what kind of kitten food should i use when weaning my four kittens?
claire h asked:
Ive heard that using either baby rice with kitten milk, but what kind of meat should i use when weaning them?
This is my first litter of kittens so dont really know all the answers.
Ive heard that using either baby rice with kitten milk, but what kind of meat should i use when weaning them?
This is my first litter of kittens so dont really know all the answers.
Any advice would be great.
Thanks
To Ken: so is whiskas ok to use with what you have been saying.
To Tiger Toy: so should i feed mum adult food again now? and should i also feed them dried food?
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bessy_acosta | Dec 21, 2009 | Reply
i used can food (soft food) and they love it make sure that when mom is eating u put them to watch her so they can do it too.
Nicola G | Dec 21, 2009 | Reply
my sisters cat had kittens 7 weeks ago i got one of them and my kitten luvs dry food with a touch of kitten milk and wiskers kitten food he luvs it let them watch the mum kitten they will soon learn good luck with ure bundles of joy i luv my little boy kitten
Tiger Toy | Dec 24, 2009 | Reply
Dear Claire,
Congratulations on your first litter.
What you feed the kittens really depends on what you want them to eat as adults. With house cats, I have usually allowed them access to canned food for a few weeks. Bessy’s idea of letting them watch their mother eat is a good one. While cats are born with some good instincts, they don’t know it all and have to learn from their parents.
I prefer dry food for both cats and kittens. The problem with kitten food is that it is higher in nutrients than adult cat food. So feeding it exclusively to mom and kittens could result in a weight problem for the mother.
Feeding cats meat or table scraps is not the best plan. In the wild, the cat eats most of its prey, including bones and organ meat. These contain vitamins and minerals that are not available in just the meat. So if you do intend to feed your kittens meat, you will have the additional chore of giving them vitamin supplements. Giving pills to cats is not my favorite chore. It’s almost like running your arms through rose hedges without gloves.
There are several books about cat rearing and nutrition that can be obtained on-line or from your local pet store. They are wonderful starting places and references.
Enjoy those kittens,
Tiger Toy
New mouse owner | Dec 27, 2009 | Reply
Some people do start their babies off with cereal but as this is not part of a natural cat diet, it is not something I do.
Putting some lightly crushed dry kitten food (good quality!) in a small dish in the kitten pen – or near the nest – and changing daily, is a good move as they find this by themselves and the first thing you know you see one crunching!
However, this is an add-on.
To wean, start with a good quality kitten wet food such as Whiskas, and mash it down to a pulp. One by one, give them a small taste in the mouth on your little fnger. Wipe a little onto their lips, so they lick it up.
Some love solids and get the message instantly – others hate the idea and take ages to get with the programme
thisis not you getting it wrong, just the vagaries of kitten personality.
Slowly introduc a wide variety of foods – a litle pilchard, fine chopped chicken, white fish, and lots of varieties of good quality kitten foods, so that future owners don’t inherit a kitten that is picky
I have a friend who prides herself on feeding her babies nothing but the best of chicken and fish. Her cats are the pickiest cats I have ever met !!
Have fun
Ken | Dec 29, 2009 | Reply
Cats are carnivores. Rice? I don’t think so You do not need kitten food, you need proper food which means no dry foods
Nutrition since there are so many bad things out there is very important to your cat’s health
Contrary to what you may have heard; dry foods are not a great thing to feed a cat.
Please read the label on what you are feeding? What are the ingredients? Do you know what they mean? Is the first ingredient a muscle meat like chicken or is it meal or other things? Learn what meal and other things mean here….
Dry foods are the number 1 cause of diabetes in cats as well as being a huge contributing factor to kidney disease, obesity, crystals, u.t.i’s and a host of other problems. Food allergies are very common when feeding dry foods. Rashes, scabs behind the tail and on the chin are all symptoms of food allergies probably from the grains. Constipation? Dry food, not enough moisture. Blockages? Again not enough moisture in the food and you are risking something serious. People on this board say feed fiber but this is a cat not a dog and cats are obligate carnivores unlike dogs an they don’t eat cereal and don’t need fiber.
The problems associated with Dry food is that they are loaded with carbohydrates which many cats (carnivores) cannot process. Also, Most of the moisture a cat needs is suppose to be in the food (Cats are not naturally big drinkers) but in
Dry, 95% of it is zapped out of dry foods in the processing. Another thing, most use horrible ingredients and don’t use a muscle meat as the primary ingredient and use vegetable based protein versus animal. Not good for an animal that has to eat meat to survive.
You want to pick a canned food w/o gravy (gravy=carbs) that uses a muscle meat as the first ingredient and doesn’t have corn at all or grains at least in the first 3 ingredients if at all. Fancy feast is a middle grade food as it uses a muscle meat as the first ingrediant. 9lives, friskies whiskas are lower grade canned but still better then dry and wellness and merrick upper grade human quality foods. The optimum food to feed cats has no grains whatsoever, cats have no use for them and many have trouble processing them as well as the carbs. IBD is another disease that is rapidly becoming common amoung cats because of the inappropriate diets being fed.
Also, dry food is not proven to be better for teeth. Does a hard pretzel clean your teeth or do pieces of it get stuck? Why do people constantly repeat this old wives tale and put teeth over the organs like the kidneys?? (I have no clue) …
Please read about cat nutrition. ………