What and how to feed a kitten?

With the advent of a small kitten in the house, the newly-minted owner has a huge number of worries, one of which concerns the nutrition of the baby. A properly composed diet includes a full range of vitamins and minerals that are important for strengthening immunity and the formation of internal organs of an animal. Thanks to a balanced diet, the body of fluffy lumps will be able to independently fight many diseases.

Artificial feeding of newborn kittens is allowed only in a few cases - if the cat’s mother is missing, dies or does not allow her cubs to receive post-natal stress. In the situations presented, it is better to find a nursing cat that can take someone else's baby and feed him as her own. In some cases, it is allowed to apply kittens even to dogs, but at the same time the owner must be present nearby, in case of danger, to have time to pick up the kitten.

Proper nutrition of newborn kittens is the key to their good health. If small fluffy lumps were early weaned from their mother, their feeding falls on the shoulders of the owner.Previously, breeders needed to look for similar food options for newborn babies, but thanks to progress, artificial mixtures for animals began to appear on the shelves of most pet stores.

The main question for the breeders independently feed newborn kittens, is the study of the specifics of their feeding. Some owners use the old way and try to feed small creatures from the pipette. Other owners use special pacifier bottles. Of the options presented, a bottle is most preferred. With its help, the baby will learn to suck, thereby developing a natural reflex.

The first attachments to the bottle for the baby will be debilitating, as he will not be able to suck food on his own. In this case, the owner will have to squeeze out a little milk so that the kitten gets drops in his mouth. Perhaps the kitten after several feedings will be very hungry, as it does not receive the necessary amount of food, so it quickly figure out how to eat with the help of the nipples. In addition to milk, kittens should be given warm water, but not from a bottle, but from a pipette or syringe. So the first 3 weeks of the life of a fluffy baby should pass.

After 3 weeks of life, furry babies have an interest in other types of food, thereby making it possible to transfer the animal to more serious food. At the age of one month, kittens, as a rule, begin to eat from a bowl. Most veterinarians claim that the most suitable food that carries vitamins and minerals is natural food.

On the other hand, breeders claim that in the diet of a monthly kitten must be present dry or canned food, which contains a full complex of vitamins, so necessary for the growing body.

Choosing natural food, the owner of the animal will have to spend a small amount of time near the stove and prepare suitable dishes for the kitten, bringing them to a liquid consistency.

It could be:

• semolina boiled in milk or water;
• milk formula or diluted milk;
• boiled egg yolk;
• cottage cheese mixed with milk;
• boiled vegetables;
• broth from lean meats;
• boiled beef, chicken fillet, fish.

Little kittens are a lot like human children when they begin to receive complementary foods. Food is also crushed by a blender, and the number of feeds per day should be at least 4 times.

With a kitten reaching one and a half months in the diet, you can include soft sorts of cheese, as well as goat milk, diluted according to the formula 4: 1, where 4 parts are goat milk, and 1 part is water. At such a young age, babies should not consume pure cow's milk, as their intestines and stomach are not yet strong and may not digest it. It is further suggested that you familiarize yourself with the products that need to be included in the diet of a two-month-old cat:

• low-fat chicken fillet;
• boiled fish;
• dairy products;
• porridge cooked in milk or water;
• beef fillet;
• soaked dry food;
• vegetables;
• raw yolk.

Three month old - This is the most important period in the first year of life of a kitten. At this time, the body is finally formed, the mass increases, the appearance is determined, and most importantly, the change of teeth begins.For this reason, veterinarians are advised to introduce solid foods into the diet.

In addition to meat, in the diet of the kitten should appear additional foods containing the maximum amount of nutrients. These include:

• raw and boiled fish;
• raw vegetables;
• cottage cheese;
• yogurt.
• cereals in milk.

At the age of 4 months, the kitten activates weight gain. For this reason, foods that promote muscle development should appear in the diet. Formed teeth by this time can already chew on any food products, cut into large pieces.

In a similar scenario, the animal must be fed up to six months. At the age of 6 to 10 months, the number of feedings per day must be reduced. In this period, the growth activity of the body decreases, but taste sensations form.

