Feeding kittens

[Minimarble]

We adopted 2 kittens (siblings) on Sunday from and Animal shelter. They are about 11-12 weeks old. They told us to feed it the same food that they had been eating at the foster home. It is a Pet Valu dry food for kittens. They don't seem to be eating too much. Should kittens always receive dry food or is there a moist, softer or wet food that we can give them too?
TIA for any advice.

[badger]

I can see sticking with the original food for awhile for adult cats but kittens are more flexible, absolutely buy them some canned - I give mine Friskies or Fancy Feast (try to avoid the really cheap stuff, like the grocery store in-house brands, not that Friskies is top of the line but to me it is acceptable).

I don't know Pet Valu but usually shelters are unable to feed very good quality. When you buy your next bag of kibble, read the labels. You want as much meat in there as you can afford, as opposed to grain. If the first ingredient is corn, avoid it. Speciality stores sell high end dry food, some with no grains at all, but they are expensive. Do your best.

With kittens, I would leave at least some dry food down 24/7 so they can nibble. You might try adding a bit of water to the Pet Valu, see if that makes it more attractive, or mix some canned in.

Only give them tuna occasionally, they get kind of hooked on it.

Congratulations on your new babies. Are they keeping you awake?

[sugarcatmom]

Oooohhh, kittenzzzzz! How exciting! You realize, of course, that you're not allowed to come here and say you have kittens without also posting some pics of them, so get to it.

As for the food, please do feed them canned. Maybe do it slowly in case they get digestive issues, but a wet food diet is far superior to dry when it comes to cats. Read this for more info: http://www.catinfo.org/

[Love4himies]

I currently have 7 foster kittens and am feeding them Wellness Kitten canned and Felidae Cat and Kitten, they also get kibble left out for them (Wellness kitten and Instinct Cat mixed) 24/7. A variety of different manufaturers gives them the best that each has to offer.

Canned is much better for cats and grain free is even better as they don't have a high thirst drive, which in later years can lead to kidney failure.

The price for this advice: pictures of the little sweeties, we need pictures.

[Love4himies]

Thanks for the pictures .

Have you decided on a food yet? How are the sweeties doing?

[sugarcatmom]

Awwww, look at those cute little faces. . . . . . .and such pretty pink noses!! What are their names?

[chico2]

OMG are they ever cuteand thank you for adopting 2 kittens,2 are always better than one..
I agree with the others,I've always fed kittens only canned food.
You can leave the kibbles 24/7 as treats,together with a bowl of fresh water,but I am sure they'll lap up the canned food and be very contended

[Minimarble]

Their names are Mini (f) and Marble (m). We are feeding them a small amount of canned food 2X per day and leaving out a special kitten dry food (from the pet store) in between. We were reccommended to use Nutro Max Cat canned food at the pet store as it has lots of protein and has natural ingredients. They eat up ALL the canned food at once but are good about only eating the dry food when they are hungry. One person I know suggested adding a little water to the canned food as it get the kittens to drink more liquid. Does anyone here do this?

They are doing great and seem very happy! Thanks for all the feedback.

[sugarcatmom]

Originally Posted by Minimarble

We were reccommended to use Nutro Max Cat canned food at the pet store as it has lots of protein and has natural ingredients.

Max Cat isn't too bad, no by-products and few grains (the 'kitten' ones are best). I don't know about the whole "natural" thing, though. That's a bit of a misnomer. It's not organic, if that's what they wanted you to think, and like all commercial pet food, it's still a highly processed product. Truly natural would have to be something more along the lines of a raw food diet.

Originally Posted by Minimarble

One person I know suggested adding a little water to the canned food as it get the kittens to drink more liquid. Does anyone here do this?

I add water to my cat's food, partly because he free-feeds on it and that slows down how fast it dries out. He absolutely never drinks water out of a bowl anymore (I know this because I used to measure it twice a day). Since your cats are also eating kibble, I do recommend adding a bit of extra water to their canned.

[dmc123]

Minimarble,

Good luck with your new kittens....they look soooo much like my Quads, it is amazing.

Diane

[growler~GateKeeper]

Your Kittens are adorable

Wet is definately best - I feed my senior grrl the Wellness canned, a couple of different varieties to give her something different every couple of days & I am adding water to it because she has kidney failure but it is a great idea to start when they are young. Cats are great @ conserving water so often drink very little from the bowl so adding to the wet ensures they are receiving this vital nutrient plus it won't dry out so fast

Leaving a bowl of dry krunchies out for snacking is also a good idea as cats are grazers/nibblers who will go back to the food several times a day.

Welcome to the forum & thank you for adopting shelter kitties

Any time you like to post more pics we have a pet photography forum, as I'm sure you've already noticed we're a bit pic round here

[Love4himies]

I do add some water to my foster kittens' canned food. Makes it easier to eat and ensures they are getting enough water. I also warm it up in the microwave so it is a warmed goop.

[chico2]

I add some water too,mainly because all 3 of mine lick up their food,I seem to be lucky,since all 3 drink plenty of water out of the bowl,I have to change it several times a day.

[ancientgirl]

I feed my two new ones Nutro Max canned as well. And I also buy the Nutro cat dry and leave it out for them all day. I have two that are a few months older which also get the same.

I add water to the older kitties food since they don't eat it all at once, not like the kittens. They eat their canned in one sitting.

I give mine one can in the morning, leave the dry out all day with plenty of water, then another can when I get home. I've been doing this with my older ones Vlad and Oksana since I got them, and they are plenty healthy and at a good weight. The little ones Kiska and Maks, have both been on the same schedule and gained a pound in the week I had them, so I'd say a combination of both is good. Just make sure any dry you get has a protein listed first. I've always heard that's the best to get.

[CyberKitten]

Kittens will not do that well on dry food alone. It's not that good for them - has too much fiber and carbs which cats do not really need. They are carnivores after all. I would gradually change their diet and as badger said, kittens are more flexible and do well in changing diets. I changed my kittens' diets when they came home - even an older cat - with little problem. But it has to be done slowly. Wellness Wet food of various kinds are good but the members here have had good accounts of several brands. I myself make my own food for my cats- after the scare and the fact that the pet food industry did not change its bad ways, I was not ready to subject my kitties to that.

Good luck - whatever you do, they do need water and if you cannot afford food NOT in a grocery store (the absolute worst place to buy "cat food", Fancy Feast is not bad on occasion.