If you are interested in feeding a home-prepared diet, only do so with input from a veterinary nutritionist. Nutritional imbalances can be especially catastrophic when they occur while a kitten is still growing and developing. Most recipes that are available online or in books have been found to provide inappropriate nutrient levels.
The Importance of Protein for Kittens
Kittens and cats are true carnivores. They have unique nutritional needs—like dietary sources of taurine (an amino acid), vitamin A, vitamin D, arachidonic acid and an increased demand for many B vitamins. These can all be met by a diet that is rich in animal tissue.
Because of their rapid growth and development, kittens need even more protein than do adult cats. The AAFCO minimum protein level for kitten foods is 30 percent while it is 26 percent for adult maintenance.
High-quality kitten foods have meat/fish and meat/fish meals at the top of their ingredient lists. Plant-based sources of protein, like peas or soy, and carbohydrates, like corn, rice or potatoes, should only be included in kitten foods in small amounts, if at all. Wet foods tend to be higher in protein and lower in carbohydrates in comparison to dry foods.
A good kitten food will provide all the nutrients that a healthy kitten requires. Dietary supplements are not necessary and can actually be harmful if they lead to nutrient excesses or imbalances.
The Importance of Water for Kittens
Domestic cats evolved from desert-dwelling ancestors who got most of their water from the food they ate. Kittens and cats aren’t well designed to drink water from bowls and may exist in a perpetual state of mild dehydration when their food does not contain much water. Most veterinarians now recommend that wet foods make up most if not all of a cat’s diet.
If you choose to feed your kitten dry food, it’s especially important to provide lots of fresh, clean water. Some cats prefer to drink from running sources of water, like pet water fountains. Hydration supplements are also available for cats.
How Often To Feed a Kitten
The most common nutritional disease of cats is obesity. In most cases, a kitten’s growth rate and need for extra calories declines around 6 months of age, which makes overfeeding more likely. Cats who are spayed or neutered also have reduced caloric needs in comparison to intact individuals. For these reasons, it’s generally a good idea to stop leaving food out all the time and switch to a kitten feeding schedule with measured meals when kittens are 4 to 6 months old.
Cats are designed to eat multiple small meals a day. A 4- to 6-month-old kitten’s food should be divided up into at least three meals a day. Older kittens and cats can handle being fed roughly every 12 hours, but more frequent, smaller meals are even better. Try placing small meals in several locations around your house to encourage exercise or use an automatic timed feeder when you will be gone for extended periods of time.
How Much To Feed a Kitten
Once you make the switch from free-feeding to meal-feeding, you need have a general idea of how much food to feed a kitten each day. Kitten feeding guides and calorie counts are printed on kitten food labels. (To get an idea of the best serving size for your kitten, check out our guide on how much to feed kittens.)
Keep in mind that kittens are all individuals, and their caloric needs can vary wildly. For example, a very active and rapidly growing large breed kitten will need more food than will an older, relatively inactive small breed kitten even if they both weigh 4 pounds.
Kittens should remain slim, but it can be hard to recognize what normal looks like when so many pets are now overweight. All but the youngest of kittens should have an observable waist when looked at from above, and it should be easy to feel their ribs with gentle pressure. Use a body condition scoring system to monitor your cat’s weight and adjust the amount of food you offer accordingly.
When To Switch From Kitten Food To Adult Cat Food
Kittens should be switched to an adult cat food when they have reached their full adult height, even if they still have some filling out to do. For most cats, this occurs around 10 months of age. Especially large-framed cats tend to stop growing later and may need to eat kitten food until they are a bit older. Petite cats or kittens who are gaining too much weight on kitten food may need to make the switch a little earlier.
