What Should I Feed My Kitten?

sagrules on 04/01/2016 - 13:35

Hi All,

I recently got a short haired kitten (almost 8 weeks old) and its the first time I've owned a pet. I'm new to this and would like some suggestions from current pet owners on what they have fed or feed their kittens. Initially I fed him on Whiskas kitten food from the supermarket but have realised this is not good quality food and want something a bit more premium. I am thinking to purchase wellness core grain free cat food. But it costs around $36 for 910g of dry food and $3.29 (150g) each for the wet food.
http://www.petfoodreviews.com.au/dry-cat-food/wellness-core-…

Can you please recommend me some cheaper alternatives, can include human food. I heard that some people feed their cats on tuna cans but its not good for them long term due them developing some form of vitamin E deficiency.

General Discussion

Comments

  • Schema on 04/01/2016 - 13:36
    +9

    I'd suggest on feeding it some type of cat food.

    • airzone on 04/01/2016 - 14:25
      +1

      That's if you can pry it from a pensioner's hands!

  • scrimshaw on 04/01/2016 - 13:40
    +1

    There is a pretty big list of tips from RSPCA website
    http://kb.rspca.org.au/what-should-i-feed-my-kitten_267.html

    and of course, the one animal that Reddit likes the most in the animal kingdom, cats, has their own subreddit.
    https://www.reddit.com/r/cats

  • offal spokesman on 04/01/2016 - 13:44

    royal canin kitten food is probably best, as kittens they especially need high quality food to grow strong and healthy and prevent illness in the future.

    I help with a rescue organisation and we always recommend not to use "supermarket brands" if you can help it. Also, keep your cat inside and make sure it is desexed (please)

    If you want to adopt a dog or cat in WA, please contact S.A.F.E Avon Valley

    cheers

    • sagrules on 04/01/2016 - 13:58

      Thanks Offal, but I have looked into Royal Canin Kitten food and it's rated quite poorly compared (3/5)to the Wellness mentioned above (5/5). I have included the review here for your reference. http://www.petfoodreviews.com.au/dry-cat-food/royal-canin-ca…

      • 01011010 on 04/01/2016 - 14:04
        +1

        is this an ad for wellness? you've asked for cheaper alternatives, and when recommended something, you've only compared the rating according to a review website.

        • sagrules on 04/01/2016 - 14:20

          No its not an ad for wellness, but trying to compare like with like.

        • 01011010 on 04/01/2016 - 14:33

          @sagrules: so you want something cheaper, but the same quality or better?

  • Randxyz123 on 04/01/2016 - 14:02

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75PCq-Wcdhw

    Lol

    Seriously though… Have a chat to your vet and see what they recommend. You might be able to find that wellness food somewhere online for cheaper.

    Try petstock, pet barn, pet circle, discounted animal supplies, stefmar…. I'm sure there are more but they regularly have sales.

  • ano0321 on 04/01/2016 - 14:10

    At $36 for almost a kg, might as well cook them boiled chicken breast which is about 1/3 of that price…

    • sagrules on 04/01/2016 - 14:20

      Yeah I know, that is why I was asking for alternatives.

    • QuickToThePointless on 04/01/2016 - 14:26
      +1

      36$/kg is insane. Youll have to get a second job to pay for it.

      Just feed it roo meat and generic dry biscuits. My mum has a cat that is like 18 yrs old - thats all it eats. It has never been to the vet either

    • sagrules on 08/01/2016 - 11:00

      Thanks for the suggestion, I tried this yesterday and my kitten really liked it. Had to strip it to small pieces and warm it up a bit in microwave but he gobbled it all up pretty quickly.

      • ano0321 on 11/01/2016 - 16:17

        Great. Kittens are great with different food, once they grow up however… that's another story

  • endotherm on 04/01/2016 - 14:31
    +1

    This has been discussed here previously. Cats are carnivores. They get everything they need from meat. They don't need vegetables etc. Most additives in cat food including dried kibble aren't necessary and can actually be detrimental, they are usually added as filler and because it is cheaper for the manufacturer. I highly recommend minced kangaroo from a pet shop or good pet supply store; I used to buy 5kg bags for around $25.

