feeding schedule for kittens

[sylorna]

Hi all!
I've finally found a dry food that Chester is willing to eat (he's crazy for wet). I'm not sure how many times daily he should eat, or how much wet food I should feed him at a time. He's currently sick with a URI, so I'm inclined to "feed a cold". However, I've had some people (mainly at petstores) tell me that he should pretty much be only eating the dry stuff.
He's also been having a hard time eating the dry, I think he's teething, and some of the molar (ish) teeth haven't grown in enough to snap the kibble.

How much wet food is normal? (I'm keeping the dry available at all times).

 

[jalapeno]

Hi Sylorna, how old is Chester? Is he eating well with URI? URI tends to congest the nasal passages, and when they can't smell the food, they won't be able to eat it. If he's not eating much, you can feed him at closer time intervals in small amounts.

You can always wet the dry food (soak in water) so it'd be easier for him to chew on (if he's having trouble eating it). I've learned that the difference of wet & dry is that wet food has lots of moisture in it, so it can help if Chester doesn't drink much water. It's a good idea if you feed wet food 2x/day (lunch, dinner) and free-feed dry food whole day round.

Hope I made sense! Anybody who has more experience can always correct me.

 

[macsweenj]

Hello,

I'm wondering if they gave you medication for Chester?? I think my kitten has the same problem...sneezing...acting like she may throw up...extra tearing in eyes...and she seems to have a problem eating her food and doesn't even want it...so what is URI and how do they treat it? What kind of soft food did Chester like may I ask?

 

[pat]

Originally Posted by Sylorna

Hi all!
I've finally found a dry food that Chester is willing to eat (he's crazy for wet). I'm not sure how many times daily he should eat, or how much wet food I should feed him at a time. He's currently sick with a URI, so I'm inclined to "feed a cold". However, I've had some people (mainly at petstores) tell me that he should pretty much be only eating the dry stuff.
He's also been having a hard time eating the dry, I think he's teething, and some of the molar (ish) teeth haven't grown in enough to snap the kibble.

How much wet food is normal? (I'm keeping the dry available at all times).

Sylorna,
Just follow the feeding guidelines on the cans of food you are feeding Chester - each brand will have a recommendation based either on the cat's age or on the cat's weight, and will usually list specifically how much to feed if it's a kitten.

I'd divide the feedings up into 3-4 times a day, and as for the pet store folks, they are simply wrong...here is an article on the topic of wet food for you to read

click here

 

[sylorna]

He's doing ok with his URI. Fortunately I caught it immediately (and mostly expected it too) so he's just had some sneezing and lots of sleep. At first he didn't eat much, but he's been on his antibiotics for a week now and wont stop eating. Let me correct that, he wont stop asking for more wet food, and looks like he's in pain when he attempts the dry.
His teeth are growing in nicely though, and I'm looking forward to seeing a difference soon.
As for looking at the cans, the "Superior" cans (normal can size) say 1/3 of a can for every pound he is...that means 1/3 of a can X 5 every day. It sounds like so much! The same thing with the "Nutrience" brand. It's in a large can size and suggests 1 1/2 cans a day! Perhaps they're assuming that wetfood is the only option open to these cats, but we feed our adults 1/2-1 normal sized can a day. Mind you, that's all they'll eat.
I think what I'll do is feed 4 times a day. Morning, lunch, dinner and bedtime. Unfortunately that means that morning gets earlier by the day!

 

[sylorna]

Originally Posted by macsweenj

Hello,

I'm wondering if they gave you medication for Chester?? I think my kitten has the same problem...sneezing...acting like she may throw up...extra tearing in eyes...and she seems to have a problem eating her food and doesn't even want it...so what is URI and how do they treat it? What kind of soft food did Chester like may I ask?

Those do sound like the symptoms. Watering eyes, sneezing, chester had a weird coughing sound, needing lots of sleep, etc. Apparently in some advanced stages it can also include leigons in the mouth . This is all new to me, so what I can tell you is what I've found out over the last week. Its a virus, like a human cold and they usually give antibiotics for a couple of weeks to deal with any "secondary infections"....like the green booger syndrome (which chester has). URI is short form for upper respitory syndrome, it can be spread to other cats, but other animals can't get it (including humans). Apparently, once a cat has it, it's usually contageious for life. The thought of that freaked me out at first and then I realized that we get colds all the time and are usually fine. Also, with the first set of shots and their yearly boosters they get some immunization towards reoccuring problems.

The wet food he likes is Nutriance, although I have had a lot of luck with the turkey and liver "Superior" brand, which you get at Petsmart. This stuff stinks though (like catfood). It's got the strongest sent that I've been around in a long time! It might be a good thing to try though, if your little one can't smell and doesnt want to eat. Make sure she's drinking, they get dehydrated easily with this illness.

Feel free to add, or subtract to what I just said guys, I'm not exactly the experienced one on this matter.

Jess

 

[sylorna]

Hi,
I hate to be redundant here, but I also have a diarrhea problem. Chester is still working through is antibiotics and I suddenly realized last night that I hadden't taken any solid masses out of his litter pan yet. To put it delicately, I know he has some bowel issues.
But I'm not sure what it could be....antibiotics, getting used to a new home, the new food (finally he'll eat some dry!), and now I'm wondering if it could be the parasite problem as described in the other posts.
Fortunately he's eating very well and drinking regularly. I also have an appointment on the 1st of Feb for his booster shot and a first checkup with a new vet.
Should I just sit on my hands and see if it "passes"

(I love puns) or should I be truly concerned???
Jess

I forgot, it could also be that he's teething. I'm not sure how this post got pushed in with this thread, but I'm going to go with it, hopefully someone will come across it and give me a hand.

 

[sylorna]

Duh, quick correction incase you've already checked here....it's "Authority" brand, not "superior" brand....I'm such a dope.

 

[pat]

Originally Posted by Sylorna

Duh, quick correction incase you've already checked here....it's "Authority" brand, not "superior" brand....I'm such a dope.

I knew what you meant

and bet most Petsmart shoppers knew too!

 

[clixpix]

I fostered a litter of 5 last summer that all had URI's. They, for the most part, ate fine. Occasionally one or another wouldn't eat, so I would heat up their canned food a little (only a few seconds) in the microwave so they could smell it better. It worked really well. If you do this, be careful, though. Check the temperature with your finger, as sometimes there are "hot spots" after nuking, and they might burn their mouths.

I also used Royal Canin brand dry food, which they loved. If you get the "Babycat" sized kibble, he doesn't have to try to crack them with his teeth. That sized kibble is for kittens up to 4 months.

Good luck with your little one