Kitten nutrition - wet food

[hoodle]

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We just adopted two adorable, healthy kittens from the Orphan Kitten Project at Davis. Their names are Mowgli (mo for short) and Ruby de Luna (after an NPR reporter), and they are the loves of my life!

What do you guys think about kitten foods? They currently eat Science Diet kitten formula freely, and then I give them each about a tablespoon of wet kitten food, of various formulations, twice a day, and a bit of plain yogurt (about half a tablespoon, once a day). It makes sense for me to feed them small bits of wet food as a supplement to their dry food, which is good for teeth etc, but not very "carnivorous". Then a small bit of yogurt for calcium and probiotics, but without making their bellies bad like milk would. What do you guys think?

I'm not asking for medical advice, but just some generalized discussion of kitten nutrition...

 

[Electrophile]

I LOVE probiotics. Our bacteriology prof does too. The good thing about yogurt is that it doesn't have nearly as much lactose as regular milk does. I usually use Stonyfield Organic (in the big tubs is much cheaper) or Mountain High Yoghurt.

As cats are much pickier than dogs, introducing them to a wide variety of tastes and textures is probably a good idea. One of the current schools of thought says that cats are essentially semi-desert creatures that drink very little water on their own and get most of their water in the small rodents and birds they eat. So when they're eating dry food that's 10% water instead of 70%, they are at a chronic low level of dehydration since they have a lower thirst drive than a dog does. So getting them on canned food as the sole or majority of their food is very helpful at preventing them from getting blockages and that sort of thing. A canned diet is generally considered more species appropriate as well for its lower level of carbohydrates (usually).

Kibble does nothing for their teeth as we don't brush our teeth with toast, after all. Many cats don't even crunch on the kibble, they just swallow it whole. You'll need to either brush them or try something like a whole prey diet to keep them pearly white. Hope that helps!

 

[ShelterGirl]

No comments to add regarding nutrition since it's been 17 years since I've owned a kitten, but congrats on your new additions! 🙂

(and I agree w/Electrophile, best to expose them to new foods - and handling, tooth brushing, nail trimming, etc. for that matter - while they are young)

 

[Rebeki]

I have anecdotal advice...When I got my kitten my neighbor told me I should feed her free choice dry food and then canned food once a day. I took her advice because her cats had always lived well into their teens. Well, my cat lived to be 19 (see avatar) before passing away last winter. Just my .02🙂