    I fed my cat minced kangaroo daily for 18 years. I bought bulk 5kg bags for about $20-25. One serve (a good fistful, about 200g) in the morning. He also got the occasional sardines, chicken fillet, blue grenadier (fish), chicken necks, and chicken liver, but these were more treats. He also had unlimited kibble and water, and he only ate this when he was feeling peckish later in the day when he finished the meat. I find most cats will self-regulate their intake and not over-eat if they know there is always a plentiful supply of food. If they have to compete with a sibling, they tend to become greedy-guts! The important phase is when they are growing in the first two years or so. If you feed them unlimited food then, they will tend to grow into very large or fat animals. If you regulate it and restrict it a bit you can keep them to a good size and not become obese. My cat was about 8kg of muscle and was extremely healthy most of his life. Be aware that they are carnivores and in the wild eat nothing but protein from their small animal prey. The only vegetable matter they eat is whatever their prey ate and is still in their stomach. All the sales pitch of vegetables and other exotic ingredients sounds healthy (if you eat it) but it does little for the cat. It is really padding and bulking agents for the food so they don't have to supply more expensive meat products. More profit in it for them.

    This is the best info on cat nutrition: http://www.catinfo.org/ It is long but worth the read, there is a condensed version linked if you can't read it all.

    • sagrules on 04/01/2016 - 15:33

      Where do you buy the roo meat from?

      • QuickToThePointless on 04/01/2016 - 16:26

        Coles or woolies

      • endotherm on 04/01/2016 - 20:04

        You can get human grade roo meat from the supermarket (~$20/kg?), but you can get it cheaper from a pet food supplier. I used to get mine from a place in High Street, Thornbury, Victoria - E & A Salce, who supply Bulk Dog & Cat Food, Stockfeed, Fertilizers & Pet Care. It is brought in daily and looks nicer than the packaged stuff I see in the local Coles :). It's a bit strange in my mind finding such a place within 10 km of the CBD as I wouldn't think there was a lot of call for hay, horse feed and cattle stockfeed there. I would expect to find these places further out towards "farming country". Having said that, I can name a few places that sell feed and hay etc in the inner suburbs of Melbourne. I can't help with Sydney, sorry. Most pet stores I have been in have a refrigerated section with various meats for pets - roo, beef, veal etc. Roo meat is great because it is very lean and almost completely protein.

    • lenlynn on 04/01/2016 - 16:30

      Endotherm, would you have any tips for a fussy eater?

      I gave mine (3yo) minced kangaroo and he turned his nose up at the offering. He doesn't like raw meat and only seems to like cooked chicken.

      • endotherm on 04/01/2016 - 20:29
        +1

        The best way to adjust their behaviour is a little at a time. They are creatures of habit and they don't like change. They get stressed at a change of environment such as when you move house, usually because they are entering another animals territory and there is a bunch of unfamiliar scents to get accustomed to.

        Changing diet is the same. Keep feeding them what they are used to but add a small bit of the new food mixed in. If it is gradual enough they won't notice the new food and not baulk at the slightly changed taste. Slowly increase the ratio until you have swapped out one food for the other. If they are picking one food out of the mushed up bowl and leaving the rest, you are probably going too fast. I have changed a friend's cat from crappy canned food to pure meat and the cat couldn't change over fast enough, it took only a couple of days!

        I use the same trick toilet training cats — literally putting a bowl inside the toilet bowl containing cat litter, and get the cat used to going there. Then you gradually remove the litter over time so that there is less and less, and more toilet bowl visible. Eventually they are so used to going there, they don't care that there is no litter and just a watery void. There are inserts you can buy which you fill with litter and remove in stages to teach them this trick. http://www.catsofaustralia.com/cat-toilet.htm Fortunately I have multiple toilets in my house so I could afford to write one off during training. They won't flush for you but keep an eye open they don't use all the toilet paper. This cat and this one have worked out how to flush.

        • lenlynn on 07/01/2016 - 11:00

          Thanks for that Endotherm. Will try it. He's too pampered!

  • slow on 04/01/2016 - 14:40

    My cat eats Advance dry food, was recommend by a vet a while back (supplemented with occasional leftovers) and is still going strong at 17 years old. She has an endless supply and seems to know how much to eat, which is useful if we go away for a few days as we can just leave a full bowl. We also did wet food for a while, but they eat it so quickly and seem to be always hungry, and they then put on weight if you overfeed

    Once they get used to something it is hard to change to another type of food or brand. She won't touch any supermarket brand food

    http://www.mypetwarehouse.com.au/advance-cat-light-chicken-3…

    Oh and she eats grass as well, but apparently this is normal

    • Dave-o on 04/01/2016 - 14:50

      Despite popular belief, veterinary students cover very little on pet nutrition.

