Kitten Feeding & How Much?

[Goliath&Nikolai]

I have been quite worried recently & I am not sure if it's just because this is all new to me or not. My Fiance & myself just adopted two little kittens at the age of 8 weeks for both of them, & they are the most precious things we could ever wish for. IIRC they both are a little over 1lb & identical as they came from the same litter. The worry is due to the fact that one of them doesn't quite eat that much, He wont bother with dry food and will only eat wet food. We bought them Blue Buffalo Healthy Gourmet Kitten wet food & they both enjoy it. I am just not sure how much to give them? Each can is 3oz and from my understanding of reading online, is that they should be fed at least 3 times a day with wet food to ensure they obtain what nutrients they need. I am just not sure how much I should feed them each time I feed them the wet food? I am just worried of overfeeding them and causing them to get sick or worse, yet I do not want to underfeed them at all..Forgive me if it may sound confusing, Im just worried. Thank you for any help & tips you all have

 

[StefanZ]

If they werent malnoutrished or emaciated earlier, there is virtually no risk of overfeeding. If they want eat, let them eat.

And as they are growing, and being very moveable, running, wrestling, playing, they will tend to eat surprisingly much. Dont fear! Even if they will puke and throw out sometimes occasionally.

 

[maggiedemi]

I would give them at least two of the 3oz cans each per day. My cats have never eaten less than 6oz each, and they've never eaten more than 9oz each. So somewhere in there should be okay.

 

[di and bob]

Kittens should be fed as much as they should eat. At least until they are a year old. You are on the right track giving them kitten food, it is higher in calories and nutrition. Dry food should be offered, I free feed that, to get them used to eating it, and to provide nutrition when we are gone. Wet food is the best but would require someone to offer it during times we are gone. Kittens are so active, they need all they can get, especially at that age. Remember too, kittens adopted out at that age are just at the age they are receiving their training from mom and their siblings the fine art of social manners and how to behave. They will now need this from you. Do not let them bite or get too rough, it is cute now, but painful later. There are several good tips on other forums. Congratulations, and welcome to the site, we are here if you need us!

 

[Sarthur2]

Feed them often and as much as they want! Kittens need lots of nourishment to grow on.

Feed them 5-6 times per day. At 8 weeks they should weigh about 2 pounds each, and should gain one pound per month for at least the next 6 months.

Make sure the dry food is a brand of kitten chow.

 

[Goliath&Nikolai]

Feed them often and as much as they want! Kittens need lots of nourishment to grow on.

Feed them 5-6 times per day. At 8 weeks they should weigh about 2 pounds each, and should gain one pound per month for at least the next 6 months.

Make sure the dry food is a brand of kitten chow.

Thank you so much for the helpful tips! I will definitely make sure they are fed and maintain a healthy weight

 

[Goliath&Nikolai]

Kittens should be fed as much as they should eat. At least until they are a year old. You are on the right track giving them kitten food, it is higher in calories and nutrition. Dry food should be offered, I free feed that, to get them used to eating it, and to provide nutrition when we are gone. Wet food is the best but would require someone to offer it during times we are gone. Kittens are so active, they need all they can get, especially at that age. Remember too, kittens adopted out at that age are just at the age they are receiving their training from mom and their siblings the fine art of social manners and how to behave. They will now need this from you. Do not let them bite or get too rough, it is cute now, but painful later. There are several good tips on other forums. Congratulations, and welcome to the site, we are here if you need us!

I have read that they should be fed as much as they will eat & will allow them to do so! I also have dry kitten food out all day for them to munch on. We will also make sure they are taught those social manners and make sure they are biting to hard or rough! Thank you for the help, It is very appreciated!

 

[Goliath&Nikolai]

I would give them at least two of the 3oz cans each per day. My cats have never eaten less than 6oz each, and they've never eaten more than 9oz each. So somewhere in there should be okay.

Gotcha! I plan on feeding them both one 3oz can a day in order for them to get the most of nutrients in order to grow! Each can broken down into thirds and given 3 times a day. Thank you for the input! I really do appreciate the help!

 

[Goliath&Nikolai]

If they werent malnoutrished or emaciated earlier, there is virtually no risk of overfeeding. If they want eat, let them eat.

