OLD Feeding Your Kitten: The Ultimate Guide

Feeding kittens can be tricky because you need to make sure that they are getting the right amount of food each day to give them all of the vitamins, minerals and energy they need to thrive and develop. However, it can feel like a bit of a minefield when it comes to finding the right food for your kitten.

Luckily, we've got all the information you need to know, including how much to feed a kitten, what to give them and how often, to take the guesswork out of feeding your feline.

You’ll need to wean your kitten when they’re between six and eight weeks of age. , you need to begin weaning your kitten. It’s at this stage that they can start eating kitten food. By eight weeks, your kitten should be fully weaned onto solid food. You can start this process at three weeks and slowly introduce them to solid foods little by little.

However, it’s important to know exactly how much they should be getting each day. If you don’t feed them enough, then they might miss out on important nutrients they need to grow. If you feed them too much, then this may cause them to become overweight. There’s a lot to think about here when it comes to feeding your kitten to ensure that your kitten remains healthy and active throughout development.

When you are trying to work out how much to feed a kitten, you do need to consider their individual nutritional requirements. Kittens often need more energy and slightly different levels of vitamins and minerals to adult cats to aid their growth and development. Kittens can grow in a remarkably short period. In fact, they reach adulthood at between six and 12 months. They grow at roughly 15 times the speed of humans!

In order to fuel this growth, you might be tempted to give your kitten a large amount of food, but this should certainly be avoided. A lot of people tend to forget that kittens have quite small stomachs, meaning they need to eat high-energy, low-volume foods, which is why kitten food is specially formulated to ensure that it is dense in both energy and nutrients.

When it comes to how much to feed your kitten, it can depend on a number of different factors, from the breed and size of your kitten to the food you choose.

Recommended feeding quantities will usually be based on development on your kitten’s weight, so it’s useful to find out how much they weigh to make it easier to work out how much you should be giving them.

When it comes to feeding your kitten, one of the key considerations is what kind of food you’ll be giving them with your main options being wet or dry food. While dry food is less messy and faster to prepare, it may not be as beneficial for your young kitten.

One of the main issues with dry food like kibble is that it can be hard for kittens to break up with their small teeth, so, it should be softened by wetting it first. This will make it easier for your kitten to chew and improve digestibility.

Wet foods like the Felix As Good As It Looks Pouches are considered to be better for kittens because they are more nutrient-dense compared to dry food. Additionally, they naturally contain moisture, which can help to make the food easier to digest.

However, one of the main reasons why new kitten owners might avoid wet food is because it does tend to be slightly more expensive. One way to reduce costs is to mix wet and dry food together to ensure that your kitten is getting the benefits of both.

The amount that you feed your kitten will always depend on their age, so this will change throughout their first year.

At between one and four weeks, your kitten should still be getting milk from its mother. This is one of the reasons why kittens aren’t separated from their mothers until they are a few weeks old.

However, if you adopt a kitten or bring in a stray kitten, you will need to bottle-feed them in their first few weeks. The recommendation is that they should get eight millilitres of milk formula for each ounce of their weight. The average two to three-week-old kitten weighs around 12 ounces, so will require 96 ml of formula per day.

When your kitten is between four and eight weeks old they will be ready for weaning, so will be getting their first taste of solid foods.

During this stage, you can mix dry and wet food, usually around ¼ and ⅓ of a cup each time you feed them through the day. The aim here will be to gradually reduce the level of milk and replace it with solid food.

When your kitten is between two and three months old, it’s important to be aware that they’re still developing and growing, so adequate nutrition is vital. Therefore you will need to regularly feed them small meals to sustain their energy, usually around four times a day.

At this age, you can start increasing your kitten’s food intake as they mature. You could start feeding your kitten up to one cup of dry food three times a day depending on their weight. Alternatively, if you are providing them with wet food, then you can feed about 2 two ounces for every pound of body weight over the course of the day.

During the last stage of development before your kitten is considered to be an adult cat, you should be providing them with around one and a half ounces of wet food for every pound of their weight each day.

However, do be aware that these are only general guidelines, and the amount you feed your cat will depend on their size and which food you opt for, so you need to check the individual guidelines of your chosen food to make sure that you’re giving the correct amount.

Keeping your kitten hydrated is incredibly important, as it contributes towards healthy digestion, circulation and overall health.

A lot of owners are often shocked at how little their kitten drinks, however, this is completely normal as kittens evolved from desert dwellers, so they don’t drink a lot of water daily - usually around 250ml per day.

However, kittens who are fed wet food may drink even less, as their food will contribute to their hydration levels.

One key factor is whether your kitten is neutered. In general, a neutered kitten will require slightly less food compared to another cat of the same age and weight. Additionally, some kittens may also have health complications which means that their food intake will need to be adjusted, so feeding requirements can completely vary from one kitten to another.

Feeding your kitten may seem like a minefield, but it’s important that you get it right from the beginning, as the eating patterns that a kitten develops early on can continue through adulthood and will be more difficult to correct.

If you feed your kitten too much then you run the risk of them developing certain digestive issues, such as diarrhoea or a distended stomach. Additionally, if you’re giving your kitten more food than they require, then they may gain weight, which can lead to other health conditions such as diabetes and arthritis later in life.

On the contrary, if your kitten isn’t getting enough food, then they won’t get all of the nutrients that they need for healthy development, which may also cause health problems in the future.

If you are unsure of how much you should be feeding your kitten, then you can consult a kitten feeding guide, which can usually be found on the back of your chosen kitten food. Alternatively, you may want to speak to your vet for personalised feeding advice.

Whether you opt for wet food, dry kitten food or a mixture of the two, the amount of food you give to your kitten is just as important as what you’re feeding them! Keep a close eye on your maturing kitten to adjust their feed as and when they develop to ensure they’re healthy and thriving. Explore our expert range of kitten food today to find the perfect food for your furry friend.