How to feed a kitten for 1-6 months: a sample menu and tips

A small fluffy miracle is a source of joy and happiness for its owners. Especially when it is healthy and fun to play. In order for the pet to always feel good and in a good mood, its diet should contain all the substances necessary for growth - vitamins and minerals. What to feed the kitten and how to choose the right diet, of course, is decided by the owner. But still there are a few points that you need to consider when drawing up a cat menu.

The reasons for the artificial feeding of kittens

Sometimes it happens that a cat for some reason is not able to cope with feeding the feeding offspring. In this case, the owner is forced to make up for the missing nutrition. The reasons for the artificial feeding of kittens can be various:

1. Death of a cat during childbirth or some time after them.
2. Complications after childbirth and the unsuitability of milk as a result of the use of medicines.
3. Failure of a woman in childbirth to feed offspring.
4. Lack of milk in the mother.
5. Lack of a nursing cat (in the case of homeless kittens).

One way or another, but a person needs to turn for a while into a feeding system that operates on a specific schedule.

How many times a day to feed

How to feed kittens depends on their age:

• At the age of two weeks, kittens should receive food at least 10 times a day. Feeding is necessary both day and night.
• A monthly pet eats a little less - about eight times a day.
• At the age of one to two months, night-time feeding ceases. Now it’s enough to give the kitten a meal seven times a day.
• Six meals a day is suitable for three-month-old pets.
• When the kittens are four to five months old, they will need a five-day daily regimen.
• From six months, kittens are often equated with adults. Such cat siblings receive food no more than four times a day.
• At the age of nine months to a year, the kitten is fed three times a day.
• Adult cats aged one year and older are treated twice a day.

Particular attention is required and the amount of food for kittens:

• Newborn babies require 30 milliliters of liquid food (mainly milk or infant formula) per 100 grams of live weight.
• A two-week-old pet needs 38 milliliters per 100 grams of weight.
• Three weeks of life correspond to 48 milliliters of the nutrient mixture.
• Four-month-old pets and older kittens are fed approximately 50-55 milliliters for every 100 grams of animal weight.

To meet the nutritional needs of an older kitten, you can follow the following table:

How to feed kittens with natural food

Newborn kittens are fed cat-milk substitute purchased at the store . If there is no product, you can use the mixture for children (without any additives in the form of sugar) or products for newborns prepared in the "milk kitchen". In addition to the above, goat milk or cow's homemade milk is not bad. If the latter turns out to be very oily, it can be slightly diluted with warm boiled water. Often questions arise, for example, how to feed lop-eared kittens. In this case, calcium-rich formulations are contemplated.

The following natural products are possible as complementary foods:

• Beef, veal or rabbit.
• Boiled meat of small poultry (chicken, turkey).
• Beef and chicken offal (liver, heart, stomachs, kidneys). However, such offal should not be used more often than several times a week.
• Low-fat, boneless fish. It should be noted that sterilized cats and cats are contraindicated in fish.
• Boiled egg yolk.
• Dairy and dairy products.
• Various cereals with the addition of meat or fish (for one part of the porridge you need two parts of the additive).
• For the supply of vitamins to the kitten's body, it is advisable to add vegetables and greens to the diet.
• In order to improve digestion, you can plant special grass or wheat, rye, millet, oats. Green sprouts are eaten by cats with great pleasure.
  

List of Prohibited Products

What to feed the kitten, of course, and what should not be? The list of prohibited foods consists of the following products:

• Pork, lamb, goose and duck meat.
• Bones of birds and fish.
• Food from the owner’s table (salted, sweet, spicy, fried, oily, smoked meats and mushrooms).
• Citruses, grapes, raisins and all sweet fruits.
• Sweets - chocolate, cookies, etc.
• Human vitamins and dietary supplements.

Monthly kittens ration

The kitten is one month old. How to feed a Scottish kitten in addition to milk and as complementary foods?

Firstly, whatever the food, its consistency should be mashed so that the pet can freely suck it from the bottle.

The basis of the diet is concentrated milk. According to the recipes, cat dishes can be easily prepared at home.