Having chosen natural food, the kitten owner will need to follow some rules. From the very beginning of complementary foods, it is necessary to introduce as many different foods as possible into the diet. If a baby does not learn vegetables or cereals from childhood, it will be practically impossible to retrain an adult. For this reason, the baby from childhood must receive a variety of dishes.

The main and most important rule of training a kitten for home food is not to feed it with handouts from the human table. A lot of spices are added to the food prepared for household use, which negatively affect the health of the animal. But the most annoying will be the subsequent annoyance of the beggar, who will not miss the opportunity to steal inaccessible food from the table.

As an additional top dressing veterinarians advise you to buy weed in pet stores, helping to get rid of accumulations of wool in the stomach. If the breeder does not trust the purchased plants, he can grow grass on the window himself. The main thing is not to forget about the natural vitamins necessary for the cat's health.

Breeders who are professionally engaged in cat breeding are ready to share with the novice owners the features of the grocery basket for kittens. Beef meat, chicken are especially honored on this list, in some cases turkey and even boiled goose are allowed. Fish in the diet of kittens also plays an important role. The main thing is to remember that there are no harmful elements in sea fish, which cannot be said about the river inhabitants. Everyone knows that fish products are a strong allergen. For this reason, fish should not be on the menu often, just 2 times a week. For little kids, fish products are boiled, and adults can enjoy them raw.

The most suitable food for kittens is milk. However, not all adults can consume cow products. In some creatures, the stomach may not perceive natural lactose. As an analogue, it is proposed to water the animal with yogurt. But it is important to ensure that its fat content is not high.

Another indispensable product for a kitten is considered cottage cheese mixed with yolk. As the main goodies will fit rennet cheese mixed with sour cream. For the full development of the body, a kitten needs to use fiber, which is part of vegetables and cereals. At a young age, kittens should be given cereals boiled in milk. Groats with vegetables cooked on meat broth are suitable for slightly older individuals.

Ready-made feeds sold at every pet store are gaining more and more popularity every day. Indeed, they are very convenient, as they have a pre-calculated dosage, are quite easy and convenient to store at home, do not take up much space.

It is important to note that the feed contains the necessary elements for the full growth of small creatures. For most producers, the priority is the characteristics of the cat breeds, on the basis of which each individual variety of food is compiled.

For small kittens, special varieties of feed are produced. It is from them that the animal should be accustomed to industrial production. To begin with, the kitten should be offered canned jelly-like consistency with finely chopped pieces of meat. They will surely appeal to every cat. When the baby gets used to wet food, dry pads can be added to food, gradually reducing the number of jelly-like canned food and increasing dry feeding. So it turns out to transfer the animal to a full dry diet.

In the first days after the birth of a kitten with artificial feeding, the baby needs to be given a bottle with the mixture every 2-3 hours. For this reason, the feeding procedure is quite exhausting and requires the constant presence of the owner’s house. And after 3 weeks, additional lure can be introduced into the kitten's diet. By 4 weeks, the kitten should have a clear meal schedule and consist of about 5-8 feedings, including night time. But unfortunately, there are cases when additional feeding is required to be given to babies much more often.

The breeder is invited to familiarize himself with the change in the number of feeds per day, depending on the age of the pet.

• A 2-week-old kitten needs to be fed about 10-13 times a day, including at night.
• Fluffy lumps of a month old eat 8-11 times a day, including night.
• In the period from 1 to 2 months of feeding should be 7 times a day. Overnight is excluded in this case.
• From 2 to 3 months, the kitten's nutrition consists of 6 feedings.
• In the period from 4 to 5 months, the kitten must feed 5 times a day, excluding night.
• From 5 to 9 months, feeding the baby consists of 4 times.
• From 9 months to a year, the kitten is fed 3 times.
• With the onset of one year of age, the kitten must be transferred to two meals a day.

In addition to the number of kitten feedings, the owner needs to know how much food the animal should eat at one time.

