Best diet for my kitten

mickeysgirl

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Okay so I need some advice. I currently feed my 8 month kitten :Dtwice a day with wet food and I leave dry food out all day long. I am currently using the brands her foster mother used until I figure out the best rotation and brands. Can anyone suggest some options? Best way to combine dry and wet food into her diet - budget friendly and healthy? What's this buzz about rotation diet? I'd love to make the best choice. Thank you! This is my second cat however I am raising this cat this time. ;)
 

tulosai

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I'm not the  most knowledgeable about this but I'll provide the basics of 'general wisdom' until someone more experienced can come by and offer the details.

First, wet food is better than dry food for cats for the simple reason that it significantly ups their water intake. If it is at all possible, it's best to have your kitty on a diet of solely or primarily wet.

Rotation is important because otherwise some cats can get very finicky. It also offers cats exposure to different types of meat and arguably more nutritonally complete intake.

Some wet foods that won't break the bank but are r grain free are fancy feast classics (has to be the classics, the others are crap) friskies pates (same as the ff classics, has to be the pates).
 
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mickeysgirl

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So helpful. Thanks a lot!! I have been hearing a lot about FF Classic. I'm looking forward to getting her on a regular healthy diet.
 

duckdodgers

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I'm not the  most knowledgeable about this but I'll provide the basics of 'general wisdom' until someone more experienced can come by and offer the details.

First, wet food is better than dry food for cats for the simple reason that it significantly ups their water intake. If it is at all possible, it's best to have your kitty on a diet of solely or primarily wet.

Rotation is important because otherwise some cats can get very finicky. It also offers cats exposure to different types of meat and arguably more nutritonally complete intake.

Some wet foods that won't break the bank but are r grain free are fancy feast classics (has to be the classics, the others are crap) friskies pates (same as the ff classics, has to be the pates).
I don't recall seeing any Friskes cans that are grain-free, pates or otherwise. 

I feed my cat almost entirely canned food.  I usually feed her the grain free Grrreat Choice (petsmart brand) pate canned food.  You need to actually read the cans to see what flavors are grain free.  I also switch it out with some different Friskies varieties (including non pate for texture differences) to add some variety.  Not what I would feed with an unlimited budget, but it works and is mostly grain free.

I also give her a few kibbles of Blue Wilderness dry (the same food I feed my ferrets), but it's literally about 10 kibbles to give her a snack before bed.
 
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mickeysgirl

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I have a holistic pet store nearby and I'm
Going to try some options to see what she likes. It seems from the reading and suggestions that wet food daily is the best option. Can anyone specify about how many cans a day? One can in the morning and one at night? A few ounces of dry in between?
 

catpack

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Personally, if feeding only wet food, I would suggest feeding your kitten 3 meals daily. Exactly how much is fed depends on the brand of food you feed (some have more calories than others,) how active your kitten is and how much he weighs.
 

fluffybeard

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I have an 11 month old who eats only canned and since he was about 6 months old, I would feed him a full meal in the morning, and then half a meal when I got home from work and the other half right before bed and that seems to work out the best.

When he was younger and eating a lot more, I actually left more food out after he ate his breakfast that he would eat a few hours later when I wasn't there. But he doesn't need that anymore.

How many cans depends on your cat. My beast always ate 3 times as much the reccomended amount for adults when he was a growing kitten so he was eating like 3 5.5 oz cans a day at his peak! And yes, I was going broke, lol! Now he's mostly done growing and he eats much less. Like less than two of those same size cans. But he's a big 16lb cat, it really depends on how big your kitty is/is going to be. On average they need about 20 calories per pound as adults, but your kitten will eat more since she is likely not done growing. I would suggest feeding her as much canned as she wants until she is a year old, or if you notice her getting a lil chubs. :D You can leave out a little dry too if you want, but I would control that amount right away, making sure she keeps eating her wet food, since cats can get addicted to dry and overeat it.
 
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mickeysgirl

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Very helpful information. Since your post I have switched to giving her a can in the morning, half after work, and the other half before bed. It seems to be working out. I leave out lots of water and some grain-free dry food. For now this works for me. I'll stick to it and see how it goes!

Thank again.
 
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