How To Feed Your Newborn Kitten
In the wild, big cats know exactly what they need to eat. By feeding your kitten the right food at the right times, you’ll be supporting her natural instincts as a carnivore and solitary hunter.
Learning how to feed a newborn kitten is an important part of being a pet owner. Your fluffy friend needs complete and balanced nutrition in the right amount and frequency to live a long and healthy life. As owners, we need to know how to feed a newborn kitten, what to feed kittens, how many times to feed a kitten, and more. Some kitten feeding tips for first time kitten owners include choosing the right food formulated for kittens, feeding them regularly in small amounts throughout the day, and providing a variety of tastes and textures in their diet to help them grow and explore their instincts. Whiskas® provides nutritious and delicious meals that keeps your kitten healthy and happy so you don’t have to worry about what to feed kittens or how to feed a kitten!
Kitten Feeding Guide
As kittens grow, their feeding patterns and nutritional needs change as well. This kitten feeding chart can be used as a guide on how to feed a newborn kitten with Whiskas® kitten food. You can find our feeding guide on every Whiskas® kitten food bag.
From birth to 2 months old:
Kittens feed on cat milk from their mother. At around 1 month old, you can introduce small bites of kitten food as they start to wean off cat milk.
2 to 4 months old:
Start with Whiskas® kitten food. Feed kittens 4 to 5 pouches of wet kitten food per day. If your kitten is ready for a mixture of wet and dry food, reduce the amount of wet food to 2 pouches and feed 18-40 g of dry kitten food accordingly. Feed them 4-5 times in a day.
4 to 8 months old:
Increase the amount of wet kitten food to 5 to 6 pouches per day. If the kitten is on a mixed diet, use 2 pouches of wet kitten food and 40-48 g of dry kitten food. Feed them 4-5 times in a day.
8 to 12 months old:
Feed kittens 6 to 7 pouches of wet kitten food per day, or a mixture of 2 pouches of wet kitten food and 48 g of dry kitten food. Reduce the feeding frequency to 2-4 times in a day.
Feeding Snacks and Treats
As owners, feeding our fluffy friend snacks and treats is always a joy! Many manufactured cat treats are designed to support digestive health, dental health, or overall health. Bear in mind that cat treats contain more calories and are not nutritionally complete and balanced compared to cat food. So, you should only give treats occasionally or as rewards. This prevents the risk of overfeeding and an unbalanced diet. If you give them any treats, be sure to reduce their main meal by an equal amount. This is an important part on how to feed a newborn kitten.
How Many Times To Feed A Kitten
Kittens should be fed frequently in small amounts throughout the day. For kittens over 2 months old, kitten food can be given 4 to 5 times a day. From 6 to 12 months old, the number of meals can be reduced to 2 to 4 times a day. If you’re feeding dry food, you can choose to leave a bowl of dry food out for your kitten to eat through the day. You can also divide wet food in half and feed your kitten twice a day.
Whiskas Food Recommendations
Whether it’s dry food, wet food, or both, Whiskas® cat food has a wide range of tasty and nutritious meals for your cat and kitten. Whiskas® cat food has essential nutrients such as protein, vitamins, carbohydrates and fibres. Protein provides energy and helps to keep their immune system strong and healthy. Vitamins keep their skin and coat healthy, and carbohydrates and fibres support good digestion. Any nutrient important for your kitten can be found in Whiskas® cat food! With Whiskas®, you won’t have to worry about what to feed kittens.
Cat Feeding FAQs
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Q:
How often should you feed a kitten?
A:Kittens should be fed frequently in small amounts throughout the day. For kittens over 2 months old, kitten food can be given 4 to 5 times a day. From 6 to 12 months old, the number of meals can be reduced to 2 to 4 times a day
Q:What should your kitten drink?
A:It is important to keep your kitten hydrated, especially if you are feeding them dry food. Kittens do not need milk once they have been weaned off. Instead of milk, it is best to give them clean and fresh water to drink. Ensure that your kitten has fresh water to drink wherever and whenever they need it. Generally, you should start giving them water to drink once you have started giving them a little solid food. Give them fresh, clean water in a shallow bowl. It is best to place it in places where they like to relax. You should not place it in the same place as where they eat.
