Worried about my kitten eating not enough by far

[Renne]

The kitten is about 2.5 months old and is 1.5 kg (3.3 lbs) of weight, but she eats only 30g (1\4 cup) of her dry food per day. In another place I tried seeking help I was asked if she's gaining weight, and the answer is yes. She's gained 500g (1.1 lbs) in just 2 weeks lately, which is a huge spurt, as it's 1\3rd of her current weight.

But 30g looks and sounds awfully little. I've checked the site for this cat food for feeding guidlines and they do have them:

So a cat of her weight would be eating just fine is she was an adult! But there's a remark on kittens on the right, apparently they eat a great deal more, and according to my calculations, a kitten at 10 weeks should be eating 95-47g at her current weight (1\4 - 1\8th cup), leaning more to the 95g (1\4) side.

I still hope that I'm confusing myself, because otherwise she's grossly undereating. She's gaining weight, shouldn't that be a sign that everything is fine? Or maybe her body has enough resources for now to cope with the new food situation but is straining itself?

This is not a medical issue, I'm pretty sure: she ate very well before I switched her to this food, so she might just be snubbing it. Unfortunately, I can't compare how much she ate to how much she eats now, because I used to feed her wet food, and kittens eat a lot more of it than dry food. She used to eat 170-200g of wet food (1.5-1.8 cup).

I can technically 'force' my kitten to eat more. She eats if I hand-feed her 3-4 granules at a time and she eats if I play-feed her by rolling the granules one by one on the carpet. But I hope to find out that miraculously I'm mistaken and somehow she's rationing herself correctly.

 

[She's a witch]

Is she otherwise active and playful?

30grams seems very little for a growing kitten. Can you feed her canned and dry? It’s possible she doesn’t like her new dry if she was used to wet, and if that’s the case, consider yourself lucky as dry food is not appropriate for cats and imo should be fed only if there’s no other choice due to finances. The best would be to give her scheduled wet meals and let her have a constant access to dry, unless you can free feed her wet only, which would be ideal, but rarely possible for most people

 

[maggie101]

Can you switch her to wet food? I never fed my cats dry even when they were kittens. 1 5.5 oz can depending on the food
Catfoodb.com
My cats are adult and eat different amounts. My cat Maggie knows when she has had enough, 5.5 oz can. Doesn't finish her bowl. Peaches eats almost 3/4 can, Coco 3/4-1 can. They 7,8,9 pds
5,6,7 yrs old

 

[Renne]

Unfortunately, I cannot switch her to wet food, unless we're talking about really cheap ones, and those would be bad for her health. Dry food costs a lot less, that's why I can afford a good one. Cost is also why I feed her dry food, even though she'd enjoy wet food a lot more. She drinks a lot, though, so at least I don't have to worry about dehydration.

Is there a way to regularly make dry food more attractive to a kitten? Pour some chicken broth over it? I tried that once and she seemed to be very enthusiastic while eating, but she never finished the leftovers (maybe they got spoilt quickly from being wet).

 

[Renne]

Oh and yes, she's otherwise active and playful! Less so than during her first week, but I attribute that to my own distancing from her a little. During her first week she had litterbox issues so I had to watch her 24\7 (me and my mother took turns) and I kept playing with her literally non-stop. She'd sleep, we'd play for an hour, she'd sleep, we'd play for an hour, rinse and repeat. Now I'm back to my usual schedule, and she doesn't play that much, but she still does play and wildly so. But again, maybe her body has stored enough resources and she hasn't lost enough of them yet to show signs of malnutrition.

 

[Kieka]

What food specifically does she get? Caloric content of foods can vary greatly. Most adult cats need 20 to 30 calories per pound. Kittens needs more to grow and during a growth spurt might need as much as 100 calories per pound. If she is growing, she is getting enough calories to grow.

 

[maggie101]

I sometimes mix more expensive food with cheaper food so the more expensive will last longer

 

[Renne]

What food specifically does she get? Caloric content of foods can vary greatly. Most adult cats need 20 to 30 calories per pound. Kittens needs more to grow and during a growth spurt might need as much as 100 calories per pound. If she is growing, she is getting enough calories to grow.