And as they are growing, and being very moveable, running, wrestling, playing, they will tend to eat surprisingly much. Dont fear! Even if they will puke and throw out sometimes occasionally.

I will keep that in my mind from now on! I was just afraid of overfeeding them and causing them to get sick But from what I have read, it is that they should be allowed to eat as much as they may. They definitely do move and play around from time to time & do work up hunger! Although that is my only other concern..One of my kittens is very calm and doesn't nearly run around as much as the other, the other gets all types of zoomies and energy. Any ideas as to why? Just different personalities possibly? Thank you for the help though! Very grateful for the helpfulness!

 

[StefanZ]

Diff personalities? Longhaired tends to be calmer - is it the case with you?

 

[Goliath&Nikolai]

Diff personalities? Longhaired tends to be calmer - is it the case with you?

Actually the opposite! My short-haired kitten is very calm & my Long-haired kitten is very rough and energized! I can still get the short-haired kitten to play if I play with him, but him alone? He doesn't show much energy in that sense.

 

[kashmir64]

Also keep in mind that just because they are littermates, doesn't mean they have the same father.
My two are littermates and one is huge. When I weighed her at 7 months she was 10 lbs. And she just went through another growth spurt. Her sister is normal size for her age.
I was up to 5 cans of wet a day and free fed dry. I dropped down to 2 cans a day, but am back up to 3 because of the growth spurt.
Feed your kittens all they want.

 

[kashmir64]

Actually the opposite! My short-haired kitten is very calm & my Long-haired kitten is very rough and energized! I can still get the short-haired kitten to play if I play with him, but him alone? He doesn't show much energy in that sense.

My short haired kitten is a snuggle bug and is very calm. The long haired lion cub is a terror. I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[StefanZ]

Now, to be honest, there ARE some medical conditions - for example "weak heart" where they dont manage much lively play. And are most easily detected they arent playing much, or else becoming quickly exhausted, panting etc...

 

[kashmir64]

Now, to be honest, there ARE some medical conditions - for example "weak heart" where they dont manage much lively play. And are most easily detected they arent playing much, or else becoming quickly exhausted, panting etc...

O.K. I give you that one.
I didn't think about medical issues.

 

[maggiedemi]

Two cans per day each, not one can. A total of 6oz per cat each day. If you meant 3oz per cat, that is not enough for the whole day.

 

[LTS3]

Gotcha! I plan on feeding them both one 3oz can a day in order for them to get the most of nutrients in order to grow! Each can broken down into thirds and given 3 times a day.

One 3 oz can a day split between two growing kitten is not enough food at all even with dry food on the side. Each kitten should get at least one whole 3 oz can a day. Most kittens will eat more than that so figure about three 3 oz cans a day for each kitten when shopping for more food.

It might be worth looking into kitten food that is available in larger can size. That can be more cost effective than than 3 oz cans. Nature's Variety Instinct has a kitten food in a 5.5 oz size Instinct® Real Chicken Recipe for Kittens | Instinct Pet Food There may be other brands. See what your local pet stores have.

It's fine to offer a few different brands of canned food to a kitten. You can even give food that is labeled as "for all life stages" to a kitten. There's a teeny tiny statement on the can that indicates this. You don't want food that is for adults or seniors or for specific health conditions like urinary issues.

Feed at least a few times a day and offer as much food as the kittens will eat. You can leave a bowl of dry kitten food out for snacking on.

 

[Sarthur2]

I was going to say the same. They need more than one 3 ounce can, and will need more as they grow. Use your judgement, but when they eat quickly and lick the plate, and look around for more, they are still hungry.

As their tummies are tiny, they need wet food at least 4 times a day right now, and possibly 5-6 times, especially if they do not eat much dry food. Also, wet food is much better for cats than dry food.

Once adult size, they will eventually eat less food and only twice a day for the most part.

 

[maggiedemi]

I agree, the 6oz cans would be more economical. Just make sure each cat is getting at least 6oz per day minimum. My cats have never eaten less than that, even when they were babies. Sometimes they've eaten as much as 9oz. You can offer some dry food too along with the wet.

 

[maggiedemi]

I hope the original poster comes back and sees that I said two 3oz cans EACH. I am so worried that the kitties are only getting 3oz each a day. Unless they are getting dry food too, 3oz is not enough.