Feeding kittens is a very common question I get as a small animal veterinarian! So I made you guys this video. Which is not only s super cute with my ragdoll kittens but will help you!

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FEEDING A KITTEN:
Under fed and underweight kittens get sick and can die.
Look at the body weight chart in my video to make sure you are feeding your cats enough food! So most Veterinarians use a 1-9 Body condition scale, 1 being underweight – bones showing ribs and pelvis bones easily palpable and 9 being obese or overweight. We want to shoot for a 5 which puts your cat an ideal body weight with some fat covering the entire body but with a nice abdominal tuck. So you can always refer to this chart to make sure your kitten or cat is not too skinny.

Kittens will however have more lanky arms and legs with a round pudgy abdomen until about 5 months old when it should start to tighten up and tuck in. Too round can mean parasites so always have your vet examine your kitten!

First I have to start with always… always… always! feed your kitten a cat food formulated diet from any company. Cats need more protein and have a dietary need for taurine since the have limited enzymatic activity for making it on their own.

Kittens should go to new homes around 8 weeks old.

Feeding kittens and cats is easy and most cats are similar in weight. So lets make this as easy as possible. First off, I always recommend offering your kittens a buffet of the same brand of wet and dry kibble. Some kittens maybe too young when you get them to want dry kibble but they normally love wet food by 3-4 weeks old when theyre weaning off their moms.

For an 8 week old kitten weighing 1lb +, feed them 1/4th cup dry food and 1/4 small can wet food three times a day. Do not be worried if they don’t eat it at every meal. Cats WASTE FOOD. Pick it up, throw it away and replenish with fresh food. All you need is a few bites to ensure your kitten has an appetite and is eating. Some kittens are closet eaters and may want to eat alone.

At 4 months old you can feed them ½ cup dry food with ½ small can wet food three times a day. Put tin foil over the extra food and keep it in the fridge to stay fresh. If you can’t feed them 3x a day, leave the morning portion out the whole day until dinner and refresh their food.

This feeding schedule will get you through to 8 months to 1 years old. At this time if your cat is 8 to 10lbs you can feed them 1 cup dry food twice a day or continue with your ½ cup dry and 1 full can wet twice a day.

Easy as that! Check their body condition score and make sure theyre not too skinny or obese. And you can increase and decrease food by 1/4th cup for either case.

Most importantly with kittens and cats is they have to eat. So make sure they don’t skip 2 days of eating. This puts them at danger for fatty liver disease which is deadly to cats.

Okay guys! If you have any other feeding questions for your kittens or cats please put it in the comments below. Don’t forget to Subscribe to my channel and ill see you next week!
~ Dr. Lindsay Butzer