Kitten Diet
Diet is vital at all stages of a cat’s life, but getting the right diet when they are young is particularly important. They must eat only food that is specially designed for kittens, as adult cat food has a different and incorrect balance of nutrients that is not suitable for a kitten.
Kittens need more protein per pound of body weight than adult cats because of their growth and developing bones. It cannot be emphasized enough that a special kitten food is the only type of food a kitten should receive until they are around 12 months old. It makes no difference whether the food is dry or wet, although semi-wet food isn’t generally recommended as the processes involved in providing that texture often mean a lot of the nutrients are lost. They also tend to be higher in sugar which can lead to diabetes in later life. It is a good idea to get a high quality food, even though this may cost slightly more as it will lead to better long term health. Your vet can provide information about what is the most suitable food.
You shouldn’t feed a kitten table scraps as food that us humans eat can play havoc with a cat’s digestion. Some human food (such as chocolate, some dairy products and onions) are even poisonous for cats. Furthermore feeding your cat scraps will come back to haunt you as it encourages begging which is frustrating. Sometimes cats will even jump on the table to get at your food which then becomes unsanitary.
Kittens should be fed around 4 meals a day until they are about 12 weeks old at which point they can have the same amount of daily food squashed into 3 portions a day. When they reach 12 months, they can go onto adult cat food. Cats and kittens both need a lot of meat based protein from which they get all the fatty acids they need such as taurine. They also need a large amount of water. Make sure a clean bowl of water is left out all day and night for your kitten.
