How many times should a kitten eat a day
Feeding Kittens 101: What to Feed, How Much, and How Often
What to Feed Kittens
Your kittens dietary requirements are going to be different from an adult cats dietary requirements. To help a kitten grow healthy and strong, their food typically requires:
Margie Scherk, DVM, DABVP of the Cats Only Veterinary Clinic in Ottawa, ON, Canada, described this in detail at the Central Veterinary Conference 2013 in Kansas City: Young cats have growth requirements, which include an increased proportion of animal-based protein and more calcium and phosphorus.1
Your new kitten will likely have tons of energy and engage in rowdy play, so their food needs to support their body as they burn calories exercising as well as expend energy for growth.
Feeding Kittens Wet Versus Dry Food
Wet and dry cat food are commonly available in kitten formulations, and there are pros and cons to feeding each. To decide which option best suits your kittens needs, talk with your veterinarian and get their recommendation. Here are some pros and cons of each:
Wet cat food is higher in moisture, so it can be beneficial in keeping kittens hydrated, flushing out the urinary tract, and helping kidneys stay healthy. However, wet food tends to stick to the teeth more, which can be associated with dental disease and painful cavity-type problems for cats.
Dry cat food is easier to feed in mutli-cat homes and can help scrape tartar from the teeth. However, some cats can overeat with dry food and gain excessive weight, which can be associated with arthritis, heart problems, blood pressure problems, respiratory problems, or diabetes mellitusjust to name a few.
How to Select a High-Quality Kitten Food
It may take some initial time and energy in determining which food is right for your kitten, but your efforts will be rewarded in a healthy, happy, beautiful kitten.
The best way to find the healthiest kitten food is to compare foods, choose a few possible options, and then talk with your veterinarian about which of those is best for your kitten. Consider the protein source in the food and pick a diet that does not contain a lot of filler ingredients.
How Much to Feed a Kitten
Kittens are growing rapidly at this young age and eat a lot of food compared to adult cats. We want to provide their bodies with everything necessary for growth, but we also want to develop healthy long-term eating habits.
Feeding guidelines are variable by kitten. However, most often, using the feeding directions on the bag or can of food is a good starting place, and then you can adjust as needed for your kitten. Your veterinarian can use metabolic formulas to calculate the number of calories required per day based on your kittens current weight.
We want kittens to come hungry for their meal, but we also dont want them to be feeling so hungry that they devour the entire meal in a few seconds. Often, young kittens may eat to cup of food at a time.
If your kitten is thin, we may need to increase the caloric requirement per day. If your kitten is gaining too much weight too quickly, we may need to cut back. Your veterinarian will use a tool called a body condition score to assess your kittens weight.
Healthy Kitten Growth Rate
A general rule of thumb in kittens is that they typically gain about 1 pound per month.
Often, a kittens weight is about 1 pound at 1 month (4 weeks), 2 pounds at 2 months (8 weeks), and so on until about 4-5 months.
Kittens do most of their growing (both height and weight) within the first year and then stabilize from there. Many of the growth plates of the bones in the kitten skeleton close by about one year old.
At this time, after much of the growth is finished, your vet will typically switch your kitten to an adult diet.
Feeding Methods for Kittens
There are two main ways to feed kittens. Each of these ways have pros and cons, so consider the details and talk with your veterinarian about free-feeding versus portioned meal feeding.
Free-Feeding Method
Free-feeding kittens is usually done with dry food, leaving a bowl out all the time so the food is readily available. This is convenient for pet parents, especially if they have busy schedules.
The benefit to this type of feeding is that your kitten can eat when they want and ideally self-regulate how much they need.
One disadvantage to this is that some kittens will overeat and gain excessive weight. Another disadvantage is that in a multiple-cat household, the older cats have access to and may be eating the kitten food.
This is not always healthy for the older cats needs, and more dominant cats may control the kittens access to the food bowl. In these cases, the kitten may not be getting enough to eat. It can be hard to track an individual cats eating habits when they share a free-feeding bowl.
One way to deal with this is by using a microchip-activated feeder that only opens when it scans your kittens microchip. Just make sure another cat is not guarding this feeder and keeping the kitten from eating.
