What to feed my kittens? (8-10 weeks)

[malyssa828]

So...this post is somewhat preemptive, because I have not taken my 2 kittens home yet. On the other hand, I already bought food before finding this website. I've read through several threads & read some from catinfo.org.

Basically my question, like most new kitten owners, what will be best to feed to my kittens? Feel free to suggest by brand, flavor, etc.

I bought Wellness Core kitten as a dry food. Now I know you guys suggest a wet food only diet, but I plan to do a combo diet, so suggestions for both wet & dry food would be appreciated.

I did a lot of comparing of ingredients, fat/protein ratio, & prices at my local pet store. My question about this part is...do kittens need a higher fat content since they're growing? My only experience with comparing this has been with 2 overweight adult dogs, so obviously we were looking for the lowest fat content.

Lastly, I'll let you know that my food comparisons led me to choose between wellness core kitten dry food & merrick purrfect bistro kitten dry food. And for wet food, I bought science diet & purina one kitten formulas, I believe.

Please let me know your suggestions! I am young, just out of college. I want to feed my kittens right, whether it's expensive or not, but of course saving some money is always nice as well. Cheap & expensive food suggestions would be great.

 

[vball91]

Cats are obligate carnivores who do best on a high animal protein/moderate fat/very low carb diet. That is why wet food is recommended over dry as most dry foods are too high in carbs. The best low carb dry foods I know of are Wysong Epigen 90, Young Again Zero Carb and Ziwipeak.

As for wet foods, there is a great comparison chart on www.catinfo.org. Written by a vet, she has contacted pet food manufacturers to get the best info on protein/fat/carb breakdown for most of the available canned/pouch/raw foods in the US.

 

[malyssa828]

I've never even heard of those. I haven't owned a cat for the past 7 or 8 years though. The local pet store didn't have those, so I guess I'll have to research those online & maybe find where it is sold in stores. Otherwise I guess I might be ordering food online..

 

[malyssa828]

Also, the other wet food wasn't purine one, its purine pro plan.

I don't know if I will, but is it appropriate to add som raw food to a kitten diet or is that specific to adult cats?

 

[vball91]

You can definitely add raw for kittens. In fact kittens seem to instinctively love raw food. As long as it is less than 15% of their total diet, you don't need to worry about balancing it. If you want to feed more than that, have a look in the Raw & Home-Cooked Cat Food forum to learn more about how to balance it properly.

 

[mewlittle]

For kitten food? hmm i'll just post brands for both wet and dry

Natures variety instinct

canyon creek

solid gold

wellness core wet <my cats liked it

soulistic wet<if you have a petco

Diamond naturals dry<some people don't like this brand but it is good if you on a budget

Chicken soup for the cat lover soul<some people don't like this brand but it is good if you on a budget

i hope that helped

 

[malyssa828]

For kitten food? hmm i'll just post brands for both wet and dry

Natures variety instinct
canyon creek
solid gold
wellness core wet

 

[mewlittle]

I hope you find something your kittys and you like that will work out

i dont really know the fat protein ratio sorry

I never heard of most cats allergic but i do imagine there are some i think the reason why most cats cant have fish everyday or something like that because it causes(UTI) urinary track infection

here is some symptoms of food allergys

vomiting

hairloss

diarrhea more then a couple of times with everything comeback negative

ear infection

weekness

loss of appitite

it can go on

 

[malyssa828]

Thanks! I'm probably thinking about this too much. We'll see what they like once I am able to bring them home with me.

 

[katluver4life]

Kittens do tend to need more fat in their diet then adults, but all cats need a moderate amt. This is what they use to burn energy, ie by growth or play. As cats age, depending on activity level, fat can be cut down some, but never eliminated. They always need moderate amts of fat in their diet. As stated already, cats do not need, nor can their bodies put to use much carbs.

A good kitten food or all life stage canned food would be fine. It is more important to feed kittens frequently. They burn a lot of calories growing and playing. Usually it is said to feed kittens as much as they want. I think most feed at least 4 times a day, EVEN with dry food down.

I'm not sure if cats are allergic to seafood (guess some may be) but it is problematic for cats to have too much. Fish, especially the large fish, like tuna, contain toxins like mercury. The bigger the species of fish, the higher the amt of toxin is likely to be in that fish. Cats are unable to filter these toxins out quickly through their liver, and if given too much fish, toxins can build up. So fish in general should be limited in a cats diet. Like once a week and of a small species like Sardine, although a little tuna here and there is ok too as a treat.

I am glad you have already looked at the catinfo.org website. There is A LOT of information there and can give some a headache trying to absorb it all.

Gave me one when I first read it!

BUT it did change my cats lives and how I was feeding them.  Good luck with your new kittens!

 

[vball91]

I've heard of all of these, except solid gold & diamond naturals.

I like what I've read about that Wysong Epigen 90 food. Can I feed that to a kitten even though its not kitten specific? I have yet to read about Young Again & Kiwipeak was quite expensive on the 1 site that I read about it.

I'm still curious though about the fat content of a kitten's diet? I understand to pick food high in protein & moisture, low in carbs, & without or with minimal fillers. My guess is the fat content is probably less in food specific to adult cats...?

And 1 other thing that has crossed my mind, due to something I believe I read on this forum, is it true that many cats have a seafood allergy? And how would I know if my kitten was allergic?