Her food is Acana Grasslands, and here's what the official site says about its calories:

Metabolizable Energy is 3980 kcal/kg (454 kcal per 8 oz. cup), with 34% from protein, 24% from vegetables and fruit, and 42% from fat.

When I calculate the calories for 30 grams, that seems to equal 119,4 kcal. She's 3.3 pounds, so technically should she receive 3.3 times more? But you're saying that if she's growing she's getting enough calories, which makes sense.

On another hand, I have to ask: is the amount of calories equal to the amount of required nutritious needs for growth? I'm a noob in nutrition, and I've always thought that calories and nutritious needs aren't directly related. E.g. a body needs proteins, minerals and such, not just energy, but you can eat only bread all day and get enough raw energy.

 

[lucicat]

Cats should be getting most of their calories form protein. . .nutrition for cats is different than for people that way, but the basic idea is the same. I don't believe a calorie is a calorie. . .eating the same calories of pure sugar for example wouldn't keep you healthy. and for cats protein is key. . .that's why wet food is better (or one reason why) they usually have a much higher % of protein to carbs.

 

[Kieka]

When you are talking human food, no they aren't directly related. But commercial pet foods are complete nutrition in every portion. As long as the cat or kitten gets enough calories, they will have enough vitamins, minerals, etc. At 3.3 pounds your kitten could need as little as 90 calories per day or as much as 300 calories. Depends on her growth stage and development. Which is why, as long as she is growing she is getting enough.

Our usual recommendation for kittens would be wet food 2-3 times a day and kibble free fed between. Wet food is better for cats because they did evolve from a desert feline and as such have a lower thirst drive. Most of their moisture is from food. Even a cat who drinks a good amount of water benefits from higher moisture food because it keeps them hydrated which reduces the risk of kidney problems later in life. Additionally, wet food usually has less fillers and lower carbs then most dry foods (since dry food has to be shelf stable). You don't have to go fancy either to get a decent wet food. Friskies classic pates are a fairly decent wet option and if you buy larger cans it will cost less. You might also find you feed less dry when you feed wet since the higher protein content will fill her up longer. Acana is one you want to watch her weight with when she gets older since it is so calorie dense and has a decent carb content. Cats benefit the most from high protein, moderate fat and low carbs.

 

[lucicat]

I have a 4 month old and a 7 month old. They get 3 meals a day. .. 2 wet and 1 dry (I'd do all wet but they beg for the dry). Their appetite varies. . .and sometimes they are more picky then other. . .sometimes they leave food behind and others none at all. And I feed them the same amounts all the time--about 1/2 cup wet food and 1/4 cup dry. So, I think if they are otherwise healthy you just have to let them decide how much they need to eat.
My 4mo is often super hungry in the AM for the first feeding. . .he is mewoing and begging for food. While my 7mo is kind of 'meh' about the first meal of the day and often just nibble a tiny bit. BUt she eats well at the other two meals a day.

 

[ArchyCat]

You should be feeding your young cat kitten food. Either kitten wet or kitten kibble. Or aq combination. It has the extra calories and minerals that a growing cat needs. Both because they are growing plus because they are much more active than an adult cat. And you should continue feeding the kitten food until they reach one old.

 

[Renne]

At 3.3 pounds your kitten could need as little as 90 calories per day or as much as 300 calories. Depends on her growth stage and development. Which is why, as long as she is growing she is getting enough.

I know I'm asking for a lot, but is there some kind of kitten life stage and calory chart anywhere? Approximate number ranges are fine, that would help a lot, although your words made me feel much better already.

Even a cat who drinks a good amount of water benefits from higher moisture food because it keeps them hydrated which reduces the risk of kidney problems later in life.

I'd gladly switch her to wet food later, but for now I want for her to have the best food as far as its nutrition value is concerned, for her growing needs.

 

[Kieka]

There is this one, Feline Calorie Calculator - PetSci. But calorie requirements can vary greatly when they are kittens. Which is why the general recommendation is just feed them as much as they want as long as they are growing.

