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how much should i be feeding my kitten?

post #1 of 22
4/29/11 at 2:26pm
Thread Starter 
so far im feeding her 3-4 times a day about a spoonful of wet food, she seems a lot hungrier and i can hear her stomach growling or digesting food im not sure

just need some help on the food routine pl0x
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post #2 of 22
4/29/11 at 3:30pm
Young kittens should be given as much as they can eat. They need a lot of calories to grow properly, usually twice as many calories per pound as an adult cat. I prefer to give them canned food 2-3 times a day, and leave a bowl of dry food out all the time for nibbling.
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post #3 of 22
4/29/11 at 3:53pm
How old is your kitten? How much does she weigh? Is she gaining weight with what you're feeding? What is her name? When do we get to see ? (Okay, so those last two questions don't have anything to do with what you feed her. ).

Depending on the size and age of your kitten (and the size of the spoon), my guess is that she needs a lot more food than what you're giving her. If you're feeding wet only, she needs 1.5-2 ounces of food per pound per day.

3-4 times a day is good for a kitten. When she's older it can be cut back to twice a day. Try doubling the amount you're giving her at each feeding. If she eats it all, offer a little more at that feeding. If she doesn't eat all of it, give a little less at the next feeding so you're not wasting food.

If you leave dry food out for her between her wet meals you can keep giving her the same amount. Just keep track of how much of the dry food she eats. You'll be able to tell if she really is hungry.
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post #4 of 22
4/29/11 at 4:12pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Willowy View Post
Young kittens should be given as much as they can eat. They need a lot of calories to grow properly, usually twice as many calories per pound as an adult cat. I prefer to give them canned food 2-3 times a day, and leave a bowl of dry food out all the time for nibbling.
how much dry food do you leave out?

Quote:
Originally Posted by GoldyCat View Post
How old is your kitten? How much does she weigh? Is she gaining weight with what you're feeding? What is her name? When do we get to see ? (Okay, so those last two questions don't have anything to do with what you feed her. ).

Depending on the size and age of your kitten (and the size of the spoon), my guess is that she needs a lot more food than what you're giving her. If you're feeding wet only, she needs 1.5-2 ounces of food per pound per day.

3-4 times a day is good for a kitten. When she's older it can be cut back to twice a day. Try doubling the amount you're giving her at each feeding. If she eats it all, offer a little more at that feeding. If she doesn't eat all of it, give a little less at the next feeding so you're not wasting food.

If you leave dry food out for her between her wet meals you can keep giving her the same amount. Just keep track of how much of the dry food she eats. You'll be able to tell if she really is hungry.
she is 1 month, 2weeks and 6 days old, i hope unless the breeder told me some bull lol
i honestly have no idea how much she weighs, i've only had her for four days so i can't really tell you if she's been gaining weight she seems the same weight as the day i got her
her names ela :]

some pics for your curiosity :]



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post #5 of 22
4/29/11 at 4:25pm
I just leave a full bowl. . .kittens can free-feed until they stop growing. Than most cats will need their food measured out so they don't get fat.

If she is only 6 weeks old, she's too young to leave her mother and littermates . Kittens should be at LEAST 8 weeks old, but 10 or 12 weeks would be best. Not a very good breeder, IMO. What breed is she? She is very cute .
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post #6 of 22
4/29/11 at 4:39pm
Thread Starter 
well she'll be 7 weeks old 2morrow! yeah the breeder didn't do her greatest, she doesn't even know the breed :[
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post #7 of 22
4/29/11 at 4:48pm
Oh, when someone says "breeder", I assume they mean a purebred breeder. . .but then I guess anybody who breeds their animals is technically a breeder! So she's a domestic shorthair, a moggie, a "just plain cat", LOL. I don't care for purebreds, I prefer moggies, so nothing wrong with that! Although I do hope you didn't pay much, if anything. No reason to pay people to produce more domestic kittens. I can't give kittens away for free! There are just too many of them.