Yes, you can feed Wysong Epigen 90 to kittens. Any all stages food is fine for kittens. It does not need to be a kitten specific formula. The protein and fat content of kitten formulas are generally higher which actually makes them better formulas for all cats. Cats actually handle a higher fat diet much better than humans. Adult weight control formulas that reduce fat and increase carbs are not doing overweight cats a favor. All cats need a high animal protein/moderate fat/low to no carb diet.

 

[malyssa828]

Thanks so much for the info! And the fish part makes more sense now. I'll be sure to not buy too much fish based foods. I actually bought some Wellness Core wet food & BFF pouches today, so I have a variety to start with once I bring home the kittens.

 

[malyssa828]

Has anyone on here ever fed the wet food, Applaws, to their cat? I have never heard of it, but I bought a can of the chicken breast kind to try. I know it's only a supplemental food, but I like that it only has 3 ingredients & is additive free.

And do any cats show interest in the freeze dried food you rehydrate? The store had Stella & Chewy's tummy ticklin' turkey pouches for 50% off, so I thought I'd try one for $.90.

 

[vadzilla]

I have been feeding my two kittens "Simply Nourish" brand (both canned and dry), with great success.  Kitten-specific dry food they have is 40% protein, grain free, mostly chicken and turkey-based.

 

[reigninseattle]

Just a note on the Diamond Naturals, there is "Diamond" and "Diamond Naturals" pet foods. They are different! Diamond Naturals is wheat, corn, soy, and by-product free, Diamond is not.

 

[pinkman]

Bagel LOVES S&C freeze-dried (hydrated). With supplementary foods like the Applaws you got - it's important to make sure that it makes up only 15% of his diet. Kittens definitely need a balanced diet, moreso than even adult cats since they are growing.

I have actually never fed "kitten food" to Bagel (my 4 month old) because I feed raw. You definitely can feed any food that is "all life stages", though you might be feeding more of it. I do give Bagel an egg yolk once or twice a week - helps with the shedding and it's pretty fatty (the good kind of fat)! Maybe you can try that too? You'll know you're giving your kitten too much by looking at its stools. LOL.

 

[gravekandi]

I'm currently a college student with a Kitten so I understand your concern (: My kitten is about to be 10 weeks. She is on a combo diet. 90%wet 10% dry with an occasional tiny meal of cooked meat. She eats wellness core dry food, sometimes the kitten one as well. Her wet diet I vary so she doesnt get picky on me. She has anything from Wellness, Wellness CORE, Evo, Soulistic (great brand @PetCo, on the cheaper end too) Friskies(Mostly the orange label ones since their corn free and fish free, like MIXED GRILL), Fancy Feast (classic line), Nutro, and a couple of others. I like to vary her wet every couple of days (: And she loves her freeze-dried treats she perfers them dry but likes them hydrated as well. Feed often, about 4 times a day, my friends main coon boy ate 6times a day as a kitten! Currently my kitten gets wet 3 times a day along with kibble for free feeding all day. When I'm home all day she gets 4wet meals a day along with kibble to snack on. If you want to buy the giant (13 oz) cans of Wellness wet I could give you a link to some, free shipping and all, best prices ive seen thus far. My cat eats better then I do

 What state do you live in? If by some chance its colorado I could send you a link to a company who gives you free samples of thier products which include some great goodies like freeze dried wild salmon.

 

[malyssa828]

@GraveKandi: What amount do you feed per wet meal? You said 4 wet meals a day, but is that like a can or 2 or how much for the whole day? And yes, that link would be much appreciated. As for my location, I live in NH, so nowhere near Colorado.


Unfortunately, I still haven't been able to officially adopt & bring home my 2 kittens, but I believe the big day will be sometime next week! I can't wait..

 

[gravekandi]

@GraveKandi: What amount do you feed per wet meal? You said 4 wet meals a day, but is that like a can or 2 or how much for the whole day? And yes, that link would be much appreciated. As for my location, I live in NH, so nowhere near Colorado.


Unfortunately, I still haven't been able to officially adopt & bring home my 2 kittens, but I believe the big day will be sometime next week! I can't wait..

I remember how excited I was to get my kitten home already 

 and basically I've been told to feed the kitten as much as she wants. My kitten tends to eat just over 3oz (wet) on a regular day, 5oz when shes super hungry. On cans it says an oz per pound for an adult cat and to just double that for a kitten. The overall price for the cans is even lower if you subscribe to get them every 1 month (or 2, 3 etc) and you can cancel it whenever! Keep in mind that's with her munching on dry here and their.






http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00008CQVA/?tag=&tag=thecatsite

I gave you all the flavors I've found in the 12.3 oz size under 27$. Most online places sell this amount and Size of can for 32$ and that's without the shipping charge! So this is saving you 5$ of the cans themselves. I've even seen this amount sold for 40$ X_X If by any chance you find any cheaper ones let me know! 

Oh and this is the dry I get my kitten

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000VTIJ4E/?tag=&tag=thecatsite

Just a 2 pound bag since she mostly eats wet, plus its a couple of bucks cheaper then in store (for that size) and online from what I've seen, also comes with free shipping. I usually get it here unless I have a coupon that will get it cheaper for me in-store.