Kitten Feeding Questions

[Water Lily]

I have two male kittens. They are nearly 3 months old (literally in a couple of days). I free feed dry kitten food and split a can of wet food in the morning and evening. I have a couple of questions.

One of my kittens eats much faster than the other and LOVES wet food. I have never seen him eat dry. He will eat all of his food (half a can) and then go over and eat his brother’s. When he does this, his brother leaves and let’s him eat the rest of his food.

My questions are....

Am I feeding them enough wet food (essentially a can a day split between morning and evening)?
My little guy still seems hungry even after eating his AND his brother’s food.

Should I feed them wet food separately? Is there something else I can do to allow my other kitten to eat as much of his wet food as he wants before his brother finishes it off?

 

[Rhall]

I have a 6 month, 11 month and 13 month old cats. The 6 month only eats about half his dish and leaves. I pick it up and give it to him again later or else his brother will clean it up.

 

[WillowMarie]

My kitties at first split a can of wet food (3 oz.) for morning and dinner meal, but were upgraded quickly to a full can each for each meal as soon as they started eating all of the half can (6 oz. each/day). They get dry food in between these meals, too. I honestly can't believe how much they eat as I didn't expect them to eat more than my adult cat, haha! They were just about 3 months when I brought them home, and are over 4 months now. If the kitties are eating all their wet food and still hungry, why not offer some more wet? Many people here talk about how wet food is healthier than dry, so the more wet food they eat compared to dry, the better.

When first feeding my kitties, I redirected one as she tended to eat a lot faster and tried to eat the others food, too. Once the other kitten left her food, I let her eat some, but until then, I redirected by physically moving, cuddled, and held the other kittie who finished first to distract her while the other kittie finished what she wanted. Although, this happened much more before I increased to a full can each, so you may not need to worry about this if you increase the amount of wet food you feed at a time.

 

[rubysmama]

The general "rule" is to always have food out for kittens until they are about 1 year old, as they are growing and need lots of calories. Usually that means leaving dry food out all the time. If they'll eat it, canned food is always good to feed them as well.

Here's a TCS article that might be helpful:
The Essentials Of Kitten Nutrition

 

[Water Lily]

Thank you for the advice and suggestions. I will increase to 1 can each in the morning and evening and see how that works.

 

[LTS3]

Some kittens just have bigger appetites than others If the one kitten is still hungry, give him more food.