Feeding Kittens

allypuk · Jul 24, 2020

My 2 kittens are 9 weeks old and both 1.12kg, I feed them wet foods for their meals and leave a shallow bowl down all day with a little kibble in it, which (surprise, surprise) they don't touch. The girl has eaten the odd piece but rarely. I am ok with them not eating the kibble but feel I want to leave something down all the time.
After reading up online I have decided to feed a few different brands of food so that they are less likely to be fussy. I am in the UK and currently they are getting, Lily's Kitchen as there main food, Hi-Life kitten Tuna complete food (which they love) and natures menu Kitten chicken.
They seem to need about 5 meals a day to get the recommended amount of food. They seem to get full quick but then in the morning after a run around they are hungry again about 1 to 1 1/2 hours later. Is this normal? then as the day goes on they are happy to have bigger gaps between meals. It is very hard to predict how much they will eat at each meal. Sometimes they struggle to finish one 85g tray between them and other times they finish a tray and are looking for more.
Am I setting up bad habits with a 5 a day feeding schedule, and at what age should I move to 4 meals then say 3 etc, or should I just let them dictate, so when they seem to eat more in one sitting then reduce the number of meals a day. I am pretty such they are getting enough food as they are bright, alert and full of energy and are advisably growing.
In total they eat 3 to 4 Lilys kitchen trays a day and a pouch of one of either Hi-Life or Natures menu a day.
I got them at 8 weeks but I don't think they had good food habits when I got them, I think they were struggling with weaning, as they were being fed, kitten milk, tuna fish, human foods and wiskers....most of which they would not touch when they arrived here. ( I never tried the tuna or human food with them).

allypuk · Jul 24, 2020

Sorry I don't know how to edit a post, but that should be 'visibly growing' and that is how much they eat between them not per kitten.

verna davies · Jul 24, 2020

Kittens only have small tummies so cant eat a lot in one go. You are doing a good job with the feeding and making sure they have as much as they need. When they get a little older they should eat more in one sitting and then you can reduce the number of times to 4 then 3. A little and often is what they need at their age.

allypuk · Jul 24, 2020

verna davies said:
Kittens only have small tummies so cant eat a lot in one go. You are doing a good job with the feeding and making sure they have as much as they need. When they get a little older they should eat more in one sitting and then you can reduce the number of times to 4 then 3. A little and often is what they need at their age.

Oh good, so I am best just to take my lead from them. I basically do a morning feed 8-9am then midday after our dinner and one before they go to bed, but they kept asking for food around 10am so I added it in on top as an extra.

verna davies · Jul 24, 2020

They know when they are hungry and they have a lot of growing to do. Enjoy them. Photos please if you have any.

klunick · Jul 24, 2020

My two will be turning 4 months next week. I leave dry out 24/7 and feed them a small can (1/2 each) of the Blue Buffalo kitten wet food around dinner time each night. I can always tell when they are hitting a growth spurt because in just 12 short hours, I can see parts of the bottom of the bowl that the dry is in. They act like they haven't eaten in years when they hear the crack of the can lid in the evenings. Will wake up from a dead sleep.

di and bob · Jul 24, 2020

Kittens use an incredible amount of energy and should be fed as much as they want and often. I always advise to feed several times a day and as much as they want until they are full-grown, about 9 months to a year old. Bigger breeds, like Maine Coons, even longer. Cats who get plenty of exercise seldom get overweight, house cats more so because they are not as active. Pregnant cats should also be fed more often and with extra calories and nutrition. Wet food is the best, but some people cannot be home to feed and put out kibble. Then make sure they have plenty of fresh water. They will definitely tell you when they are hungry!