Dry kitten food: selection tips and application features

When a kitten appears in the house, the question immediately arises of how and how to feed it. The stores offer a huge variety of varieties of food for animals: both natural food and dry food. Often the choice of hosts falls to the second option due to the balance of its composition. Is it permissible to feed a kitten with such food, how to choose it - we will deal with these and other issues in the article.

Dry food - these are granules that are based on meat with the addition of vitamins and minerals. Almost all manufacturers share their products in two main lines:

• for adult cats;
• for kittens.

For small representatives of the feline family, dry food will be with small granules that are placed in the mouth. Such food will be absorbed by 80–90%, and the nutritional value will be greater than for adults. An important detail is the amount of minerals, because kittens have an increased need for them, as they grow.

When choosing food, pay attention to the composition, choose the manufacturer that included natural products. So, “dehydrated chicken meat” is a natural component, “bird meal” is not.

Veterinarians do not recommend combining “dry food” with natural nutrition. This is due to a different way of digesting products. If your kitten eats “crackers,” he needs a large amount of water, which is not necessary with natural feeding.Therefore, a frequent change in nutrition systems can lead to stagnation of feces, constipation, gastroenteritis.

When you have exactly decided that you will feed the kitten with dry food, choose the manufacturer that suits your pet.

Various nutrition systems cause a lot of controversy among veterinarians and experienced breeders. Someone believes that there is nothing better than natural nutrition, and some say the opposite.

Positive sides

1. Dry food producers take into account the peculiarities of the development of kittens and make feeds with high calorie content. This is important, because every month we anxiously monitor whether the kitten has recovered or not.
2. The industrial method is enrichment of "crackers" with vitamins, minerals, trace elements, so necessary for the harmonious development of babies.
3. Mistresses are exempted from daily cooking for their pets, which in the conditions of modern megacities is a definite plus.
4. A bowl of food is filled once in the morning, and the kitten itself can regulate the amount of food eaten at a time.

Negative points.

1. The main argument of veterinarians who do not recommend dry food is the appearance of urolithiasis in babies. However, with the improvement of product quality, this problem gradually disappears. The main recommendation now is that you should not choose the feed of the mass market, such as Wiskas, Friskas, KittyKat.
2. Sharp granules can damage the kitten’s delicate mucosa.
3. Good feeds with natural ingredients are quite expensive. In addition, they are often difficult to find on the shelves of a regular supermarket.
4. In the presence of dyes and preservatives, the baby may develop an allergy.
5. If a tiny pet has limited water, this will cause stagnation of stool and big problems with the entire gastrointestinal tract.

In each case, only the owner has the right to choose how to feed the kittens. But here it is necessary to analyze all the pros and cons of various approaches to the power system.

To date, the amount of food for cats is amazing. How not to get lost among this variety and really choose what your pet needs?

We have already said that it is necessary to carefully read the composition of the feed. Let us repeat once again what we need to look for there:

• natural meat is always present in good feed;
• for kittens, “crackers” are enriched with vitamins and minerals;
• look for shelf life: the shorter they are, the less preservatives added to the feed;
• also pay attention to the presence of dyes, gluten, wheat flour, stabilizers - all this should be in a minimal amount, and it is better to be absent altogether.

The quality of foreign feed is significantly different. It can be:

• Royal Canin Size nutrition Mini Junior;

• Hill's Science Plan Puppy & Kitten;

• Eukanuba Puppy & Junior Small Breed;

• Pronature;

• Farmina N&D;

• Purina.

This is one of the best feeds. Their assortment is huge, you can choose the taste that suits your pet: with turkey, beef, rabbit and others. Also, many manufacturers produce wet feed, canned food, and canned food.

Most veterinarians agree that it is not safe to feed kittens with dry food until 1.5-2 months of age. Most often, they rely on the fact that the sharp edges of the granules damage the digestive tract. This is the place to be, so if you decide to give “crackers” at such a young age, you will need to prepare them.

Before each meal, prepare the baby a fresh serving. If you give "crackers," they must be soaked. To do this, purchase lactose-free milk in the store or cook low-fat chicken broth. Add a little meat to the liquid, about 1 teaspoon.Then pour crackers, be sure to wait until they are completely wet, stir everything into a thin porridge.

Such manipulations are performed until the age of 2 months. Then it will be necessary to gradually change the consistency: add less water and meat, put more and more dry food.

By the time when the teeth begin to cut in the kids, they will begin to actively bite and bite everything. This is the optimal time for a complete transition to dry food, usually a kitten reaches three months of age. remember, that the food must be of age, so carefully inspect the packaging for labeling by month.

Each manufacturer has a special table according to which it is necessary to determine the frequency of feeding and the volume of servings.

Those doctors and breeders who adhere to such an early introduction of dry food, note that it has balanced nutrients, vitamins and minerals, which are so necessary for a growing body.

Natural products are not as rich in nutrients as artificially synthesized granules, so to satisfy the needs of kittens, ordinary food will require much more. This adds some difficulties, because the stomach of the kittens is very small and simply can not accommodate the desired portion size. Also, by natural feeding, the volume of feces increases, which is a negative point in the conditions of the apartment.

Of course, even with constant feeding of dry food, you can feed your pet with natural products: mainly cottage cheese, boiled chicken, lean meat, fermented baked milk, cream. Remember that a minimum of 3 hours must elapse between dry food intake and natural foods!

Modern ideas about the nutritional approaches of young cats have undergone changes. So, most veterinarians say that the first “crackers” can be given as early as 4-5 weeks of age. A complete transition to dry food is carried out by three to four months.

At this time, you should clearly monitor what and how much the pet ate.

From birth, kittens eat mother's milk. Usually they do this without adhering to any regime - as they wanted, they ate. From the age of two months it is time to take the frequency of feeding into your own hands.

• From 2 months 4–5 meals a day are enough for a kitten. Each of them should include broth, dry food, a small portion of meat. Once a day you can give natural products. Milk is offered only if the baby is excommunicated from her mother.
• Three month kittens are transferred to four meals a day. At this time, reduce the amount of liquid in the portion, let the whole "crackers" begin to come across. Introduce dairy products and cottage cheese gradually into the diet.
• From six months the kitten should eat three times a day. Portions are still cooked before each meal and poured exactly once. After six months, stop giving whole milk - you can only fermented milk products.
• Closer to the year the baby begins to feel the signals of hunger and satiety, the frequency of feeding is reduced to two times. From this time, you can pour in the bowl all the food calculated for the day. However, you should not do this if your pet belongs to gluttons, quickly deals with the offered portion and requires more. In this case, you need to pour only a single serving into the bowl.

When feeding dry food, the kitten should have round-the-clock access to fresh drinking water.Change it as often as possible, because while drinking food mixes with liquid, becomes cloudy and loses its attractiveness for a kitten.

According to most veterinarians, kittens can be accustomed to dry food from a month old when their teeth begin to be cut. Full transition to "crackers" is carried out in three months. It is best to combine this with a complete excommunication from the mother of the cat.

If a kitten asks for something in return for dry food, you can offer him a wet one from the same manufacturer. Gradually reduce portions of wet food and increase the volume of “crackers”. The smoother the transition from one type of food to another you make, the easier it will be to rebuild the gastrointestinal tract.

One of the common questions that torment the owner of a young cat is whether to give milk. Veterinarians do not advise doing this, as often this leads to digestion. And since the year milk is strictly prohibited, because it causes diseases of the digestive tract.

An overview of dry kitten food can be seen in the video below.