The kitten food you choose will have a great influence on the overall health of your pet. It is important to get informed on the optimal foods you can feed kittens and opt for quality brands that will keep your pet nourished.
Wet Food
Typically, kittens will be fed by the mother cat for a few days up to 6 or 8 weeks; after this period the kitten should start eating kitten food. While the mother is still feeding the kitten, you don’t have to provide any additional food.
If your pet doesn’t have a mother to feed him, you should start feeding him wet food. There are canned foods designed especially for kittens, which is high in nutrients to promote a healthy growth and development.
For kittens, wet food is more recommended than dry food, as dry food doesn’t contain a lot of water and the wet food contains more nutrients and may also be more easily digestible. Some vets recommend wet food for cats of all ages, as this type of food is considered healthier for the kidneys and the overall health. Dry food may be fed occasionally or the cat may receive dry treats.
Nutritional Requirements for Kittens
When choosing the kitten food it is important to check the labels. Remember that kittens need a lot of extra nutrients to develop and buying a generic cat food will not meet the kitten’s nutritional requirements.
The kitten food should contain additional amounts of proteins. The protein requirements for an adult cat are up to 30%, a kitten may get 35 to 45% proteins; the proteins are needed for the development of the muscles and tissues in the kitten’s body.
Fats are essential to ensure that the kitten has some energy deposits and they are also a great source of fatty acids.
Vitamins and minerals should also be included in a healthy diet. The minerals are essential for the healthy development of teeth and bones.
Free feeding is recommended for kittens, as kittens only eat as much as they require. In this manner your kitten will eat the necessary amounts of food and he won’t starve. Don’t worry if the kitten eats a lot of food; typically kittens consume 2 or 3 times more food than adult cats.
Gradual Changes
If, for whatever reason you need to make changes in your kitten’s diet or he was accustomed to table scraps from a previous owner, you should make the changes gradually to prevent an upset stomach.
Feed your kitten whatever he was accustomed to eat before and start introducing small amounts of canned kitten food. Gradually increase the kitten food amounts, until you get to feed you pet kitten food exclusively.
Feed you kitten special formula kitten food during the first year of his life, as this is the period when the bones and the muscles are developed.