How Much to Feed 4 Month Old Kitten (not sure if he is hungry all the time or just wanting food all

I have two 4 month old kittens.  Pickles, the sister, is extremely picky and fussy about the environment she eats in (wants it quiet with no distractions and likes to peck away at it) but her brother Pepper is like the stereotypical teenaged boy and is hungry ALL the time.  He's overall like a cuddly teddy bear but he can be BOSSY when it comes to food.  Whenever I'm in the kitchen (which is a lot....darn dishes and food prep) he paws strongly at my legs (claws retracted, thankfully) and will meow loudly.  He is otherwise not very vocal!  Sometimes he will even nip gently at my leg.  Then he'll paw at the drawer where I keep the food.  All this even within minutes of me feeding him!  And I feed him lots!  Throughout the day I will leave about 1/4 cup of grain-free kibble for the kitties to graze on in the morning and at night (so about 1/2 to 2/3 cups a day) and I usually have them split a 3oz can of wet food 3 times a day....wow...that's a lot.  ha ha  Pepper also loves to steal his sister's food if I'm not paying attention.  He's a food monster. 

HI,

My four month old female is hungry all the time too, and no excuses about a rough start - she's had nothing but the best from Day ONE. She can eat 5-6 times a day, 1/4 cup or more each time, sometimes begging for more! I mix wet and dry Royal Canin for kittens. Now that she's crossed the 4 month mark, I am going to limit her to 4 times daily. I wish she liked plain dry food, so she could snack in between but she won't touch it if doesn't have wet food mixed in. Growing like a weed and pure muscle!

Anyone know how to get them to eat plain dry food?

LaRoyal said:

 
HI,

My four month old female is hungry all the time too, and no excuses about a rough start - she's had nothing but the best from Day ONE. She can eat 5-6 times a day, 1/4 cup or more each time, sometimes begging for more! I mix wet and dry Royal Canin for kittens. Now that she's crossed the 4 month mark, I am going to limit her to 4 times daily. I wish she liked plain dry food, so she could snack in between but she won't touch it if doesn't have wet food mixed in. Growing like a weed and pure muscle!

Anyone know how to get them to eat plain dry food?

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Kittens go thru growing spells, so sometimes need lots of food when that happens.  Seems like a lot of food, but if she is not getting fat, then I'm guessing she needs all of the nutrients it is providing.  Not sure I would cut back on anything. Four times per day seems reasonable,but not sure whether or not you intend to cut down on the total dally amount of not.

You don't mention what amount of wet food you are mixing into the dry, not do you mention what kind of cat she is.  Some breeds are larger than others, and would, therefore, require more food.  I'm guessing she is pretty active, simply because she is a kitten.  Growing, plus lots of activity means the need for lots of good quality food

Your kitten knows what is best, IMHO,when she is refusing to eat just plain dry food.  Maybe this article will help you:  http://www.thecatsite.com/a/how-to-choose-the-right-food-for-your-cat

First of all, I wanted to say that feeding a mix of wet and dry food is totally okay and fine  

I am experiencing the "always hungry cat" with my 8 month old right now. I've had him since he was 5 months and he literally eats as much wet food as he wants. My vet said that kittens should always be fed as much as they want as it is impossible for a kitten to be fat if it is still growing. We have to remember that in a single year, a kitten grows about ten times the size it was when it was born. Can  you imagine how many calories and nutrients it takes to ensure they grow properly? A lot  . It is expensive to raise a kitten considering the amount of food they eat. However, they will probably eat half the a mount when they become an adult. Wet food is really good for growing cats because not only does it help with their digestion and have adequate amounts of protein, but it also keeps them from being dehydrated (which is almost inevitable with dry food). Most cats who eat only dry food experience constant dehydration throughout their lives, which can ultimately lead to bladder stones and renal failure. Cat's aren't natural drinkers. In the wild, they get water through their food; this is why wet food is so important. The amount of carbs and fillers in dry food is sadly outrageous. Also, many of them don't have enough protein. 

I'm not saying it's bad to feed some dry food, I give my cat some dry food every day (but not very much). I'm saying it's important to have wet food in a cats diet. Even if that just means one can a day! If you are on a budget, Fancy Feast Classics are all grain free and about .60 each. Sheba is even better in my opinion and its only $.50 a can  

Hi, reading this because my new 4 month old wants to eat a lot.  If you read vet sites, dry food is very bad for their kidneys.  The teeth idea and old and not true. They need water, protein and no  veggies.  But vets say, if you cannot afford that type of can food, it is better to do Friskies or something rather than dry food. Thanks all for your posts. 

terri1680 said:

 
Hi, reading this because my new 4 month old wants to eat a lot.  If you read vet sites, dry food is very bad for their kidneys.  The teeth idea and old and not true. They need water, protein and no  veggies.  But vets say, if you cannot afford that type of can food, it is better to do Friskies or something rather than dry food. Thanks all for your posts. 

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Wow!  Whatever Vet sites you are reading and Vets you are talking to are certainly more up to date that most that I read.  It seems that most of the Vets around here are still promoting dry food and saying it's good for their teeth .    I'm glad to hear that things are changing somewhere in the world, if not here

You're absolutely right that cats need protein, water and very low carb.  Not only minimal vegies, but NO grains.  They are obligate carnivores. 