      Changing foods is certainly possible, but if a cat's used to a specific food he may get confused when given something different. A cat will never starve when there's food available.

      Does she eat grass to regurgitate?

    • endotherm on 04/01/2016 - 20:41

      Cats eat grass as a dietary aid, usually if they get a furball from grooming themselves. Think of it as feline quick-eze. You can buy small pots of it at Bunnings etc or grow it from seed. It helps to have two or three bowls of the stuff growing and rotate it indoors/outdoors to let it grow back, especially if the cat is exclusively an indoors pet.

  • Settero on 04/01/2016 - 14:48

    my cat , going on 12 years , has lived of whiskas dried + wet food… she has never had any issues , vet said she looked young for her age.
    im kinda skeptical about these expensive animal foods , when not needed for a specific purpose ( as in your animal is sick and need x in its diet that cheap foods do not have)

    is there a reason your cat needs , better quality food ?

    i do give her the odd can of tuna that i know i shouldn't ! but she oh so loves it.

    • sagrules on 04/01/2016 - 15:01

      Mainly to keep him healthy and have a shiny coat.

      • endotherm on 04/01/2016 - 20:48

        My breeder recommended this product for shiny coat and as a health supplement. You don't need a lot and just sprinkle a little over their food. They seem to love the taste too. It is getting a little harder to find now but the results were quite noticeable. You used to be able to get it at (human) health food stores, but the last time I could find it was from here.

  • Dave-o on 04/01/2016 - 14:58

    Firstly thank you for reading my reviews ;)

    Yep, Wellness (especially Wellness CORE) is very expensive. Have a look at Applaws for a decent lower cost option available in some supermarkets. You'll also find online retailers always seem to have offers on for particular brands. i.e. I just paid $20 for a 1.8kg bag of Canidae Grain Free at My Pet Warehouse with their recent Boxing Day sale (just over $11/kilo).

    Wet foods are great as they provide moisture, something often overlooked with dry foods yet vital for cats who commonly suffer from kidney problems in later years. Subsidising a diet with fresh meat is definitely worth doing, such as human grade lean meats and mince, or a chicken neck every few days which are very cheap - I buy a big pack and freeze them.

  • BuyoTheCat on 04/01/2016 - 15:06

    You might want to look at ways of starting him on raw food.

    • sagrules on 04/01/2016 - 15:11

      I gave him some raw beef pieces cut up so he could chew it. Wasn't sure if 8 weeks was too early to get him started on it? As I read that raw chicken wings should be given at around 12 weeks

      • BuyoTheCat on 04/01/2016 - 15:16

        I googled for information about starting my cat on raw food.

        This is one of the links I used.
        http://www.catinfo.org/?link=makingcatfood

        However my cat is a bit too old. He is intolerant to canned cat food. Now he is settling on poached chicken. I get chicken breast and I poached them for him. I add some rice and a bit og mushed up veg.

        raw chicken wings and chicken necks are a way for them to clean their teeth.

        • sagrules on 04/01/2016 - 15:35

          Thanks for that some useful information

  • Donaldhump on 04/01/2016 - 15:25

    food

  • Steptoe on 04/01/2016 - 15:26

    Subscribe to the Petbarn posts when they frequently have 25% off and free postage. Makes the cost of Wellness CORE bearable.

    • sagrules on 04/01/2016 - 15:34

      Thanks for that.

  • Younge on 04/01/2016 - 15:38

    I personally pick up Raw food from pet stock which is locally produced and leave https://www.petstock.com.au/cat/food?search%5Bcategory_url%5… out during the day.

    If you do your research the above brand uses LESS fillers and is highly respected. Everyone has their preference but i did notice my cat's fur was a lot smoother and she went to the toilet less on Raw food/Blachawke

    enjoy.

    • BuyoTheCat on 04/01/2016 - 16:01

      It is easier to start them on raw food when they are younger. I tried to start mine on it (12 yr old) with no success

  • Younge on 04/01/2016 - 16:23
    +2

    Another tip, with raw food try mixing it with warm water… my cat doesn't touch any of the raw food until it's a little wet!
    works every time.

  • try2bhelpful on 04/01/2016 - 22:27
    +1

    Congratulations on your new kitten. I hope your partnership is long and pleasurable.

