularly shown to the veterinarian. Often, such procedures can prevent many ailments, as well as cure the disease in a timely manner. Sometimes the doctor recommends adding any medicine to the food for treatment or prevention. Veterinarians perform deworming, vaccination. They prescribe remedies for fleas and other parasites. Proper nutrition and care protect the animal from various ailments. The pet will be healthy, which means it will delight its owners.