There can be issues with kittens taken too young. Sometime they don't know their proper kitty manners, and may bite/scratch/play too rough with humans. This can be overcome with patience, but it is always better if they learn those lessons from momcat.
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post #8 of 22
4/29/11 at 4:59pm
Thread Starter 
is there no way i can actually find out what breed she is?

yeah when i got her she was pooping and peeing all over the place but it didn't take long for her to catch on with the litter box, now she pee's in the litter box and poops right next to it :L

she does bite a little too hard and i had her nails trimmed the other day, so the scratching is bearable.
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post #9 of 22
4/29/11 at 5:00pm
IMO, you can't overfeed a kitten.

What you are doing with wet is fine, now I would just supplement that with a bowl of a quality kitten dry food that you leave out 24x7. Just keep the bowl full at all times, that way kitty can nibble.

Your cat isn't going to starve either way, but that method ensures they reach maximum size and have all nutrients needed for full development. Approaching 12 months of age, you will want to schedule feed, as free feeding is too many calories for maintenance for most cats.
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post #10 of 22
4/29/11 at 5:03pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by emil View Post
is there no way i can actually find out what breed she is?
If she doesn't have papers, the breed is black domestic shorthair. Unlike dogs, most cats are not a particular breed. She sure is a cutie pie.

Litterbox training and how hard to bite/scratch during play is usually learned from mommy and siblings up until about 12 weeks of age. She was very young to be separated, so might be a little slower learning proper kitty etiquette since she has no one to teach her or emulate.
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post #11 of 22
4/29/11 at 6:20pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ducman69 View Post
IMO, you can't overfeed a kitten.

What you are doing with wet is fine, now I would just supplement that with a bowl of a quality kitten dry food that you leave out 24x7. Just keep the bowl full at all times, that way kitty can nibble.

Your cat isn't going to starve either way, but that method ensures they reach maximum size and have all nutrients needed for full development. Approaching 12 months of age, you will want to schedule feed, as free feeding is too many calories for maintenance for most cats.
my kitten threw up the dry food that i put out for her couple days back, im afraid to give her any dry food because she might throw up again


Quote:
Originally Posted by Ducman69 View Post
If she doesn't have papers, the breed is black domestic shorthair. Unlike dogs, most cats are not a particular breed. She sure is a cutie pie.

Litterbox training and how hard to bite/scratch during play is usually learned from mommy and siblings up until about 12 weeks of age. She was very young to be separated, so might be a little slower learning proper kitty etiquette since she has no one to teach her or emulate.
yeah no papers, so domestic shorthair? lol i'll just call her my black panther if anyone asks what she is again :]
i'm having a bit of a hard time getting her to poop in the litter box, do you have any suggestions or tips on that matter? much appreciated
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post #12 of 22
4/29/11 at 6:44pm
Thread Starter 
also, how long can i leave out water and food? can i leave out the water more than a couple hours? as for the food i usually clean it up if shes hasnt touched it after her meal
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post #13 of 22
4/29/11 at 6:45pm
Is it kitten food you are feeding her? As Duncman69 said just leave a bowl of hard kitten food out at all times. (along with the soft). She probably just ate too fast and threw up that happens to even older cats. She is a baby and just learning. If you aren't comfortable leaving hard food down when you aren't home then at least double if not triple the wet you are feeding her. They should be given all they want to eat.
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post #14 of 22
4/29/11 at 6:50pm
she should always have access to fresh water 24/7. Fill up a bowl of water and leave it there. What kind of food are you feeding her? What does the back of the can say? It should give you a quantity to feed daily for a kitten her age and size. She should be on kitten food.
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post #15 of 22
4/29/11 at 7:08pm
Kitty is so young, I would confine her to a single room that you like to chill in that has litterbox, food, and water. That in itself should help w/ litterbox use. Don't force a cat to use a litterbox, but you can call them to it or place them in there from time to time and even gently push the litter with her paws or with your scoop and praise her like she's pooping gold nuggets for you. It helps if its the same litter brand she was using. The litterbox should be a chillaxed place, as they can feel a little vulnerable doing their business. Make sure you are cleaning the litterbox daily.

For water, it should be out 24x7 as mentioned.

