SolveYourProblem.com Article Series: Cat Care
Cat Care Tips
Proper
Diet and Nutrition For Your Cat
Your young kitten needs the proper food to grow and develop
into a healthy cat. Sometimes pet owners can find the number
of cat food choices overwhelming. What are a kitten’s basic
nutritional needs? How often should a kitten eat? Canned
or dry? What’s the difference between kitten food and adult
cat food?
Nutritional Needs
A young kitten has very specific nutritional needs. In general,
cats need only four main nutrients: meat-based protein, taurine
(an amino acid), water, and various vitamins, minerals, and
amino acids. Kittens, however, need higher amounts of all these
ingredients to grow properly and have the energy needed for
just being a kitten!
For the first five weeks of its life, a kitten should be nursing
from its mother. At week five, kittens can start to be weaned,
although they will continue to nurse until they are eight or
ten weeks old, satisfying their need for suckling. Often, pet
owners will feed the mother a nutrient-packed kitten food while
she is pregnant and for the first few weeks after birth. At
week five, you can start the kitten on the same canned kitten
food that the mother has been eating; she should take to it
readily. Be sure that the first ingredient listed is a specific
meat source such as chicken, beef, or lamb.
Kittens should continue to eat kitten food for the first year
of life. At six weeks of age, kittens should be receiving at
least four small meals spaced throughout the day. At twelve
weeks you can increase the amount of food in each meal and
gradually move toward three meals a day. At six months, meals
can be spaced out to two times daily. At one year of age, most
kittens are considered fully grown and can be switched over
to adult food, fed twice daily. Because cats are capable of
stopping themselves from eating when they have reached their
nutritional requirements, you can also leave out a bowl of
dry kibble throughout the day.
Types of Food
The biggest food debate among cat owners is always whether
to use wet, canned food or dry kibble. The answer is: both.
Canned food has water, which your kitten may not get enough
of on a regular basis. Dry food, however, is more convenient
for a busy pet owner since it can be left out and cats can
eat whenever they are hungry.
For kittens, their diet should consist mostly of canned food,
which is more nutritious. Keep track of whether your kitten’s
diet is on track by regular weightings and also by paying attention
to his hunger levels. Kittens should gain weight regularly,
but you want to avoid bad eating habits early on such as overeating.
So you are feeding your kitten a steady diet of premium canned
kitten food that is high in the nutrients she needs to grow.
However, what about when she wants to try people food?
Kittens should not be fed table scraps for several reasons.
Firstly, it interferes with their carefully balanced diet and
also encourages bad habits. Even worse, certain foods are harmful
or toxic to felines. Foods that should never be given to a
kitten or a full-grown cat, even as part of a recipe, include:
milk; green tomatoes and raw potatoes; onions, garlic, and
similar root vegetables; grapes and raisins; and chocolate.
Adult Cat Food
As your kitten grows and starts to look like a full-grown
cat, many cat owners wonder: can I feed my kitten adult cat
food? What is the difference?
Kittens, as mentioned earlier, have higher nutritional needs
than adult cats. If you feed a kitten adult cat food before
he is finished growing, he will not get the nutrients he needs.
Because cats will continue eating until their nutritional needs
are met, he will be forced to consume more cat food, which
means more preservatives and filler. This could put your kitten
at risk for obesity or medical conditions. Use proper feeding
as preventative care; keep your kitten on kitten food until
one year of age, and be sure to consult with your veterinarian
when it’s time to make the switch to adult cat food.
All of your nutritional questions and more can be answered
by reading articles like this, books, and speaking with your
vet. After you’ve mastered feeding your kitten, don’t forget
that your cat’s nutritional needs change as he grows. A six-week-old
kitten needs different food from a six-month-old kitten, which
should be fed differently from a six-year-old, mature cat.
Throughout your cat’s life, continue to pay attention to your
vet’s recommendations and read cat food labels to meet your
cat’s dietary needs and keep her happy and healthy.
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SolveYourProblem.com : 2007
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