Meal-Feeding Method
Meal-feeding kittens is the second option for feeding. This works well with wet food that cant be left out all day. Feeding specific portions at certain times is also helpful for monitoring exactly how much and what kind of food each cat is eating in a multiple-cat home.
Meal-feeding is more time-intensive for pet parents and tends to require a more routine schedule. You need to make sure you are able to feed your kitten often enough with this type of feeding. There are some cat food bowls that work on timers to automatically release a measured amount of dry food at specified times.
Kittens can also learn to use their instinctual hunting behavior to work for part of their daily food. This helps keep your kitten healthy mentally and physically.
There are many interactive bowls, balls that disperse dry food slowly, and other options available to keep your kitten occupied so his/her meal is not gone in a few seconds.
How Often to Feed Kittens
Younger kittens (6-16 weeks) need to be fed several meals per day, if you are not free-feeding.
As they are growing and burning calories, we want to keep their bodies supplied with energy. Feed meals every 6-8 hours.
Your veterinarian will figure out the total daily calories that your kitten needs, and you can divide that between the number of meals per day. Typically, by the time kittens get to 4-5 months, they can be transitioned to two meals per day, still feeding the total number of daily calories, but in less frequent, larger meals.
Reasons Your Kitten May Not Be Eating
If your new kitten is not eating well or has diarrhea, call your vet and schedule another checkup.
Sometimes intestinal parasites can cause gastrointestinal upset in kittens. It is common for kittens to come home already infected with parasites. They can get some parasites through the placenta before birth as well as in the milk from the mother cat.
Some of these parasites can also be transmitted to people, so good hygiene and preventive care are important.
Bottle Feeding/Orphaned Kittens
Sometimes a mama cat is no longer able to care for her kittens, and we need to help them. This is a big but rewarding task to take on.
These kittens are often days to a week old (they may still even have their eyes closed). They must be bottle fed, every few hours, initially, with kitten milk replacer formulas.
You also need to use a washcloth to gently wipe their genitals after eating to stimulate urination and defecation, as they are unable to do this themselves in the first few weeks.
These bottle-fed kittens are very loyal and loving, but they do require extra attention regarding socialization since the mother cat is unavailable to teach them acceptable play and biting behaviors.
A good reminder comes from Ed Carlson, CVT, VTS (Nutrition). Kittens that are abandoned by their mothers should be carefully examined for visible birth defects such as a cleft palate and medical attention provided by a veterinarian if necessary. Supplementation with a milk replacement formula or a surrogate mother will be necessary to raise abandoned or orphaned kittens. 2
To learn more about cat pregnancy and kitten care, check out PetMDs complete cat pregnancy and kitten guide.
References
References:
Margie Scherk, DVM, DABVP: Feeding Cats with Different Nutritional Needs: A Dilemma in the Multicat Household, Central Veterinary Conference 2013 - Kansas City.
Ed Carlson, CVT, VTS (Nutrition): Neonatal Nutrition: Feeding Puppies and Kittens from Birth to Weaning, 41st Annual OAVT Conference & Trade Show.
Featured Image: iStock.com/chendongshan
How many times a day should kittens eat?
Your kitten is an essential part of your life, even if theyve only been with you for a short while. Youll want to take the best care of your new friend to ensure a long and happy life together, and a great way to do this is with a conscientious feeding routine. Coming up with a proper cat feeding schedule that meets your kittens needs is an essential first step for new cat owners, so dont wait to plan this out.
Your kitten will need more fuel for his growing body than an adult cat, so be prepared to feed them more frequently. Here are some suggestions for how to feed your kitten so he stays healthy and maintains the proper weight as he grows. Good luck!
The right kinds of cat food
You cant just toss down a bowl of adult cat food and expect your kitten to have enough to eat. Your kitten has different needs than an adult cat, so feeding the same food wont get the job done. Luckily, a little research and planning can go a long way!
Even though very young kittens benefit from soft food as their teeth grow and come in, dry food doesnt go bad as quickly as wet food (and its also cheaper). Wet foods offer more moisture content, but dry food can help kittens gain proper weight more easily due to the carbohydrate content. To get the best of both worlds, some people water down dry kitten food to create an easy-to-eat gruel.
