French writer Francois de la Rochefoucauld mentioned that “to eat is a necessity, however to eat intelligently is an artwork.”
Feeding a cat seems to be easy sufficient at first look. You purchase a bag of meals with an image of a cat on it, dump it in a bowl, and wait in your cat to eat when he’s hungry. It’s an strategy that may work, but it surely doesn’t at all times deliver out the perfect in your kitten or cat.
Feeding your cat effectively—rather well—includes a bit of extra thought.
On this cat feeding information, you’ll discover ways to nourish your cat from kittenhood via his senior years. You’ll learn the way a lot to feed your cat at totally different life levels, what number of meals he’ll want per day, and which sorts of meals are greatest.
We’ve damaged down your cat’s dietary wants by age group, providing you with a roadmap for good diet at each stage of life.
Your Cat’s Dietary Wants Evolve Over Time.
As your cat strikes via kittenhood, early maturity, and past, his dietary wants will change. Assembly these necessities at each part of life units the stage for good well being.
Your first cease when selecting the best meals in your cat? The dietary adequacy assertion.
Normally positioned on the again of the bag or can, this assertion signifies whether or not or not the meals is nutritionally full and balanced for its supposed life stage. The label will learn, for instance, “…formulated to fulfill the dietary ranges established by the AAFCO cat meals nutrient profiles for all life levels”.
Meals that aren’t nutritionally full and balanced will often be labeled “for supplemental feeding solely”. These meals don’t include the suitable stability of macronutrients (protein, fats, and carbohydrates) and micronutrients (nutritional vitamins and minerals) and shouldn’t be your cat’s sole supply of diet.
Whilst you’re trying on the label, take a look at the feeding directions as effectively. For the common home cat, the suitable feeding directions are often already positioned on the packaging of the cat meals.
The dietary tips on the bundle will level you in the precise path, although you could have to make some modifications to suit your cat’s precise wants.
Right here’s a information on how you can feed your cat through the totally different phases of his life.
#1 New child Kitten, Age: 0-4 weeks
Throughout this stage, most kittens depend on their mom’s milk as their solely supply of diet. If their mom is current, you received’t have to feed kittens in any respect—they’ll know how you can feed themselves! That mentioned, for those who’ve rescued an orphaned kitten, you’ll have to bottle feed him. Kittens require a kitten milk replacer, which replicates the diet present in mom cat’s milk. Don’t feed a kitten cow’s milk—it doesn’t have the precise dietary stability to nourish a new child kitten.
How A lot Ought to You Feed Your New child Kitten?
In case your kitten’s mom is out there to nurse, he’ll nurse freely. In case you’re bottle-feeding, observe the directions in your bundle of kitten milk replacer. Generally, you’ll feed about 2 tablespoons of liquid kitten formulation per 4 ounces of physique weight.
How Usually Ought to You Feed Your New child Kitten?
New child kittens feed continuously, latching on to nurse as soon as each 1-2 hours. Mimic this feeding schedule when bottle feeding, step by step decreasing the feeding frequency to 4-6 feedings per day by the point your kitten reaches three weeks of age.
Additionally Learn: Greatest Moist Meals For Kittens
#2 4-8 Weeks Previous Kitten
Kittens often start the weaning course of round their 4th week. Throughout this time, they’ll begin step by step shifting from milk or formulation onto a strong meals weight loss program, which delivers the protein, fatty acids, and vitamins that gasoline their early growth.
Additionally Learn: The 8 Greatest Cat Bowls
At 4 to 4.5 weeks of age, bottle feeders might begin slowly transitioning their kitten to a weight loss program of watered-down kitten meals. Begin by changing a few of his typical meals with a unfastened slurry of moist kitten meals and kitten formulation in a bottle, then step by step beginning feeding your kitten from a bowl.
Kitten Girl has a superb video on transitioning your kitten from kitten formulation to strong meals.
How A lot Ought to You Feed Your 4-8-week-old Kitten?
At this stage, your kitten is rising quickly and desires about 3 occasions as many energy per pound as an grownup. Your kitten might have 60 energy per pound of body weight.
How Usually Ought to You Feed Your 4-8-week-old Kitten?
Whereas your new child kitten ate each 1 to 4 hours, kittens over 4 weeks might go 6 to eight hours between meals. Frequent meals are nonetheless important to accommodate your kitten’s small abdomen and excessive power calls for.
