What food do kittens need?

Feed kittens correctly

Our little kittens' bodies perform at their best as they grow. Our job is to provide them with the best possible support to enable them to live a long and healthy life. We explain what to look out for in a kitten's diet.

Why kitten food?

The bodies of small kittens require an extremely high level of energy. Their energy requirements are twice as high as those of an adult cat. At the same time, kittens cannot yet consume large amounts of food with their small stomachs. This is why special, high-calorie kitten food is absolutely essential.

What nutrients should good kitten food contain?

Kitten food must contain the following nutrients in the correct dosage:

Protein from animal sources
Fats and fatty acids
Taurine
Vitamins
Minerals
Trace elements
Few but broken down carbohydrates

How many times a day does a kitten need food?

As the digestive system of small cats is not yet fully developed and their stomachs are still very small, it is highly recommended to give many small portions throughout the day.

Up to the age of six months, kittens should ideally be given 4-5 small meals spread over the day. The last one should be in the evening before going to bed, so that the kitten can still help itself to during the night if necessary.

Nutrition...from the 4th week

From this point onwards, you should start offering the kittens kitten food for the first time . To make it easier for the kittens to eat, it is advisable to give them porridge . The best way to do this is to dilute kitten milk with warm water. You can add oat or rice gruel, but also cooked and strained chicken or a tin of kitten food.

...from the 10th week

The kittens now drink less and less from their mother and help themselves to the food bowl more often. They now need almost 90% of the energy they consume through food for their growth. The food must be correspondingly high in energy. It is therefore absolutely essential to give special kitten food to .

The imprinting phase also begins during this time. Here kittens should get to know different types of food , e.g. dry and wet food or home-cooked food. If a change of food should become necessary in the course of their lives, e.g. for health reasons, this is usually easier as they are already familiar with the different types of food.

...from the 12th week

Reputable breeders only hand over kittens at this stage. This means that the new owners are now also responsible for feeding the little cat. The digestive tract is not yet fully developed, but the hunger is great. It is therefore very sensible - and also species-appropriate - to offer smaller meals several times a day . Cats in the wild eat 10-20 small meals throughout the day - even at night.

Tip: Provide food again shortly before your kitten goes to sleep so that it can eat a meal at night if necessary .

...from the 7th month

Depending on the breed or size, you can start feeding your kitten adult foodfrom the age of 7 months . Larger cat breeds, such as Maine Coon, grow longer and can therefore be fed kitten food for longer. From the age of 1 at the latest, the change to food for adult cats should be started. Otherwise, the high-calorie food could cause the cat to become overweight.

Feeding small cats - here's how

Kittens develop rapidly in the first few weeks of their lives. After all, they reach 75% of their final (ideal) weight within 6 months. Here is a quick overview of the different nutritional phases:

Week of life	Food
until the 3rd week of life	exclusively breast milk
4. - 9TH WEEK	mainly mother's milk, offer first kitten food
10. - 12TH WEEK	switch to kitten food
From 12th week - 1st year of life	high-quality kitten food

Are small kittens allowed to drink milk?

The image of kittens slurping milk is very present in our society, but is milk really healthy for kittens?

Basically, the answer is clearly NO. Why? Cow's milk is very different from cats' mother's milk. The most striking difference is the significantly higher lactose content (milk sugar) in cow's milk. The ability of kittens to digest lactose decreases rapidly after switching to solid food. Often kittens experience digestive problems such as diarrhoea or vomiting when eating cow's milk. This is comparable to lactose intolerance in humans

However, there do seem to be kittens and even adult cats that can tolerate cow's milk without any problems. Why that? The answer lies in the close connection to humans - especially in rural areas. This is because cats were often kept on farms as mousers. If cows were also milked on the farm, the cats were given milk as an additional meal. These cats have obviously developed a certain lactose tolerance - just like us humans, by the way - which can also be passed on. So a small, milk-slurping farm cat is quite a realistic picture.

However, it is also clear that very few velvet paws today still grow up on a dairy farm and therefore the consumption of cow's milk makes sense for very few kittens.

Quick tips for feeding kittens

Several meals

Up to the age of 6 months, kittens should be offered small portions of food 4 - 5 times a day.

Sufficient water

In relation to their body size, small cats need around 50 % more liquid than adult cats. drinking fountains with fresh water can encourage water intake.

Energy

To grow, kittens need twice as much energy as adult cats . Therefore, a high-calorie complete food should always be fed to kittens.

What is better for kittens? Dry or wet food?

There is no general answer to this question. Rather, it is the preferences of the kitten or the owner that ultimately decide. The only important thing is that the food must be labelled as complete food . Then it will provide your kitten with all the important nutrients it needs for healthy growth.

Advantages of the different types of food

Advantages of dry food	Advantages of wet food
Dental health: Chewing cleans the teeth mechanically and thus prevents the formation of dental plaque.	Protein content: Wet food is usually richer in protein than dry food.
Size: Croquettes adapted to the size of the teeth are easy to chew and swallow.	More water: with up to 80% moisture wet food supports hydration.
Practical: Accommodates the natural eating behaviour of kittens: daily ration in the morning in the bowl. This allows the kitten to help itself to whatever it wants.	Acceptance: Most kittens love the intense odour and texture and therefore like wet food very much.