Q:When should you switch kittens to kitten food?
A:Besides baby cat food, kittens can try small bites of solid food to familiarise themselves with it. At 2 months old, they should be weaned off mother’s milk and switch from baby cat food to wet kitten food.
Foods to avoid
Although you may have good intentions, some human foods are not recommended for cats. Human foods are high in calories, and lack the essential nutrients that cats need. Some of the food that we eat can be very harmful to cats. This includes onions and garlic, milk and dairy products, alcohol, grapes and raisins, caffeine, chocolate, raw eggs and meats, and fat trimmings and bones.
Q:Can kittens eat human food?
A:Feeding kittens human food can have detrimental effects as kittens have very different dietary requirements compared to humans. Kittens require about 40 essential nutrients to deliver complete nutrition, whether the food is dry, wet, or semi-moist.
Since kittens are carnivores, animal meat is one of the safest human foods to give them as they rely on nutrients found in animal products. There are 11 essential amino acids for kittens that must be supplied in their diet:
- Arginine
- Histidine
- Isoleucine
- Leucine
- Lysine
- Methionine
- Phenylalanine
- Taurine
- Threonine
- Tryptophan
- Valine
These essential amino acids, along with other essential nutrients, are best supplied by animal meat and organs (liver, heart, and kidney). Fish, meat, and poultry are the best choices as they provide all the protein and essential nutrients your kitten needs. It can be minced, ground, or blended so your kitten can eat it easily. However, it is not recommended to feed your kitten too much fish such as tuna and salmon. These fish contain high levels of mercury and can cause mercury poisoning (dizziness, loss of balance and coordination). Make sure everything is cooked thoroughly to destroy any bacteria or parasites before feeding your kitten.
Besides meat, kittens also eat plants occasionally for roughage or fibre. The recommended vegetables for your kitten are carrots, broccoli, and spinach that have been steamed or boiled. These vegetables are also a source for vitamins and minerals. Similarly, make sure that all vegetables are washed and cleaned thoroughly before cooking. Avoid feeding your kitten raw vegetables as it cannot be digested and can cause digestion problems.
How to feed a kitten up to 4 weeks old
As kittens grow, they require different types of food and different ways of feeding to support its growth and development. When kittens are born, they obtain all the nutrition they need from their mother’s milk, which is the best baby cat food. It is important to ensure that your kittens and the mother cat are safe and away from any disturbances. This allows them to feed peacefully. Keep your kittens warm and place them in a comfortable position on their stomach as they feed. After 4 weeks, they should be weaned off and introduced to food for kittens.
How to feed a kitten from 4 weeks to 4 months old
Once your kitten reaches 4 weeks old, it may start showing an interest in solid food! You can start to gradually wean off your kitten and introduce them to a bit of solid kitten food. Dry kitten food can be mixed with water so that it is soft enough for kittens to eat easily. Wet kitten food can also be used. Place the food in a shallow dish or bowl to get them used to good eating habits. It is essential to learn how to feed a kitten properly with the right food to help them grow happily and healthily.
How to make kitten food
Homemade kitten food that is prepared using natural and fresh ingredients is a great way to introduce your kitten to different tastes and textures. This helps in their growth and development. Since kittens are carnivores, they can eat most kinds of meat like chicken, beef, and fish that have been minced or ground and then cooked.
Kittens require 4 times more protein than humans. In order to fulfil this need, homemade kitten food needs to contain at least 70 g of protein per 1000 kcal of metabolisable energy (ME). This is equal to roughly 220 g of chicken meat, or 320 g of fish. The meat should be cooked, either by steaming or boiling it. However, if you don’t know how to make kitten food, or don’t have the time to - don’t worry! Whiskas® kitten food is the best kitten food that covers all of your kitten’s nutritional needs in a wide range of delicious flavours
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