#3 8-16 Weeks Previous Kitten
At this thrilling stage of growth, your kitten’s character is creating and his predatory nature is changing into ever extra obvious. By 8-10 weeks of age, he’s absolutely weaned and needs to be consuming a meat-based kitten meals that delivers loads of protein, animal-derived fatty acids for mind and eye growth, and the precise ranges of nutritional vitamins and minerals.
How A lot Ought to You Feed Your 8-16-week-old Kitten?
Throughout this part, your kitten is creating quickly and requires loads of energy to assist that progress. Rising kittens might have 250-280 energy per day, with bigger breeds like Maine Coons and Ragdolls requiring as many as 360 energy every day.
How Usually Ought to You Feed Your 8-16-Week-Previous Kitten?
5 meals per day are excellent, however kittens over 8 weeks may additionally free feed on dry meals. Watch out with free-feeding. Whereas your kitten needs to be gaining weight at this stage, an excessive amount of dry meals can result in extra weight acquire.
Additionally Learn: Greatest Kitten Meals – High 5 Greatest Kitten Meals On The Market As we speak
#4 4-6 Months Previous Kitten
Throughout this stage, your kitten will begin to settle into his dietary routine. That’s why it’s very important to be sure to’re establishing good habits for maturity. Feeding a various weight loss program can preserve your kitten from changing into finicky and preserve him mentally stimulated. Word, additionally, that kittens who eat a dry weight loss program at this stage will doubtless get hooked on the crunch and should not need to eat moist meals later in life.
Moist or canned meals is often wealthy in species-appropriate animal-based protein, is decrease in carbohydrates, and has a better moisture content material (70-80%) than that of dry meals (6-10%).
How A lot Ought to You Feed Your 4-6-Month-Previous Kitten?
At this stage, kittens nonetheless want about twice as many energy per pound than grownup cats. Check with the feeding tips in your kitten’s meals to find out how a lot to provide him per pound of body weight.
Kittens on this age group want round 60-65 energy per pound of physique weight per day. For instance, a 5-pound kitten ought to eat about 325 energy per day.
How Usually Ought to You Feed Your 4-6-Month-Previous Kitten?
Whereas a 4-week-old kitten will want about 5 small meals per day, you possibly can scale back his every day feedings to 2-3 every day meals by the point he’s 6 months outdated. It’s also possible to give your kitten treats all through the day, however energy from treats shouldn’t exceed 5-10% of whole every day caloric consumption.
#5 6 Months-Grownup Cats (1-10 Years)
Whereas older kittens nonetheless want loads of energy to gasoline their progress, their metabolism will begin to step by step decelerate and their dietary wants will begin to look extra like these of an grownup.
Across the time of your kitten’s first birthday, he can begin the transition from kitten meals to an grownup weight loss program. Word, nevertheless, that larger-breed cats might proceed to develop till they’re 3-4 years outdated and should proceed to eat a growth-oriented weight loss program.
How A lot Ought to You Feed Your Grownup Cat?
As your kitten’s metabolism begins to decelerate and he reaches maturity, you would possibly discover him begin to placed on extra weight. Weight problems is a typical challenge amongst grownup cats and, when not corrected early on, might result in issues later in life. Common train and a well-controlled weight loss program will assist to stop weight problems and preserve your cat in fine condition.
Whether or not you feed your cat do-it-yourself cat meals or the greatest business cat meals, it’s crucial to feed him the correct amount per day. However there’s no single quantity of meals that each cat ought to eat every day.
Calorie wants differ from cat to cat, with many components coming into play. When deciding how a lot to feed your cat, you’ll have to think about his breed, age, reproductive standing, underlying well being situations, and extra. Usually, nevertheless, the really helpful every day caloric consumption is about 20 energy per pound of body weight.
Click on right here for a calculator that helps you establish what number of energy your cat wants per day.
How Usually Ought to You Feed Your Grownup Cat?
After your cat reaches six months of age, you could feed him 2-3 meals per day.
Additionally Learn: Greatest Cat Meals Information
#6 Senior Years (11+ Years)
In comparison with younger and middle-aged adults, senior cats have distinctive dietary wants. They typically exhibit a decreased capacity to metabolize protein and due to this fact are likely to lose muscle mass.
They require extra digestible protein to assist lean muscle mass and keep wholesome. Cats at this age may additionally develop arthritis and different inflammatory situations, making omega-3 fatty acids a very helpful addition to the senior’s weight loss program.
