Kitten Food - Feeding Your New Kitten By Susan Richards

Feeding your new kitten the best cat food is key to raising a healthy pet. A kitten has a number of nutritional needs to ensure that they stay happy and healthy. Every pet owner needs to know that there is a great deal more to feeding your cat then just placing some food into a cat bowl, and then going about your day.

Early Nutritional Needs

During the first few weeks of a new kitten's life, all the nutritional needs are met from their mother. As the weeks go by, the mother cat's milk will slowly be replaced with more solid food. At around 4 to 6 weeks of age, the breeder will start to provide hard kitten chow that has been softened with canned food or water. By 8 weeks of age, the kitten will be eating primarily a kitten food diet. It is important to know what kind of kitten chow the breeder was using, and to be sure to continue feeding your new cat with this food.

If you are thinking of changing the kitten chow brand that your kitten started with, then you should still purchase a small bag of the their current brand and mix it with the new brand. This will aid your new kitten's digestive system and allow them to gradually adjust to the new food that they will be eating.

How Much Should They Eat

Young kittens are growing at an incredibly fast rate from the ages of eight weeks to approximately six months. They will require a large amount of food to start which means that they will need to eat a number of times during the day. Kittens that are under six months of age do not have very large stomachs but require a lot of fuel. For this reason it is best to feed them four small meals per day, and provide them with an unlimited supply of water all day long.

The growth rate of your kitten will dramatically start to slow down at around six months of age. At this time you may find your kitten becoming a bit less active. The amount of feedings necessary can also be cut back to around two to three meals per day. At this stage of their growth it is also important not to change their food from kitten chow to adult cat food. Your cat is still in a growing stage.

Your cat will be able to eat adult cat food when they reach a year old. Feeding adult cats is somewhat easier then feeding a kitten. You can simply fill their dish up with dry cat food. Adult cats will usually eat when they are hungry. At this stage is important to ensure that your cat does not overeat. If you find your cat becoming overweight then you will want to feed them approximately twice a day. Adult cats can be fed canned food, but you will also want to provide them with dry food as well. Canned food should not be left out for your cat to eat all day.

Cat Food Shopping

Choose your cat's food very carefully. Try and select foods that provide a well-balanced meal. It is important to select nutritional foods that contain protein within the first few ingredients. Cats with health conditions, such as hair-balls, or urinary tract infections, need to eat foods that will help control these particular conditions.

It is vitally important to feed your feline with both soft and dry foods. Your cat will most likely prefer soft ones, but dry foods will help to maintain their dental health. Your cat's dentist should check to make sure that their is no tartar build-up on their teeth on a yearly basis.

Resource: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=127573&ca=Pets