Feeding your kitten: some food for thought
When you bring your kitten home for the first time, it’s best to carry on feeding the food they have become used to. Not all kitten foods are the same, for example, some have much better quality ingredients than others. This is why you might want to change your kitten’s food to one recommended by your vet. You’ll need to do this over a period of 5 to 7 days; your vet will advise you on this. Mix the new food into your kitten’s usual food, and gradually increase the amount until only the new food is in the bowl.
As you can imagine a kitten’s stomach is tiny, so to begin with small but frequent meals are needed. This means putting out fresh food in a clean bowl, up to 4 times a day until they are 6 months old.
Tasty Tips
Choose carefully
A “complete” kitten food will provide all the vitamins and minerals your kitten needs in an easy-to-serve form, either as dry food, or wet in cans or pouches. If you’re unsure which to buy, your vet will advise you. But whatever food you choose, follow the feeding guide on the pack, and be careful not to overfeed your kitten.
Thirsty kittens
Believe it or not, kittens don’t need milk. And for some cats, cows’ milk can actually cause diarrhoea. So if you want to give your kitten some milk, specially formulated cat milk is available. Notwithstanding that, please make sure your kitten has a bowl of fresh clean water at all times. If you suspect they are not drinking enough, it might be your kitten tastes the chemicals in it, so you could try still bottled water. Some cats even prefer to drink from flowing water sources, like fountains or dripping taps, you can buy water fountains designed especially for cats. And don’t forget that if eating dry, crunchy food, it’s essential you provide plenty of water.
Don’t worry, being sick sometimes is normal
If your kitten has a minor digestive problem, or needs to bring up a hairball, they will make themselves sick by eating grass. This is quite natural and there’s nothing to worry about. But if the vomiting persists and you spot other symptoms, you need to consult your vet.
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