Since they could have problem consuming due to dental issues, moist or moist meals is best for senior cats.
How A lot Ought to You Feed Your Senior Cat?
Senior and aged cats require extra energy per pound of body weight. In case your senior seems to be dropping muscle mass, think about rising his calorie consumption to 30-40 energy per pound. The vast majority of these energy ought to come from animal-based protein, which helps to stop sarcopenia (lack of muscle attributable to getting old).
How Usually Ought to You Feed Your Senior Cat?
Proceed to feed your senior cat 2-3 meals per day.
Additionally Learn: Greatest Cat Meals For Senior Cats
Cat Feeding Chart
| Age | Approximate Weight | Quantity to Feed | Schedule |
| 0-1 week | 50-150 grams / 1.7 – 5.2 ounces | 2-6 ml kitten formulation | Each 1 to 2 hours |
| 1-2 weeks | 150-250 grams / 5.2 – 8.8 ounces | 6-10 ml kitten formulation | Each 1 to 2 hours |
| 2-3 weeks | 250-350- grams / 8.8 – 12.4 ounces | 10-14 ml kitten formulation | Each 2 to three hours |
| 3-4 weeks | 350-450 grams / 12.4 – 15.9 ounces | 14-18 ml kitten formulation | Each 3 to 4 hours |
| 4-5 weeks | 450-550 grams / 15.9 ounces – 1.1 kilos | Beginning the weaning course of, provide 18-22 ml kitten formulation; step by step change to a combination of kitten formulation / moist kitten meals | Each 4 to six hours |
| 5-8 weeks | 550-850 grams / 1.1 – 1.5 kilos | Weaning: Supply a limiteless quantity of moist kitten meals | Each 6 hours |
| 8-9 weeks | 1.5 – 2.6 kilos | 250-360 energy per day | Each 6 to eight hours |
| 9-10 weeks | 1.6 – 2.9 kilos | 250-360 energy per day | Each 6 to eight hours |
| 10-11 weeks | 1.8 – 3.1 kilos | 250-360 energy per day | Each 6 to eight hours |
| 11-12 weeks | 2 – 3.3 kilos | 250-360 energy per day | Each 6 to eight hours |
| 12-13 weeks | 2.2 – 4 kilos | 250-360 energy per day | Each 6 to eight hours |
| 13-14 weeks | 3 – 4.5 kilos | 250-360 energy per day | Each 6 to eight hours |
| 14-15 weeks | 3.5 – 5 kilos | 250-360 energy per day | Each 6 to eight hours |
| 15-16 weeks | 4 – 5.5 kilos | 250-360 energy per day | Each 6 to eight hours |
| 4 months | 4 – 5.5 kilos | 60-65 energy per pound of body weight per day | Each 8 hours |
| 5 months | 5.1 – 6 kilos | 60-65 energy per pound of body weight per day | Each 8 hours |
| 6 months | 5.5 – 6.5 kilos | 60-65 energy per pound of body weight per day | Each 8 – 12 hours |
| 7 months | 6 – 7 kilos | 60-65 energy per pound of body weight per day | Each 8 – 12 hours |
| 8 months | 6.5 – 7.5 kilos | 60-65 energy per pound of body weight per day | Each 8 – 12 hours |
| 9 months | 7 – 8 kilos | 60-65 energy per pound of body weight per day | Each 8 – 12 hours |
| 10 months | 7.5 – 8.5 kilos | 60-65 energy per pound of body weight per day | Each 8 – 12 hours |
| 11 months | 8 – 9 kilos | 60-65 energy per pound of body weight per day | Each 8 – 12 hours |
| 12 months – maturity | 8 – 9.5 kilos | 20-33 energy per pound of body weight per day | Each 8 – 12 hours |
Closing Ideas
Your Cat Wants Water, Too!
Along with the right meals routine, it’s additionally necessary {that a} cat has entry to wash water. Correct hydration helps to stop constipation and reduces the chance of urinary system ailments like urinary tract an infection and blockage.
Entry to recent water is crucial, no matter in case your feline good friend eats dry or moist meals.
Lastly, Take into account Consulting Your Veterinarian For Extra Recommendation.
Even with the information shared on this article, you must seek the advice of along with your veterinarian in your cat’s particular person dietary wants. Your veterinarian will have the ability to advocate the perfect weight loss program and feeding routine in your cat based mostly in your cat’s age, way of life, dietary preferences, and general well being standing.