One of the recommended mix options for pets is a combination of raw egg yolk with 0.5 liters of milk. Yolk can be used in boiled form. Give it, coupled with whipped protein, with a little vegetable oil and grape sugar. A cocktail of half the yolk with milk and corn oil is also appropriate.

When wondering how to feed a kitten in one month, one should not forget that food should also contribute to the growth of the pet. For the full development of the baby, you can use a combination of 2.5 grams of dried yeast, 15 grams of whole milk powder and 50 grams of cow's milk. This mixture has a beneficial effect on the health and mood of the pet.

How to feed a pet from 2 to 4 months

Having figured out how to feed a kitten in 1 month, you can begin to study the issue of feeding older pets.

At the age of two to four months, babies have teething teeth. Now they can be gradually accustomed to the consumption of more solid foods, as well as to drinking from bowls. The basis of the pet’s nutrition should be a food rich in vitamins and protein. Only such a diet helps strengthen the skeleton of the animal and the proper functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.

Food for six months old animals

From four to six months, the kitten is actively growing and gaining weight. It is important that the kitten's menu is rich in foods that help increase muscle mass.

Since the baby's jaws are fully formed, he can freely chew chicken or beef meat. Pieces can no longer be grinded, but given whole. In addition to meat and offal, it is advisable to give the kitten low-fat dairy products, such as fermented baked milk or unsweetened yogurt. It is important to remember that food should not turn into body fat.

From the age of six months, bone-free, boneless marine fish can be added to the diet.

Advantages and disadvantages of specialized feed

Ready-made industrial feeds occur in kittens ’diets. Among the main advantages of industrial food can be called a significant saving in time of the owner. In addition, the composition of high-quality feed includes all the vitamins and minerals necessary for the normal development and functioning of the pet.

If we talk about the shortcomings, then all finished products can be used no earlier than three months of age.

In addition, instead of elite feed, you can often purchase its surrogate, fake. Therefore, it is recommended to buy ready-made food in specialized trusted stores.

Another disadvantage of using industrial food is its absolute incompatibility with natural. In other words, if the kitten eats ready-made food - the use of other foods is unacceptable.

In addition, you need to adhere to one type of industrial food. Switching to another variety requires a long time and caution.

Dry or wet food: which is better?

When choosing whether to feed a kitten dry or wet, remember several basic rules:

• Do not mix canned food with dry food.
• Canned food can be given alternately with dry food. However, both must be the same brand.
• A portion of preserves in sauce or jelly is divided into 4-5 parts for kittens.
• Wet food should not remain in the bowl all day.

It is recommended to purchase food for kittens with the addition of vitamins and minerals. It is advisable to buy premium products marked “professional”.

Breed Feeding

All kittens only look almost similar to each other. In fact, each breed has specific physiological and anatomical features. This should be taken into account when deciding how to feed the kitten.

The most popular cat breeds today are Scots, Sphinxes, British, Maine Coons, Bobtail.

When deciding how to feed a Scottish kitten, you need to remember its anatomical features. Often a characteristic feature of Scottish kittens are ears - folded in half and hanging forward. As a result, the nutrition of babies should be rich, first of all, with calcium (to strengthen cartilage, spine). Offal, poultry and cattle meat, eggs, vegetables, cereals are also relevant. It is noteworthy that the Scots can be given fish no more than once a week.

In the case of finished feed, you need to carefully choose what to feed the fold kitten. For this breed, specially developed premium food, or holistic. Only in such food are all the necessary substances for the Scotsman present.

The British, unlike the lop-eared, need to build muscle. Pet foods should contain a fairly large amount of meat and meat products. However, such an ingredient should be non-greasy. After one year, milk is completely excluded from the British diet.

Sphinxes and bobtail require a slightly different diet. The food should be warm, fresh, including fermented milk products, ground beef and chicken, fish, which can be given several times a week. It is advisable to add cereals, vegetable puree, herbs. There are also specialized dry food and canned food.

Maine Coon is the largest cat breed. As a result, the amount of food in one serving should be slightly larger. Food should consist of foods rich in potassium, calcium, and vitamins. Sour-milk formulations are recommended to be combined with crushed bird offal. Maine Coon kittens can be given seafood.