Need advice regarding kitten feeding!

kittyblues1984

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My Ragdoll kitten is now a little over 5 months old. She weighs around 5.7 pounds (gained 2 pounds in the past ~2 months since I got her)

I have been feeding her a mix of WET and DRY food.

DRY: Whole Earth Farms - Recipes - Whole Earth Farms
WET: Whole Earth Farms - Recipes - Whole Earth Farms

According to the label of the wet food, I am supposed to feed 4 of the 2.75 oz cans to kittens per 5.5 pound of weight.

I currently feed the following per day, divided into four meals a day:
> A little under 3 cans of the wet food (2.75 oz) (since I'm supplementing with kibbles)
> 1/4 cup of kibbles

In the past week, I noticed her appetite slowing down a little bit (other than that, she seems normal). She used to wolf down her food really quickly so I got her a slow feeder mat to help her with burping. However, she now only finishes her wet food and will only nibbles at a couple of kibbles not finishing them whereas in the past she would finish everything super quickly.

My questions are:
1. Is this normal for a kitten's appetite to slow down when she approaches the six month mark? Or am I just overfeeding or is this the slow feeder working making her fuller?
2. Is it OK to feed wet and dry food in one meal? I put them in different bowls next to each other, but have been told by a breeder that this is not good.
3. Im planning to transition into 3 times a day meal when she hits the six month mark. Should I keep feeding the same amount, just bigger portions each meal?

Thank you in advance!!
 

susanm9006

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Kittens appetites do change as their growth slows down. Entirely possible that is what is happening. I don’t know that it is bad setting out wet food and kibble since kittens should have access to kibble all day but the wet food is better for her so personally I would feed her the wet food and after she had finished then set out the dry and leave it out til the next wet food meal.
 

LTS3

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Kittens should be fed as much as they will eat as often as they want. It's safe to ignore the feeding instructions on the label :) You can't overfeed a growing kitten. Some kittens go through phases where they don't eat as much food as before. It's normal. Most kittens start to want less food closer to a year old. I wouldn't start to transition to scheduled meal times until then. When you do transition, feed enough calories daily to maintain body weigh, generally 20 to 25 calories per pound of body weight. Your kitten may be fine with the current food amounts split into 3 meals. You just adjust according to your kitten. Hangry behavior means your kitten is not getting enough calories so you need to add a little more food to the meals. Too much uneaten food leftover means your kitten doesn't need all of it so you can cut back on food amounts while still maintaining enough daily calorie intake.

It's fine to feed both canned and dry food for the same meal, just in different bowls. Nothing will happen if a cat eats both canned and dry food together. Some cats with sensitive tummies might have litter box issues but if your kitten is fine with having two different food options at meal time and eats both, then continue.

If you find that your kitten totally ignores the dry food, you can stop feeding it and make up for those calories with more canned food. A canned food only diet is able to provide all the nutrition.
 

Rowen

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I have gotten a little confused now that I have a new kitten and am trying to do things differently than I did with Gem- who was free fed mainly dry with some wet daily- until she got sick- then it was all wet with some kibble if she wouldnt eat the wet. I now have my little Robin who is now 7mos. I was giving her as much as she wanted mainly Wellness Turkey mince and BFF Duck with tuna base- some Fussie Cat kibble- but mostly wet. I took her to the vet for her first check up - a whole new vet since neither of my previous vets talked about nutrition other than the usual brands. The new vet told me Robin had a "pooch" meaning she said she was a little over weight at 6.66 lbs. She shorthaired and long so easier to see her body than with Gem who was medium haired with a rounder shape.
I mean a kitten with a pooch? I dont know whether to worry about it- but after Gem I think I'm worrying about everything I'm doing and over thinking. If at 7mos shes still growing should I be worried bout her weight?
 

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susanm9006

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I have gotten a little confused now that I have a new kitten and am trying to do things differently than I did with Gem- who was free fed mainly dry with some wet daily- until she got sick- then it was all wet with some kibble if she wouldnt eat the wet. I now have my little Robin who is now 7mos. I was giving her as much as she wanted mainly Wellness Turkey mince and BFF Duck with tuna base- some Fussie Cat kibble- but mostly wet. I took her to the vet for her first check up - a whole new vet since neither of my previous vets talked about nutrition other than the usual brands. The new vet told me Robin had a "pooch" meaning she said she was a little over weight at 6.66 lbs. She shorthaired and long so easier to see her body than with Gem who was medium haired with a rounder shape.
I mean a kitten with a pooch? I dont know whether to worry about it- but after Gem I think I'm worrying about everything I'm doing and over thinking. If at 7mos shes still growing should I be worried bout her weight?
I have always understood a kitten gains about a pound a month so at seven month 6.6 pounds seems pretty normal. I would keep feeding her as you have and not be concerned at this point.
 
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