How much food for kittens?

[Lover of Animals]

Originally Posted by MorgLaw

Hi, I think that wet food is good for them, also usually for the kittens I would buy some dry food "for kittens", adult food is not as good as the kittens one for them. They need to eat a lot and sleep a lot too, they will grow a lot now and they need as much food as possible: try to give them some wet food at first, then leave the dry in the bowls in case they want more. And let them eat at least 5 times a day

Yes,I think that is another reason pet parents choose to free feed a good quality dry food(Contrary to what some believe,there are some that meat is the first and primary ingredient and are healthy)is because they can’t always be there to feed them several times a day. You can safely leave dry food out for long periods of time where as you can’t leave wet food out for very long. A lot of pet parents offer wet in the morning,leave dry out during the day and then offer wet again in the evening which works well. Also,when they are older and can be left for short trips,naturally you have to use dry food which they are already accustomed to eating.

[VioletandAsh]

This is an older post. My kittens are now 10 months old and they gobble up their wet/canned food! No worries about leaving it out! I give them canned food twice each day and leave out dry food for them. They’ve grown (they’re big kitties!) and look healthy and beautiful! Thank you!!!

[Lover of Animals]

Originally Posted by VioletandAsh

This is an older post. My kittens are now 10 months old and they gobble up their wet/canned food! No worries about leaving it out! I give them canned food twice each day and leave out dry food for them. They’ve grown (they’re big kitties!) and look healthy and beautiful! Thank you!!!

WONDERFUL! Even though this is an older post,I’m sure there’s plenty of people who might find it helpful.

[catsmom21]

Originally Posted by Lover of Animals

Yes,I think that is another reason pet parents choose to free feed a good quality dry food(Contrary to what some believe,there are some that meat is the first and primary ingredient and are healthy)is because they can’t always be there to feed them several times a day. You can safely leave dry food out for long periods of time where as you can’t leave wet food out for very long. A lot of pet parents offer wet in the morning,leave dry out during the day and then offer wet again in the evening which works well. Also,when they are older and can be left for short trips,naturally you have to use dry food which they are already accustomed to eating.

Meat being the first ingredient in bag of kibble means nothing. This is a list of ingredients before being processed, before the water is taken out. Meat is about 70% moisture, so when you take the moisture out, the amount of meat in that bag drops very much further down on the list.

There is no such thing as "good quality kibble". It is all high in carbs, triple processed at extremely high heat (leading to carcinogenic properties), difficult for a cat to digest, and so unbelievably deficient in the moisture a cat needs to thrive and remain healthy for life.

[catsmom21]

Originally Posted by VioletandAsh

This is an older post. My kittens are now 10 months old and they gobble up their wet/canned food! No worries about leaving it out! I give them canned food twice each day and leave out dry food for them. They’ve grown (they’re big kitties!) and look healthy and beautiful! Thank you!!!

I am very sorry to hear you've been giving them kibble. Not to mention leaving it out all the time. It's just so bad for them. Did you know kibble is coated with fats that start going rancid as soon as the bag is opened? And, the longer kibble sits in the bowl, the more bacteria and mold grows on it? Moisture makes that stuff grow even faster. Every time a cat eats from the dish their saliva gets all over the remaining kibble.

There are timed feeders for wet food that can be used if cats need a meal in the middle of the day, but once they are adults, three meals a day is sufficient and healthy for them.

Cats are not "grazers" by nature. Cows are grazers. Cats are predators. Strict obligate carnivore predators, designed to eat a diet high in meat and moisture, with little to no carbs. Kibble is usually between 30-40% carbs.

This high carb diet creates an unnaturally alkaline environment in the digestive tract and in the urinary tract. A cat's system is meant to be kept acidic, and a high meat protein, low carb diet keeps it that way. High carb diets, especially when dry, lead to many digestive problems and urinary tract and bladder and kidney issues.

Cats who "graze" all day long are not as healthy as you think. Digestion takes an enormous amount of energy from the body. A cat eating kibble all day long is constantly digesting. In the long term, this will lead to digestive problems down the road. Poor motility, constipation, vomiting to name a few.

All that energy that is being used to constantly digest the kibble is not being used in the other functions a body needs. This will affect the cat's long term health. The digestive system needs to rest, the cat needs to feel hunger with at least one 8-10 hour fast daily, to allow other functions to happen, including the moving of ingested fur through the system.

Fur doesn't empty into the bowel until the stomach has been empty for some hours and the cat begins to feel hunger again. Hunger stimulates pyloric emptying, meaning anything left in the stomach (such as ingested fur) after the digestive process is finished. If the cat is constantly nibbling, this never happens.

You'll notice that every complication I mention about kibble leads to digestive issues (among all the other health problems directly related to kibble diets).


And finally, they just feel better, when eating a species appropriate diet. You can notice that, by the differences you'll see when you get rid of the kibble.

I hope you will think more about all these things and get rid of the kibble.

[Lover of Animals]

Originally Posted by catsmom21

Meat being the first ingredient in bag of kibble means nothing. This is a list of ingredients before being processed, before the water is taken out. Meat is about 70% moisture, so when you take the moisture out, the amount of meat in that bag drops very much further down on the list.

There is no such thing as "good quality kibble". It is all high in carbs, triple processed at extremely high heat (leading to carcinogenic properties), difficult for a cat to digest, and so unbelievably deficient in the moisture a cat needs to thrive and remain healthy for life.

Sorry but I have to agreeably disagree.

[catsmom21]

Originally Posted by Lover of Animals

Sorry but I have to agreeably disagree.

Those are facts you quoted from me, not opinions. Ingredients are listed before processing. Meat is heavy when it's full of water. When you take the water out, the amount of meat is much less, and drops below the other undesirable ingredients.

And all kibble is high in carbs, which, as a strict obligate carnivore, is very bad for a cat. And all kibble is deficient in moisture, usually around 7-8%. A mouse, the cat's quintessential food, is 63 %.