• Before the weekly age, the kitten should eat 30 ml of food per 100 g of its own weight. Accordingly, if a kitten weighs 200 grams, then milk should be 60 ml.
• At the age of two weeks, the kitten should eat 38 ml per 100 g of its own weight.
• At 3 weeks, the volume of food should be 48 ml per 100 g of kitten weight.
• At 4 weeks of age, the kitten should eat about 50 ml of food per 100 g of body weight, followed by an increase in this amount.

It is further suggested that you familiarize yourself with the daily feeding of a growing individual.

• In a month and a half, the kitten should consume 120 g of food per day.
• The daily diet of two-month-old kittens should consist of 160-180 g of food.
• The daily norm of kittens aged 3 to 6 months should consist of approximately 200-240 g. At the same time, 40 g should be meat products.
• Half-year-old babies need to eat 180 g of food.
• In the period from 10 to 12 months, it is necessary to reduce the amount of food to 200 g per day.

When drawing up the diet of a small kitten, the age of the animal is of great importance. In the period from 2 to 4 months, kittens cut their teeth. For this reason, babies can be partially transferred to adult nutrition, thereby accustoming the animal to independent food and drink from its own cup. In this age period, the kitten is experiencing active growth, better health, and the formation of internal organs. Finally, the work of the gastrointestinal tract is established. That is why the menu of fluffy lumps should be enriched with the maximum amount of vitamins. It is important to supplement the diet with protein products.

In the next phase of development - from 4 to 6 months, the baby begins to actively gain weight. That is why the basis of the diet should consist of products that increase muscle growth. By this time, the kitten’s jaw is completely formed, the teeth are all erupted, respectively, the baby can eat large pieces of beef or chicken. Some breeders prefer to give offal to their pets. But before they need to be cut into pieces. For this age interval, an increase in calcium in the diet, which is found in most fermented milk products, is necessary.

In the period from 6 to 10 months, the growth of kittens becomes almost invisible. At this moment, the taste preferences of the animal are formed. The owner of the animal should be more alert. It is strictly forbidden to indulge a kitten and pamper it with delicacies.

Most people think that cats' favorite food is milk and sausages. In reality, everything is much more complicated. In order for a cat to be healthy, it must be taught from childhood to proper balanced nutrition.

In addition to food, which must be present in the diet of a kitten, there is a list of products that are undesirable to eat.

• Liver. In its composition there is a huge amount of vitamin A and D. With regular feeding of this product in the animal’s body, there will be a supersaturation with vitamins, which can lead to negative consequences. At the same time, it is not prohibited to pamper the kitten with the liver. It can be given several times a week as a vitamin variety.
• Dry food economy class. Of course, they attract many breeders at an inexpensive cost, but they contain a huge amount of harmful substances, which, with prolonged use, adversely affect the health of the animal. What are dyes and all kinds of preservatives.
• Food made from legumes. They cause constipation and bloating. By a similar principle, acts on the cat's body and potatoes.
• Fish. With constant feeding of the kitten with fish products, the animal develops urolithiasis. To avoid such consequences, fish should be given no more than twice a week. And kittens under the age of one month should not be fed with fish at all.

And below is a list of products dangerous to the health of a kitten.

In this case, it is proposed to consider products that can lead to the most sad consequences - death. Moreover, the death of the animal does not come immediately, but after a certain period of time.

• Sweets. For a little kitten this is a real poison. The body of the animal is not inherently suited to the use of chocolate. It is good that not every individual eats sweets or cookies.
• It is very dangerous for a kitten to give fish skeletons and bird bones. Their structure in a cracked form can cause irreparable harm to the body of the animal. When a cat gnaws bones, pieces of a skeleton break up into fragments with sharp ends. They enter the stomach, respectively, can scratch the esophagus or even pierce it, which leads to internal bleeding.
• Expired Products. Any food whose shelf life has long expired is a hotbed of many pathogenic bacteria and putrefactive microorganisms. This food will not lead to anything good, especially if you feed it to a small kitten.

The above information will help novice breeders to feed a newborn kitten and raise a healthy adult cat from it.

In the next video, you can find out what the breeders of small kittens feed.