Proper nutrition of the kitten is the key to its future health. Unfortunately, the owner cannot provide the baby with the food that his relatives in the wild ate. If you start to feed him food bought in a store and intended for people, then rarely does anyone manage to avoid indigestion in a small pet. Only special food for kittens of good quality guarantees the absence of such troubles.
Why do I need kitten food?
A small kitten needs an increased amount of protein, vitamins, minerals compared to adult animals. Calcium and phosphorus are needed for building bones, teeth, vitamins - for the development of vision. Since mothers feed their babies, mainly, up to two months, and after that the owner should deal with this issue, then he should have a good idea of what kind of nutrition a small growing body needs so that it can turn into a healthy, cheerful animal. After two months, the kittens begin to wonder what their cat-mom eats. What food to choose for a kitten? Veterinarian advice to the owner leaves the choice between homemade food or factory-made food (dry and wet).
What is more useful for a kitten?
Many pet owners are tormented by the question of what kind of food to choose for a kitten. On the advice of a veterinarian, cats can be given both natural food and special industrial food. To feed "from the table", as some owners do, veterinarians do not recommend. Cat food differs from human in high protein content. Therefore, in order for the diet to correspond to ideal nutrition, the owner of the animal must know how the digestive system of the pet works.
Natural food or prepared feed?
If there is no meat in the pet’s diet, then he begins to have problems with cell regeneration, blood clotting, and other diseases appear. Sugar, starch, smoked meats are contraindicated for cats.
However, cats cannot be fed meat alone, as they have a shortage of calcium in the body with an excess of phosphorus. Thyroid disease begins, reducing skeletal mineralization. The gait is broken, the hind legs refuse, and the loving owners run to the veterinarian, because they believe that the pet jumped from above and hurt itself. In addition to meat, the cat also needs offal and plant foods.
Cats get plant food in nature by eating the stomach contents of small animals caught. Such plants are already in a semi-digested state, ideally accepted by the digestive system of carnivores.
Porridge, fish, dairy products, sausages are not suitable food for cats, as they provoke a concentration of urine in the body, and this, in turn, causes urolithiasis. Mineral salts from undigested products are manifested by crystalline sediments of urine.
So, if you feed your favorite pets the right homemade food, then compiling a diet is quite a challenge. Veterinarians are constantly asked whether it is possible to feed a kitten with adult food. The best food in nature would be for kittens the little mice that their mother got, but since there are no such mice in city apartments, the person himself must provide his pets with everything necessary for growth and proper development.
Fortunately, the producers took care of the proper nutrition of the animals, releasing dry and wet food for them and their babies, which contain well-balanced nutrients necessary for health.
Dry or wet feed?
Wet foods are of two types:
- spiders ("sachets") - contain a lot of moisture in the form of a broth or sauce with pieces of food;
- canned food - packed in metal jars of various sizes, designed for longer storage than spiders.
Dry are a perfectly balanced diet for adults and babies and contain a small amount of water (5-12%). They are economical, stored for a long time, preserve taste. Cats can feel great all their lives, eating only dry round pieces. On packages for owners it is always written at what age kittens can dry food.
The only condition! A cat eating “crackers” should always have a bowl filled with clean drinking water for drinking. Is it possible to feed a kitten adult food, the owner decides, but it is better not to do this until at least 6 months.
Kittens can be given dry food from 2-3 months. But kids should not buy economy-class products. It is better to start with premium products, the composition of which is best balanced for the proper diet of kittens.
How many times a day to feed a kitten?
A kitten from a month old must begin to be accustomed to self-nutrition. It is transferred to dry and wet prepared feeds within a month. It is better to give the baby food often, but little by little. As the famous advertisement says: the stomach of a kitten is less than a thimble. Eating dry food, the baby does not know the measure well. If he is oversaturated, then there is a high probability of vomiting.
- When the baby is 1.5-2 months old, he needs to give food at least 6 times a day, trying to do this at the same time.
- At the age of 4 months it is already possible to decide how many times a day to feed a kitten - 3 or 4. At the same time, you can leave the dry granules constantly lying in a bowl if the owner is busy throughout the day.
- From 10 months, the kitten is considered an adult.
- By the year the transition to adult nutrition is fully completed.
Can a kitten be given adult cat food?
Ready-made feeds are an excellent choice for working people who cannot pay due attention to making a cat's diet. The transition to adult nutrition from children is simple - in the period of life recommended by veterinarians. But it’s better to buy food for a pet that is worth a class higher than food from the “economy” category. Economy-class granules contain more vegetables and bone meal than cat health needs. The premium class fully meets the need of kittens for quality food.
Cat owners often ask the question : "Is it possible to feed a kitten with adult food?". Of course, if a baby eats dry granules from a mother’s bowl, then nothing bad will happen. But constantly, it is better not to give products for adult animals, because it contains less vitamins, calcium, phosphorus and other substances necessary for the proper development of a growing organism.
The first time dry food can be moistened, but, as a rule, this is not required. At two months old, the kitten gnaws food granules with sharp teeth.