My Kitten Is Always Hungry!

My 4-month-old kitten, Charlie, has an insatiable appetite. He seems to always be eating his food, the dog’s food, and begging for table scraps. He was a rescue who came into the shelter thin and underfed. Is he just afraid that he won’t get enough because of his history? He is gaining weight well, but I’m concerned that if he continues eating as much as he does, he’ll be obese in no time!

He will be if you let that continue into adulthood. But he is a growing kitten who needs all the food he wants. What are you feeding him now? Depending on that, I would add more canned food into the mix and possibly a better quality or higher protein dry to fill him up faster and keep him full longer. But he is a growing kitten, he needs lots of food!

jen said:

He will be if you let that continue into adulthood. But he is a growing kitten who needs all the food he wants. What are you feeding him now? Depending on that, I would add more canned food into the mix and possibly a better quality or higher protein dry to fill him up faster and keep him full longer. But he is a growing kitten, he needs lots of food!

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I’ve just been giving him Meow Mix. Is that bad? My previous cat ate Purina Indoor Formula, but my husband started this guy on Meow Mix because it’s cheaper. I’m probably going to have to stop being a cheapo and upgrade his food!

It is cheaper but it is absolutely horrible quality food. It is like us eating fast food everyday. I bet one of the first ingredients is corn. Cats cannot digest that let alone they get no nutrition at all from it. It is REALLY important to get him eating a high quality, high protein, canned and dry food. Particularly male cats you want as much water in them as possible. A dry diet will leave him constantly slightly dehydrated. Dehydrated cats end up with kidney issues, organ function issues and the worst... urinary blockages. I don't even know how many blocked males we have seen at work in the past month alone. SO very expensive and so painful.

Bottom line, what you save in food cost you will make up for with big medical issues and bills.

I should also mention cats are strict carnivores. They need protein, fats and water to live long healthy lives. Avoid foods with grains, starches, fillers, corn, soy, even vegetables are unnecessary.

Meow mix isn't nutritious for a cat. It's more like chicken feed rather than cat food. Get something better and your kitten will be more satisfied.

Thanks so much for the feedback! What brand of kitten food is best? I’m willing to give him a combination of wet and dry if necessary! Saving a few bucks is not worth the health of this sweet little guy.

mcginnisr201 said:

Thanks so much for the feedback! What brand of kitten food is best? I’m willing to give him a combination of wet and dry if necessary! Saving a few bucks is not worth the health of this sweet little guy.

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The best brand can be a matter of opinion. I think it's best to read the ingredients. The first i ingredients should be a named meat. If you're on a budget you can rotate a few brands (which I do anyway just in case one is recalled or changes its formula).

I agree Meow Mix is not good. I fed it to mine for years so don’t feel bad. When you switch him to something better do it slowly. In my opinion it should take at least a week to switch out the dry food to a new brand. You can also introduce one wet meal a day at the same time.

When Dexter was a kitten, we fed Nature's Variety Instinct Kitten. He ate less because of how much it filled him up with real protein and fat vs. filler- the food is actually greasy because of the fat, which is great because that's what babies need! I'll be willing to bed his appetite will back off once you get him on something better than Meow Mix.

As far as wet food, Fancy Feast makes a kitten pate that is very good and can be found at Walmart, Target, etc. Offer him one can twice a day and have the hard food available at all times. Even the Walmart brand Special Kitty's kitten pate isn't bad.

Also...maybe we could see a photo? We love kitten pictures here!

If you get good quality food you don't need kitten food. Normally the difference is that kitten food will be more nutritious (more meat) and have more fat. But a good quality food will have that already.

https://www.chewy.com/chicken-soup-soul-adult-chicken-brown/dp/191834

https://www.chewy.com/american-journey-turkey-chicken/dp/158630

While he's young you can feed him wet food from fancy feast classics. Or Tiny Tiger from chewy. When he gets older it would be better to look into higher quality and lower phosphorus foods.

I do like Fancy Feast Classic Pates for a more affordable better quality food. It may not be gourmet but it is high protein and very low to no carb/grain which is a great start.

EmersonandEvie said:

When Dexter was a kitten, we fed Nature's Variety Instinct Kitten. He ate less because of how much it filled him up with real protein and fat vs. filler- the food is actually greasy because of the fat, which is great because that's what babies need! I'll be willing to bed his appetite will back off once you get him on something better than Meow Mix.

As far as wet food, Fancy Feast makes a kitten pate that is very good and can be found at Walmart, Target, etc. Offer him one can twice a day and have the hard food available at all times. Even the Walmart brand Special Kitty's kitten pate isn't bad.

Also...maybe we could see a photo? We love kitten pictures here!

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Sure! Here’s a pic of my little fella!