What Can Kittens Eat At 9 Weeks
The gruel should become less and less watery and dry kitten food should be introduced along with a bowl of water.
What can kittens eat at 9 weeks. Split up the daily portion into three equal parts and feed 1 3. When young cats are old enough around 8 weeks old they start to eat food on their own whilst simultaneously decreasing the amount of milk they suckle from their mother. Weaning and learning cat skills kittens can be introduced to solid food during their fifth week although they ll continue nursing for a few weeks after this. Basic kitten feeding guide.
If a kitten is introduced to a variety of foods during her first year of life however then even if she has a favorite food she will eat others. Some of these are good foods while others can be special. You want to balance. At this point you can give them dry.
By six weeks of age a kitten should be eating the gruel four times a day and nursing less. You can arrange the schedule to fit in with your own routine although it is best to keep a consistent routine from day to day. According to tufts cummings school of veterinary medicine some vets even recommend offering mama kitty the same kitten food while she s nursing since its high protein and fat content will help her recover and stay healthy. At the end of week six decrease meal times to only three times a day.
As kittens get used to eating gruel slowly lessen how much milk replacer you put in the blend. Here are some foods to offer your kitten during her first year. A kitten s weight may double or even triple during the first few weeks of life. If a kitten grows up eating only one food she will become accustomed to that food and changing it later will be difficult.
Kittens generally should be fully weaned from kitten milk replacers once they reach 7 weeks in age. At the age of 7 weeks your kitten still keep their baby teeth so you need to pay attention to what they eat especially because at the age of 7 weeks most kittens have stopped drinking their mother s milk though in some cases kitten is fully weaned at the age of 8 weeks. Your 8 week old may begin eating dry or canned kitten food but he has a tiny tummy so he prefers small frequent meals. If you have multiple kittens be sure to provide a few bowls of canned and dry kitten food so the kittens do not.
At the same time gradually up how much kitten food you use. For the first several weeks of life a kitten s sole source of nutrition should be her mother s milk. Morning afternoon and evening is a good choice. These high energy needs make it harder for kittens to get enough calories in one meal says jennifer larsen dvm phd nutritional consultant and assistant professor of clinical.
Once kittens are between 5 and 6 weeks in age they should exclusively be eating slightly wet food. Mother cats typically begin weaning their kittens when they are around 4 weeks old and complete the process between 8 and 10 weeks. If it s a dry food allow free feeding but keep an eye on it. Your veterinarian can recommend the best kitten food for your furry friend.
To support this explosive growth as well as high activity levels your kitten may have triple the energy needs of an adult cat. Make meal times a routine and if you feed canned food don t let the leftovers linger longer than 20 minutes. The following information is general advice but as each kitten is an individual seek veterinary advice particularly if your kitten has any special dietary needs or has a reaction to a standard. Use the feeding guidelines on the food label as a starting point to determine how much to feed your kitten.
9 12 weeks.