The Acana Grasslands actually isn't best for nutritional needs; it has 31% carbs, 35% protein and 20% fat. While the protein and fat are fine the carbs are higher then cats need. But there is a whole lot of peas, beans and chickpeas in Grasslands which could be adding the to protein content with plant protein, which cats can't use. So the actual animal protein is going to be slightly lower; how much lower is not known since commercial manufactures manufacturers don't have to share exact proportions. Not detrimentally so in terms of it won't hurt your kitten but it's not doing her any favors. It also has a very high fat content which is good for kittens but not so good for adults. Your kitten also doesn't get any benefit from kale, spinach, mustard greens, turnip greens, apples, pears or the other plants in the food. Obligated carnivores are evolved to get all their nutrition, vitamins, amino acids, etc from what they evolved to eat, whole prey animal.

Wet food will have more meat and less of the unneeded adders. Fancy Feast Kitten wet food for example has only 1% carb in a can with around 90 calories per can. Three cans a day plus the dry food out between for munching will give your kitten better nutrition with more biologically appropriate protein and less fillers. As your kitten grows you would feed more food until an adult and then level it out based on activity level and weight. I know those companies like Acana tout that they are premium and great because of all their premium ingredients but that is marketing to appeal to humans. Cats don't need vegetables, fruits, peas or potatoes to have a complete diet.

I do feed my crew two wet meals with dry food between. So I am not saying that if you can't feed wet your a bad pet parent. I just dont want you to misidentify good nutrition with a pretty marketing campaign.

 

[neko2019]

Neko has always been like that...I was worried that he was not eating enough according to the feeding instruction. He was also on ACANA, and ate the same amount as the adult's recommended amount. It would be impossible to get him to eat 2-3x of that. But he has been healthy, gaining weight at a consistent rate. He is 8 months old, 8.8lb now. And he still doesn't eat nearly as much as kittens should...

 

[LTS3]

You should be feeding your young cat kitten food. Either kitten wet or kitten kibble. Or aq combination.

Food labeled as "for all life stages" is fine for kittens There's an AAFCO statement in teeny tiny print on the label that says what life stage the food is for.

 

[Renne]

Kieka , I wasn't sure that I wanted to write that, but decided to say that I couldn't possibly afford Fancy Kitten Feast. It'd cost about thrice more than Acana to feed my kitten for a month.

Truth is I'm on disability and live off of government money right now, and what it'd cost to feed her with FKF is 3\4th of what I get per month. And I still need to pay the bills and feed myself. Other family members is my elder brother, also on disability, and 70y.o. mother who doesn't work.

I wish the situation was different, but I could only afford very cheap wet food, so although I agree that wet food is better for cats, I'd rather feed her good dry food than terrible wet food.



Good news is she's finally started to eat more! During last two days she ate almost twice of her usual 30g amount per day. I'm very happy about that. The problem is solving itself spontaneously.

It's sad that she really likes milk, I'll have to stop giving milk to her soon. Plain water and kibble, what a terrible diet, she's missing out on so many tastes But I've heard that milk is only good for kittens and bad for cats, as they lose their kitten ability to ferment it properly.

 

[Kieka]

Never be sorry for giving the best care you can on your budget. A good heart and best effort is better then careless neglect any day.

Maybe when she gets older you can look into Friskies or another wet option that is suitable for adults. Do you mind if I ask where you are based (not exact just country and/or state is fine)? There are some regional options that are cheaper.

 

[Renne]

I'm based in Russia And I don't really trust local brands, business often isn't done in proper ways here and who knows what ingredients they use. People say that Royal Canin 'changed' once they started to outsource and it started to be made here. One more reason to focus on Acana, they do not outsource, but many other brands do.

 

[kittenmittens84]

It seems like you’ve gotten lots of good advice, but I just wanted to add if your kitten ever stops gaining weight or starts losing weight and still only eats a small amount of food, a vet visit is a good idea. My kitten never ate as much as he should and wasn’t gaining weight (he was around 3 months so he should’ve been steadily putting on the pounds), and it turned out to be the first sign of being sick. Luckily we caught it early!