Your schedule can also help determine whether wet or dry food is the best for your kitten as they grow. If you have to leave food out for your kitten during the day, dry food is the way to go. Wet food could be a better choice if you are home to clean the dish right away, or if your kitten is still struggling to chew food.
How often to feed kittens
Kittens will need to get meals three to four times a day once theyre weaned from their mother. The serving sizes will depend on your foods recommended amounts as well as what your veterinarian says to do. Once your kitten reaches six months, however, most cats require two meals a day. This will be adjusted again when a cat reaches maturity when they should be fed once or twice a day. A feeding schedule is essential to help control your kittens weight and to establish good mealtime habits. Kittens will need to know what to expect around mealtimes, so consistency is key here. Remember to split up the daily portion size into three parts to ensure that your kitten doesnt receive too many calories.
Consider the types of food youre feeding your kitten, and choose only high-quality foods that have been tested. Cheap foods require more servings to give your kitten everything he needs to grow healthy and strong. One of the downsides is your cat could gain weight too quickly on poor-quality foods, as well as consuming less than ideal ingredients.
How much water should a kitten drink?
While kittens who are still drinking their mothers milk (or formula) wont need to drink water as adult cats do, you will need to add a water bowl to your kittens favorite area when theyre weaned. They should start to explore a very shallow dish of water around 4 weeks old (before theyre done weaning) just to get used to it, but theyll usually learn to lap it up as they play and explore. This way, theyll be comfortable with their water dish by the time they switch to solid food!
Most kittens and cats can self-regulate the amount of water they drink, so its important to keep fresh water available for your kitten at all times. If it seems like they arent drinking enough, though, you may want to switch up the type of dish or bowl you serve their water in.
Develop a relationship with your vet
Your veterinarian is a valuable resource to ensure that you have the right feeding protocols for your new kitten. Your vet will determine the kittens health and offer advice for the type of food as well as portion sizes. If you have questions, give their office a ring! If your kitten seems to be gaining too much weight or not enough, your vet can determine the underlying cause and help you develop a plan. This ensures that your kitten grows up to be healthy.
Frequently asked questions
Lets take a look at some of the most common questions people have about feeding a kitten.
- How often should you feed a 7-month-old kitten? Check with your vet about your kittens health, but a 7-month-old should be transitioning to an adult feeding schedule of one or two times per day.
- Can you overfeed a kitten? Up to about 3 months of age, its difficult to overfeed kittens because theyre doing so much growing and have so much energy. Youll need to be prepared to change your feeding habits often until your cat reaches about 6 months of age.
- Should I leave food out for my kitten? Grazing can make it difficult later to determine if your cat is receiving the right amount of nutrients. Its best not to leave food out, but you can put a bit of dry food in a bowl if your kitten seems hungry during the night or between meals. Ensure your cat is regularly eating during meal times and avoid food treats just before meals.
- How do I know if my kitten is overeating? While its hard to overfeed a small kitten, it is possible. One sign of overeating is diarrhea. A kittens digestive system cant handle the amount of food in its system, leading to diarrhea. Yellow and runny is a mild form, but your vet should see the kitten immediately if it turns gray.
- Why does my kitten always act like its starving? Your kitten is doing a lot in those first few months of life. They have tons of energy and are growing quickly. Developing an eating routine helps your kitten learn that meals are coming and provides well-balanced nutrition throughout the day.
Getting on a schedule with your kitten
Whether or not this is your first kitten, teaching your kitten that meals are always coming is a vital part of good eating habits. Your kitten is doing a lot in those first few years, so a regular feeding schedule is going to do a lot of good. Consistency teaches your cat to trust that they will be fed, so youre less likely to be bothered between meals, too!
Work with your veterinarian to watch your cats growth and weight closely in those first few months. Early nutrition develops into a lifetime of health and well-being, so ensure that your cat has what he needs to be healthy and strong from the beginning.
Adapt to your growing kittens nutritional needs and be consistent. The most critical piece of this puzzle is a continual dedication to your kittens health. With that in place, your kitten should grow up happy.
