Feeding A 5 Month Old Kitten?

[xShareBearx]

Hi all,
I recently adopted a 5 month old kitten named Romeo. I was wondering how much I should feed him? I can still feel his ribs but his tummy feels a little round. I was doing some research and a lot of people seem to free feed dry and feed 1-3 cans a day. I've tried leaving some dry out but he didn't stop eating it so I had to pick it up before he finished it all! I want to make sure I'm not underfeeding but not overfeeding either. I'm feeding him Nature's Variety Instinct Kitten dry food and I have a few little cans of Simply Nourish kitten stew. Should I be allowing him to eat however much he wants? I know the bag says for his age/weight I should be feeding him 3/8-1/2 cup a day.
Thanks!!

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi, I'm not an expert but as I understand it kittens need to be allowed to eat as much as they want. There is a lot of growth going on that needs to be fueled

 

[tabbytom]

xShareBearx, welcome to TCS!

Romeo is very much a kitten at 5 months old. He needs lots of proteins and nourishments to grow and it all comes from feeding him wet food and not carbohydrates.

Feed him 4-5 times a day and as much as he can eat at one sitting. You can’t over feed a kitten. A kitttn is active and energetic and they burn off lots of calories.

Feed him on scheduled feeds (I’m referring to wet food) and observe how much he can eat at one sitting. If he ask for more, give him more and if he walks away after eating, that’s roughly the amount he’ll eat at one sitting. So at the next feed, give him that amount x amount of times a day.

Wet food = proteins and dry food = carbohydrates.

Wet food is good as it has sufficient moisture content than dry food which has very little or no water content at all. Wet food is good if your kitten does not drink water and even if he does, wet food is still better than dry.

Go for grain free wet food.

 

[duckpond]

With kittens his age i think they need all the food they want to eat, you cant over feed them. They are growing and developing so fast...... Feed the kitty High protein, moderate fat, and low carb food are best. Wet is better for cats, I do feed my adult cats 2 wet meals per day, and leave dry out all the time.

If he has been hungry he may over eat the first few days, but as he comes to understand he will always have food he will slow down. Most all rescue cat i have taken in eats like big pigs right at first . I have 2 girls and 2 boys, they are adults now. i feed two wet meals per day, I offer each one a 3oz can of wet each meal. I leave Dr. Elseys dry food out at all times for them. They are all at a good weight.

I am guessing you have had him to the vet? Parasites are always an issue with kittens. a Pot belly can be a sign that he needs a vet visit.

 

[tabbytom]