Kitten always hungry

[melissa]

Our recently adopted kitten is now 14 weeks old. He’s being fed exclusively Royal Canin wet kitten food (the pate kind). He seems to really love his food and is up to eating a 5.5 oz can plus a bit more split into 4 meals a day. He seems constantly hungry though, trying to snatch food from us and meowing at his usually empty dish every time we are in the kitchen where he eats. I tried him on Purina Pro plan canned kitten food but he didn’t seem to like it. He came to us neutered, fully vaccinated and has had two rounds of parasite medication ( Drontal I believe?) . Could this be behavioural from his time at the shelter? One of his siblings was a bit of a bully and his food was limited I’m assuming. I feel so bad that he’s always acting like he’s starving and want what’s absolutely best for him. Thoughts?

 

[LTS3]

Kittens are bottomless hungry pits until they are almost a year old. You need to feed your kitten more food to satisfy his tummy. Ignore the feeding instructions on pet food labels. Just give your kitten as much food as he wants to eat and as often as he wants to. Some kittens can eat two or more 5.5 oz cans of food a day. Dry food can be left in a bowl for snacking on.

 

[sivyaleah]

5.5 ounces is really meager for a kitten. He likely IS starving.

That only equates to less than 150 calories, plus or minus depending on the brand. He needs a lot more!

Most kittens can eat double that easily.

I'd leave out some kibble for him to nibble on 24/7. Make sure you have clean water for him also.

Kittens will start to self-monitor their eating once they hit about a year old. You really can't overfeed a kitten so don't worry about it until then.

 

[maggie101]

Our recently adopted kitten is now 14 weeks old. He’s being fed exclusively Royal Canin wet kitten food (the pate kind). He seems to really love his food and is up to eating a 5.5 oz can plus a bit more split into 4 meals a day. He seems constantly hungry though, trying to snatch food from us and meowing at his usually empty dish every time we are in the kitchen where he eats. I tried him on Purina Pro plan canned kitten food but he didn’t seem to like it. He came to us neutered, fully vaccinated and has had two rounds of parasite medication ( Drontal I believe?) . Could this be behavioural from his time at the shelter? One of his siblings was a bit of a bully and his food was limited I’m assuming. I feel so bad that he’s always acting like he’s starving and want what’s absolutely best for him. Thoughts?

When my cats were kittens, I followed directions on the can which is 2 5.5 oz cans of wellness core chicken,turkey, and chicken liver. All at a good weight. My cat peaches is a small calico. She loves to eat but did not eat nearly that much

 

[Marley&Luna]

My kitten is in fact a bottomless pit. Or almost bottomless. She does on rare occasions self direct and leaves like a smidge of food. She easily eats twice what my 7 year old cat eats and then some, and she’s skin and bones. Though finally filling in a little at 7 months.

The 24 hour zoomies may have something to do with it.

 

[melissa]

He has two bowls away from his food with clean water. I’d rather not give him dry kibble as I’ve had problems in the past with that contributing to urinary tract issues in male cats. I was able to keep one cats UTI problems under control by feeding only wet food after he was diagnosed. I will give this little guy as much wet food as he wants, I was just worried about over feeding and causing issues. I’ve never had a kitten this ravenous before so it threw me off. He’s really active so I guess he’s burning all the calories off quickly! Do you think the food I’m feeding is a high enough quality?

 

[maggie101]

Royal canin and science diet are not the best for nutrition
Check out

CatFoodDB - Cat Food Reviews to help you find the best cat food for your cat

Cat food reviews for 3000+ wet and dry cat food products from 180+ brands. Includes product analysis, ingredient lists, nutritional breakdown and calorie counts.

catfooddb.com

 

[sivyaleah]

Royal canin and science diet are not the best for nutrition
Check out

http://[URL]https://catfooddb.com/

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I would agree with this.

 

[melissa]

Any thoughts on Performatrin Ultra? Our local cat rescue lady uses this brand with great success. I think I’ve found our little guys comfort zone with his food- half of a 5.5 oz can at a time (4 times a day) seems to fill him as he leaves a little behind. I’m happy to know it was a quantity issue not a behavioural or medical issue. Thanks so much for your input!

 

[LTS3]

rubysmama any suggestions for Canadian brands of food?

 

[rubysmama]

rubysmama any suggestions for Canadian brands of food?

Not really, as with Ruby's digestive issues I haven't tried many different brands, and the ones I have, have all been US ones

I will say that feeding canned food only can be expensive, especially if you need to stick to a limited ingredient type, which I do with Ruby.

melissa : if you're still looking for information on cat food, here's a couple TCS articles that might be helpful.
What Do I Need To Know About Feeding My Cat? – TheCatSite Articles
How To Choose The Right Food For Your Cat – TheCatSite Articles
Choosing The Right Food For Your Cat – Part 2 – TheCatSite Articles

Congrats on the new kitten, btw. Is that him in your avatar pic?