Welcome, BTW

I'm feeding my 4 month old persian about 40g i.e. 1/2 a small can of wet food per day.

I'm also adding in dry food in between the feeds.

Is that sufficient or too little?

Derian said:

 
I'm feeding my 4 month old persian about 40g i.e. 1/2 a small can of wet food per day.

I'm also adding in dry food in between the feeds.

Is that sufficient or too little?

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I would say it depends on how much dry food you are giving him.  Are you basically free feeding the dry?  At 4 months, they are still growing and need lots of nourishment.  1/2 a small can isn't much wet food, so he needs quite a bit of dry, I would say.  How much I can't say, because I don't know WHAT you are feeding.  The can or pouch, and the bag of food should say how much to feed at what age.  But if he still seems hungry,, then feed more, if he leaves some of his food uneaten,then you're ok.  Kittens have growing spurts though, so what seems like enough one day might not be enough the next (and vice versa)

I have read about 10 different vet sites on this. Just got our new 4 month old.  Had a older cat before.  Most say about a tables spoon of can every so many hours. I do no dry.  My cat wants more . lol  I read one site that says you should feed them more if they are really hungry, so I do.  She is content and uses the box quit regular.  I was surprised at reading how they are really not big on drinking water and need it from their food. I have had cats all my life and am learning,,,, I did it wrong.    Learning from sites like this and vet sites. 

My little Rex is just now 5 months old. I have had him since he was 8 weeks old. He too is a very hungry little creature. However, I started him on a raw diet from the beginning. But since I'm still uncertain as how to do homemade raw, I started him on commercial raw. So I experimented with about 8 different raw brands to find the ones he likes and this is what he eats: Nature's Variety chicken bites, S&C chicken and rabbit bites, RadCat chicken and turkey and lamb, Darwin's chicken, turkey and duck and that's pretty much it. He does not like Bravo or Primal. He also is not a big fan of canned food although he does like Ziwi Peak (but no store carries it). He hates dry food, won't even look at it and he even turns his nose up at Fancy Feat (what the shelter was feeding him). Little Rex has an expensive pallet lol.

Now as to the amount I feed him. I feed little Rex alot. I've had him basically from month 3, 4 and 5 of his life. He is now 5 months and 1 week. And I can see his appetite changing. For Month 3 (weeks 8-12), he ate 5 times a day, my guess is anywhere up to 10-12 ounces of food (total for the day). And he always finished his food. For month 4 (weeks 12-16) I still fed him 5 times a day but he would occasionally leave some food uneaten (also he would turn his nose to a food if he didn't like). Now month 5 is where I saw his appetite slow down some. He only eats 4 times a day now and he frequently finishes his food in two sittings often an hour apart. He is becoming less obsessed with food and starting to regulate his intake naturally. I think this is because he is eating raw food that is for the most part free of preservatives. I know from my past cats (sadly all deceased) that they were always obsessed with their food and they wolfed down their meals very quickly. I fed them a mix of dry food and Fancy Feast (loaded with preservatives) and I think that they were addicted to those foods. My little Rex does not seem addicted to his raw food diet. Sometimes he finishes it in one sitting, sometimes he'll finish it an hour later. But he really has not been food obsessed like he was when he was younger. And his energy levels are very high. This is the most hyperactive cat I've ever had. He plays hard and then sleeps soundly (often on my lap - nice moments). He still wants to stick his nose into my food when I'm eating, but its more curiosity then actual hunger.

Now somewhere in the next few months I am going to get him down to only three meals a day and then keep him there. But I have to see at what point he stops growing. He's getting longer seemingly by the day so I want to see how heavy a cat he will end up as. I'm guessing somewhere in that 11-13 pound range. Then I'll feed him somewhere between 2-4 % of ideal body weight. My goal is to keep him in the ideal cat physique range; ie sleek and fit. 

So the moral of the story is be prepared to feed your kittens alot of food periodically throughout the day. Imagine if a human being went from being a baby to being 6' tall 185 pounds of muscle all in one year. Now that's not our species but you get the idea. 

I foster kittens and I find that if I feed one 3oz can once in the AM and once in the PM (or a bit more depending on activity level) and leave dry food out for them to graze on all day until they are about 9 - 10 months old that helps curb their constant need for food.  After that, I would gradually ditch the dry as they do not need the calories or the carbs after about a year old.

I started my hungry all the time kitty on the Holistic can food. She did not like it but a vet site said to add an egg yoke and a teaspoon of organic yogurt. It worked!  She loves it and now after 3 days she is eating less often.  Vet said they get sugar and other junk that makes them hungry.  hummm  just like humans.

My three kittens are five months, two months and six weeks. I feed three 5 ounce cans a day that all three share and I also free feed dry kitten food. A regular size human bowel is filled once a day to the rim with the dry. I also change water twice a day. They will eat a lot. You will wonder where they put it. The smallest one is the biggest eater. Right now they are running and jumping all over the place. They have lots of playful energy they need fuel for.