    Apart from the food make sure it gets used to being gently handled and give it lots of play time. Get a scratching post to save your furniture.

    Kittens are just hilarious to watch. We bought our first cat a stuffed rat when he was 12 weeks old and he growled at it.

    Kittens need to be protected from drowing so keep the toilet seat down and watch pools of water.

    Give the little one a cuddle from me.

  • WT on 05/01/2016 - 11:18

    I would feed it anything edible at this stage. Our cat has a sensitive stomach and from an early age started to get fussy due to only feeding her expensive dry food due to her condition. She gets the cheap shit as a treat.

    You want your cat to eat anything you give it so start feeding it different stuff now.
    Dry food
    Wet food
    Raw meat
    Cooked meat

    They need to mentally get used to it, then you have a cat that eats like a dog. You can feed it left over bits like neck,wing tips and parsons etc from roast chickens. Mums (our family) cat is like this, why chuck it if the cat loves it. She also gets dry and wet food, the cheap shit like whiskas and is probably 15+ years.

    A long time ago my gf at the time had kittens and we kepts one, he was awsome and prob twice as smart as our cat when he was only 8 weeks, i used to feed him everything, everything, even hot curry!

    Lastly we use mainly proplan and buy a few bags when 20% off and stack another 20%. Brings 3kg bags down to about $28 ea

  • User167511 on 05/01/2016 - 16:46
    +1

    Conversely you could feed kitten meat to your pet roo!

  • tonka on 05/01/2016 - 19:36

    Do you have access to a Red Lea, ours has Chicken hearts and livers for around $5 a kilo which the cat loves and you can tell from it's energy levels after eating are good for it.

    Apart from that pet mince, try a few to check the quality, your cat will let you know too, roo seems pretty high protein.
    Some tinned cat food to give it some fish.
    Some dry food (for cats) to clean its teeth.
    Chicken liver (cat goes mad for it)
    Chicken Hearts

    If you want to give it milk, as far as I can tell the lactose free people milk is the same as Pets milk but much cheaper.

    Despite what people are saying cats do eat grass so you should grow some cat grass for them.
    Also a cats natural diet would be whole small rodents and birds which include bones for calcium, not sure how you would include that, my cat is around 20yo so I'm not too fussed but for a kitten I'd read up on it. Maybe the milk or maybe you could try putting chicken bones through a blender and see if you could come up with your own pet food.

    • endotherm on 05/01/2016 - 23:32

      I don't think anyone here was disputing the need for grass.

      For calcium, you are right, they can get it from milk, or chewing bones — just be careful they aren't fine fragile types that can shatter and get caught in their throat. Chicken necks are good because it is a suitable bone, and the cat gets a lot of exercise cleaning their teeth on the rough bony part. They can also get calcium supplement in the form of a powder sprinkled on their food (dolomite?).

      Be careful feeding them a lot of liver though. Liver is a very nutritious organ meat and should be present, but it should never be the main ingredient. It is very high in vitamin A and possibly D and you don't want to feed too much of those vitamins. It can prove fatal if they overdose. Muscle meat is preferred. Hearts are great. Roo is primarily muscle - I've never seen a fat one.

      For fish, I occasionally bought a small quantity of sardines at about $5 for half a kilo. A good source of fatty acids and bone.

      • tonka on 06/01/2016 - 01:51

        Where do you get the sardines?
        I find a noticeable difference in the cat after feeding it the hearts for a few days, takes years off it.

        Poor cat is around 20yo, has had 3 legs since it was a kitten and decided sleeping on top of a flywheel was a good idea, pretty sure it's mostly blind and it still comes running and yelling for it's dinner.

        It may also have dementia because it tends to demand to be fed even after it's just finished it's meal.

    • sagrules on 06/01/2016 - 11:20

      Thanks will go to the local butcher and see if they sell these. I also bought him the 1 L lactose free milk for cats/kittens. It was waste of time and money he didnt even touch the stuff. I even tried to give him small portions on a spoon but he didn't like it.

      • tonka on 06/01/2016 - 11:40

        Try warming the milk. Also if you are cooking eggs try mixing a little raw egg through the milk.

      • endotherm on 06/01/2016 - 23:12

        It might be that because milk is something new to it, it may take a while to get accustomed to it. Just keep trying. Technically cats are lactose intolerant and can't process the carbohydrate in milk. There is nothing wrong with using a little "normal" milk, and they probably prefer the fattier full milk variety. The worst you will get is they get the squirts if they have too much. My cat loved the stuff, but drank very little of it once I put it out. If it was left there for a couple of days and turned to yoghurt, he'd devour the lot!

