How to Choose the Best Kitten Food
When you first get a kitten, there is a ton of new stuff to learn and to do. Many people neglect the important choice of kitten food. The right kitten food can give you a strong, healthy cat. The wrong food can cause many health problems down the line, including diabetes.
First, you should be feeding your cat kitten food if he is younger than three years, and older than eight weeks. If he is younger than eight weeks, he will likely still be weaning off of formula or mother’s milk. Do not feed a young kitten adult cat food-it does not contain enough calories to support the rapidly growing kitten.
If your kitten is weaned, she has probably been eating kitten food at the breeders’ or shelter where you got her. If this is the case, make sure to ask them what they were feeding the kitten. If it is a high quality food, simply continue with that. If not, gradually switch from the low quality food to a high quality food.
The food that you give your kitten should be a canned food made with all meat if possible. Canned foods are often healthier and easier for a kitten to digest. For those who are worried about dental problems from wet food, feel free to give your kittens crunchy treats.
The reason why the food should be all meat is because cats are obligate carnivores. This means that their bodies are made to only eat and process meat. If they eat vegetables, fruits, or carbohydrates, their bodies cannot break these down efficiently and they can cause stomach issues or even diabetes. When shopping for kitten food, look at the ingredient list. The first ingredient should be meat. If it is corn, or gluten, or a vegetable, do not buy the kitten food.
Keep in mind that you need to feed a kitten much more often than an adult cat. An adult cat can get fed once or twice a day, while a kitten needs to be fed between three and six times and day. Unlike adult cats, who might eat too much if you leave food out, kittens will eat as much as they need to. Just be careful leaving wet food out for too long as bacteria can grow on it. If you follow these recommendations, you are likely to end up with a healthy and happy kitten.