Kitten Diet Guidelines |
A diet fulfilling the energy requirements of your kitten is of utmost importance. After the first four weeks of mother's milk, your can gradually shift your kitten to kitten food and completely wean him/her at the age of 8 weeks. A kitten's nutritional requirements are different as compared to those of adult cats. A kitten grows at a very fast pace during the initial few weeks of his/her life as he/she is more active during this time period. That's the reason he/she needs two to three times more energy during this time period of life. These requirements cannot be fulfilled just by a single meal. Kittens have higher requirements for proteins, amino acids, and minerals as well as vitamins. 30% of Kitten's total energy requirements should be fulfilled by Protein sources. That's why it is important to have a diet chart for your kitten so as to fulfill these requirements. Also, ensure providing plenty of clean water as it has a key role in keeping your cat/kitten healthy.
Video: Kitten Diet Guidelines
HOW TO KNOW IF YOU ARE FULFILLING THE ENERGY REQUIREMENTS OF YOUR KITTEN?
-Use high-quality kitten food
Use this food according to the weight and age of your kitten. Kitten food of a good brand surely fills the energy requirements of your kitten.
HOMEMADE DIETS
All-meat homemade diets have low calcium and can thus cause a mineral imbalance in your pet body and this imbalance, in turn, can cause HYPERPARATHYROIDISM, a common disease of rapidly growing kittens. If you want to offer homemade food to your kitten, make sure it has been formulated by an expert veterinary nutritionist.
HOW TO KNOW IF MY KITTEN IS GETTING A BALANCED DIET?
Feed your kitten with that specific food for a time period; if balanced diet, your kitten will be healthy, have steady weight gain, and have a clean and shiny coat. If this is not the case, consult your veterinarian to know about suitable food for your kitten.
TYPE OF FOOD FOR YOUR KITTEN
Apart from dry food, also offer wet food to your kitten as his/her teeth are very small and he/she cannot chew dry food very well and is thus unable to fulfill his/her energy requirements from dry food only. The best strategy is to offer dry as well as wet food to your kitten.
FREE-FEEDING
It means making unlimited kitten food available to your kitten all the time. After he/she reaches the age of 4 to 6 months, offer 2-3 times per day. It reduces the chances of stomach distension and also helps underweight or slow-growing kittens but this strategy should not be adopted for obese or overweight cats/kittens as it may worsen the situation.
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