Quote:
Originally Posted by Tigremyangel
I am confused. I had read somewhere that you could just feed kittens freely because they are growing and developing etc. However, my vet doesn't agree. She said to follow the instructions on the bag. I am feeling them Medical Growth Development and goodness!!!! ONLY 1/3rd a cup a DAY for any kitten under 6 lbs. Well, I've still been feeding twice that much to them (over the course of the day/evening they're still starving) I usually give them a portion at night and morning but I am worried they're going to be fat or unhealthy. What do you guys do with feeding?
Also, I am aware that wet food is important. How often do you feed wet and what brands are best. Does this upset their stomachs at all?
thanks
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I've been feeding my cat wet exclusively for the past year. 2 meals a day (3oz can of either Wellness, Fancy Feast, Innova, or Precise for each meal, raw on weekends), which he nibbles on randomly over the following few hours. I know lots of people do the wet/dry thing and leave a bowl of dry out for snacking, but that does have the potential make some cats overweight. It's much easier to prevent weight gain than it is to reverse it (which is probably why your vet wants you stick with the 1/3 cup).
You might also find that your kittens would be more satiated with canned food, since it has a higher protein content. Cats being obligate carnivores, it's protein that they need, not carbohydrates, which tend to be way to high in dry food (the Med-cal Development contains rice and corn and has 26% of it's calories from carbs, so not that great).
I think cats generally have heartier digestive systems than people give them credit for, so no, wet food in and of itself shouldn't cause an upset stomach. Sometimes a cat that has eaten only one food for many years might have an adjustment period, and kittens tend to have unpredictable reactions to new things anyway, but I still say it's a good idea to introduce a variety of foods so that they get used to trying new things. Do it slowly if that works better.
A good canned food is one that doesn't contain a lot of (or any) grains and vegetables and isn't entirely made up of by-products. Some of the ones I mentioned above would qualify, although it seems even the so-called 'premium' brands tend to have more veggies than is really necessary. At least the quality of their meat is fairly high. Here's a run-down on what to look for:
http://www.catinfo.org/commercialcannedfoods.htm