How much should my kittens be eating??

rrrager

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Heyo again, here to ask about meals for my monster kittens, Korra and Mara.

Korra grew up malnourished and ate Kibbles n Bits before I got her, but I cannot for the life of me get her to eat just plain dry food so that her and Mara can share a small bowl overnight. She will only eat all the kibble in a bowl IF theres wet food in there as well, doesnt matter how different the ratio of dry:wet is. Rehydrated dry food doesnt appeal to her, she tries to rip into treat bags + dry food bags but wont actually eat what's inside, and still wont eat dry food even if she's been without food a little longer than usual. I've tried fish oil, Mara loves it, Korra doesnt care.

(But god forbid I have bread or potatoes lying around, she *will* brutally tear into their bags if given the chance.)

Mara was fed Purina Pro Plan before I got her, so I've kept her on it since (but she'll scarf down adult kibble if given the chance). She'll gladly eat dry or wet, or both in the same bowl. She's easy, she's smart and intelligent, and likes to eat dry + wet treats too. She also goes nuts for bread. 🤔

Which is why i have them on a meal schedule with mixed dry/wet for both kittens. Fed about 8 hours apart, 1/4 of a 3oz can of wet food in each bowl, topped by 1/8 cup to 1/4 cup of dry food. Is this enough for kittens that are 4 and 3 months old, who keep yelling at me for more?? Should i top their bowls with more dry food?? They drink water like crazy so I'm not concerned for their hydration at the moment but it never hurts to ask if they need more wet food.
 

tabbytom

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A kitten should be fed as much as they can eat at one sitting. Best is to feed wet food meant for kittens as they are full of nutrients and proteins which aid their growth in their formative year. Low carbs high protein wet food with real meat keeps them fuller and healthier and wet food keeps them hydrated. Dry food is full of carbohydrates.
Or feed them wet food labeled 'For All Life Stages'.

A kitten burns off calories very quickly as they are very active. They need to be fed 4 - 5 times a day and feed as much as the can eat at one sitting. You can never overfeed a kitten.

For normal breeds, they mature at one year old (still a kitten before a year old) and just before reaching year old, they'll go through a phase called 'Growth Spurt' where they tend to eat more than usual. This will go on into the early part of their first year and after that, their food intake and number of feeds will taper off. All you need to do is monitor their eating habits and make slight adjustments during feeding times.
 
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ArchyCat

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Until kittens reach full growth, about one year, they should be fed kitten food. Higher mineral, protein, and fat. Which they've need for growth and their high activity level. I would feed meat twice a day, plus keep kitten kibble all the time.

Keep us updated, please!
 
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rrrager

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thanks for the advice! i guess this more important atm since i just learned my secondary income is gonna be cut soon. so i have to weigh what's better for all of my cats for the rest of the year, until that income potentially restarts.

i'll start leaving some of the Purina Pro kibble out just so it's available to them during the day/night, tho i suspect only Mara will eat out of it :/

my older cat is golden, A+ on her health report card all across the board. i'm not fretting too much over her intake of dry vs wet, because some days she wont even touch the wet food, yet drinks up a whole big bowl of water at least once a day.

if it comes down to it, i'll likely switch from Purina Pro wet food to another brand of wet food for the kittens. would that upset their stomachs, since they've been eating the same variety box for two months?? are there any brands i should steer clear of?? i just want to make sure they're fed and healthy and have all the right nutrients until they get to adult food.
 
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