For puking, if she was hungry she might have scarfed and barfed, it happens. When they get used to the idea that food is always there, they tend to learn to nibble. If not, toss a clean golf ball in the bowl, and kitty will have to push it out of the way to get to the kibble which slows things down.
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post #16 of 22
4/29/11 at 7:29pm
Thread Starter 
i keep her in my room, which has her litterbox, her food and water

and how exactly does the golf ball help?
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post #17 of 22
4/29/11 at 7:35pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by MNJULZ View Post
she should always have access to fresh water 24/7. Fill up a bowl of water and leave it there. What kind of food are you feeding her? What does the back of the can say? It should give you a quantity to feed daily for a kitten her age and size. She should be on kitten food.
im feeding her purina proplan, elegant medleys canned food and just today i bought purina friskies but i messed up and got the adult kind, could i still feed it to her?
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post #18 of 22
4/29/11 at 8:09pm
If your kitten is gobbling down food so fast that he becomes nauseous and throws up I'd suspect he's a hungry little kitty. Try giving him a little more and feed more often until you get him on 4 feedings a day. If that's not possible, then leave a bowl of dry kibble - start with one half cup and see how quickly he eats it all up. Kibble is O.K. to leave out, it's wet food that dries out and becomes unpalatable if it sits around for a long time.

Our two "teenagers" (now 7 months old) were 2 months old when they came home from the vet's. I asked how much to feed them. The answer was to give them as much as they want to eat.

I feed 4 times a day, Proplan kitten, both canned and dry. I prefer that they eat wet. Started with 1/4 can for each kitten at each of 4 feedings (that's one can per kitten per day), and a sprinkle of dry food added. These are the small cans, BTW.

In a couple of weeks once they began to gobble that down and look around for more I upped the amount of canned food at each feeding.

They're now getting 3/4 of a small can apiece at each of 4 feedings. If they finish that up right away they get a Tablespoon of dry kibble in addition at each feeding.

I think they're beginning to slow down now - I certainly hope so since Mr. Poe is a solid 9 pound, very active and muscular young cat and Domino is not far behind.
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post #19 of 22
4/30/11 at 2:33pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Catapault View Post
If your kitten is gobbling down food so fast that he becomes nauseous and throws up I'd suspect he's a hungry little kitty. Try giving him a little more and feed more often until you get him on 4 feedings a day. If that's not possible, then leave a bowl of dry kibble - start with one half cup and see how quickly he eats it all up. Kibble is O.K. to leave out, it's wet food that dries out and becomes unpalatable if it sits around for a long time.

Our two "teenagers" (now 7 months old) were 2 months old when they came home from the vet's. I asked how much to feed them. The answer was to give them as much as they want to eat.

I feed 4 times a day, Proplan kitten, both canned and dry. I prefer that they eat wet. Started with 1/4 can for each kitten at each of 4 feedings (that's one can per kitten per day), and a sprinkle of dry food added. These are the small cans, BTW.

In a couple of weeks once they began to gobble that down and look around for more I upped the amount of canned food at each feeding.

They're now getting 3/4 of a small can apiece at each of 4 feedings. If they finish that up right away they get a Tablespoon of dry kibble in addition at each feeding.

I think they're beginning to slow down now - I certainly hope so since Mr. Poe is a solid 9 pound, very active and muscular young cat and Domino is not far behind.
i started with the 1/4 of a can for each meal as well, but then i realized she ate that really quick and was looking for more, i was unsure whether or not to give her more, but now im feeding her maybe half a can each mean maybe less.
7 im afraid to give her dry food because in the past she was throwing it up, im thinking of switching to a raw diet.
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post #20 of 22
4/30/11 at 4:39pm
Thread Starter 
each meal *
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post #21 of 22
4/30/11 at 4:51pm
Emil - you don't say what size can. What does the back of the can say? You are not feeding her enough, that's why she's throwing up. Feed her however much you are feeding her now only increase it to 4 times a day (of soft) or feed her the soft twice a day and leave hard out all day long (along with water). She will stop throwing up when you start feeding her enough.
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post #22 of 22
4/30/11 at 5:07pm
Thread Starter 
it's those small canned foods for kittens, she finished her last one today and i threw it away so i cant tell you the actual size
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