A Fitting Diet for Kittens

As is, kittens will always be little goofballs of energy bouncing off one wall to the next, but it is within the first few weeks that your Little Friend will double and possibly even triple in size. You can expect this sort of growth to last, albeit at a slowing rate, until your Little Friend has fully matured. Without a proper diet however, your feline friend may never reach its fullest potential. Here are a few dieting tips for you and your kitty.

Depending on whether you adopted an orphaned kitten or you are caring your Little Friend's litter, the first four weeks are crucial  to their survival. Newborn kittens typically get all of their nutrition needs satisfied from their mother's milk. Let nature take its course as it is really all the kittens need in their fledgling phase. If your Little Friend was an orphan, the alternative would be some sort of milk supplement you can pick up at a store. Consult with your veterinarian to find out which brands are best and how much (as well as often) you should feed your kitten.

When kittens reach 8 weeks of age, their mothers no longer let the kitten suckle breast milk. Hopefully by this time (6 weeks), you have already introduced high-quality dry food into their diet to help them adjust accordingly. Innova is a well liked brand for dry kitten food as is Orijen. Whichever brand you do choose to go with, just make sure the food is formulated specifically for kittens. The reason being, kittens expend tons of energy. Because of that fact, their diet relies heavily upon the intake of protein, which is 2-3 times that of an adult cat.

Just to give you an idea of what food is particularly best for your kitten, protein can come from both animal and plant-based food stuffs, each with their own varying degrees of digestibility. A few high quality sources of protein are meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products to name a few. Commercial pet food has gotten to the point where their canned goods are capable of satisfying your Little Friend's dietary needs while maintaining a perfect balance of cost-effectiveness, nutrition value as well as presentation. You really can't go wrong. Again, just make sure the food is formulated for kittens.

In terms of eating habits, cats, young and old, are relatively independent creatures. There is no spoon-feeding a cat, little less a kitten; however, there is the free-choice method, which especially well with dry food. This allows your Little Friend to eat whenever they feel the need. Unlike dogs, cats have a more restrained hunger. They tend not to overeat, which is why this free-choice method is so widely used. Most importantly, you should always make sure your kitten has access to fresh water. A cat can go without food for weeks, but without water, its chances of survival are cut to a matter of days.

So there you have it. Heed the above advice and your furry Little Friend should grow up to be one healthy cat. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask and I will try my best to answer them. Thanks for reading.