A healthy diet for kittens

For the first month of her life, your kitten got all the nutrients she needed from her mom's milk. Slowly she learned to eat on her own, becoming fully weaned after another month. As her new pet parent, now it's your job to see that she receives the proper nutrition to support her journey to adulthood.

Eating is fun once you learn how to do it

Cats may be completely weaned by the age of two months, but kitten food should be available prior to weaning. We recommend offering small amounts of food when kittens are about four weeks old. At first, the little ones will probably want to play with their food rather than eat it, but they'll quickly catch on when they see how mom does it.

By the time they are five to six weeks old, kittens should be old pros at eating on their own. At around two months, about 80 to 90 percent of their total nutrient intake should be from their food.

What's on the menu?

Your little fur ball needs large amounts of energy and protein to support her growth; in fact, she requires more than two times that of an adult cat, with more than 30 percent of that energy from animal protein. Because of this, it's imperative that you offer your pet foods that mimic its natural diet. That would mean meats and organs, or foods with those ingredients in high proportion. Commercial foods that are predominantly meat-based and not heat processed are the ideal. Foods right from your kitchen are great too, including bits of meat, giblets, cheeses, yogurt, eggs, and even some fruits and veggies. Clean raw chicken necks and tails are great nutrition and tooth exercise as well. Don't offer cooked bones as they are too brittle and may cause mouth injury and constipation. Variety is the key. Don't just pour the same commercial product in the bowl day after day.

When to feed

We recommend feeding several (3-4) small meals per day. This mimics the way your kitten would eat in nature. If you are keeping your kitten soon to be cat active with play, and feeding as outlined above, she will regulate the amount she eats and not likely have weight problems.

Special concerns for orphaned kittens

In an ideal world, kittens do best on mom's milk it's 100-percent perfect for their needs since it is raw and high in protein. However, if the mother is sick, or if the kittens were abandoned or found as orphans, you'll need to feed them a commercial milk replacer, available at pet supply stores.

When they're about three weeks old, begin to offer them kitten food moistened with milk replacer. Gradually reduce the amount of milk replacer you use until the kittens are exclusively eating foods, as outlined above, at about five to six weeks of age.
 

When its time to change

If you have been offering your kitten a varied natural diet, changing foods will not be a problem. Nevertheless, it is always wise to offer new foods gradually over several days. You will soon learn what she likes most but still try hard to give her variety. In nature cats eat the same assortment of foods throughout life. Although there are commercial products with life-stage names, these are not as necessary as much as variety and remaining true to nature. Also, not every nutrient is necessary at every meal. Your cat has reserve capacity and as long as you are varying the meals, and perhaps supplementing with high quality natural supplements, she will blossom with good health.