      • SirFlibbled on 07/01/2016 - 10:54

        Cats like things at room temperature. If you're giving it to him cold that may be why.

        • sagrules on 07/01/2016 - 11:07

          I think you are right. I warmed up some water for him and gave it to him and he was much more receptive drinking from the syringe than previously. Still can't get him to drink from the bowl or small saucer though.

  • endotherm on 06/01/2016 - 03:26

    I get mine from my local grocery store, they have a fish section and often sell a tray of a dozen or two pre-packed and freshly gutted. I think it is an Italian/Mediterranean thing to fillet and cook your own, so they seem to have a regular supply seeing they are of that persuasion. I find my cats will devour 2 or 3 fish until they are full (bones and all, but avoiding the head), but will only keep eating them for two or three days straight until they went off them. I used to keep a few available and freeze the rest, breaking them out for a periodic treat. You can usually get them from fish mongers, and they are generally available at fish markets like Victoria Market and Preston Market in Vic.

    Demanding to be fed even after they have been fed is just what cats do! It just goes to show you that giving them the right diet gives them a pep in their step, just how humans respond to good food.

  • SirFlibbled on 06/01/2016 - 09:20

    Everyone is different. Some people feed their cats only dry food. Others only feed them wet food. I feed my cat a single can of wet food every night and give her a mixture of T/D and Grain Free dry food for her to eat at her leisure.

    My biggest advice is to make sure you buy your cat food which refers to a 'complete and balanced diet' on the label which are words they can only use if it means the cat can eat just that food and be healthy. For example, Dine and Purr (an exclusive Coles brand) are 'treats' and shouldn't be fed to your cat on a regular basis - which is a shame, my cat used to love Purr but I wont buy if for her now that I know it's not good for her. Try not to get sucked into marketing. Have a look at the ingredients on the back, they can often be very telling. Some 'flavours' of foods have the exact same ingredients just with a different flavour code. Expensive != better for the cat - see the above Dine example. One of the more expensive supermarket brands is not even a complete and balanced diet product.

    Beyond that, work out what sort of cat you have, is it a guzzler and will eat anything and everything or is it a grazer where it likes to eat things slowly. This will help you determine if you should be doing wet/dry foods (or a combination) and when you should feed them. Generally cats are dawn/dusk eaters so feeding should be around then.

    I let my cat out during the day and when I'm at home. She doesn't do much, pretty much goes outside, poops and falls asleep under a bush. But I've trained her to come in at dusk for dinner. This ritual has worked well for the last 13 years.

    • sagrules on 06/01/2016 - 11:22

      Sorry to hear about your cats injuries. I didn't know Dine was exclusive to Coles, my cat did like it as well. But I am trying to vary his diet by trying different things while he's young. He does also seem to like the grain free dry food that we bought him recently as well.

      • SirFlibbled on 06/01/2016 - 12:20

        My cat didn't get sick. I'm just saying that not all cat food is 'good' for the cat. Dine isn't exclusive to Coles, Purr is.

        In short -

        1- read the back of the package and only buy food which is a 'complete and balanced diet'. If it doesn't have these words, stay away.
        2 - don't get suckered into the marketing. Expensive does not mean it's better for the cat than cheaper alternatives. The example above is that Dine is a relatively expensive supermarket brand but it is not a complete and balanced diet and you should only feed it to the cat as a 'treat' on occasion. Fancy Feast which is a cheaper brand (and the only one my cat will eat) is a complete and balanced diet.
        3 - read the ingredients lists of the same product which claims to do different things. I once saw a couple of products in the same range - 1 was for furballs the other was for teeth cleaning. The ingredients were exactly the same except for the artificial flavours (you know how they say things like "Flavour 1234").

        • sagrules on 06/01/2016 - 15:18

          What about kitten versus adult food - is this also a marketing scam?

        • SirFlibbled on 06/01/2016 - 17:10

          @sagrules: Kitten food is fine. Just make sure it's a "complete and balanced diet"

        • sagrules on 06/01/2016 - 19:35

          @SirFlibbled:

          Do you mean exact wording: "100% Complete and balanced" or it's something else?

          I've noticed Kitten food is more expensive then Adult cat food.

          I've compared the contents of Whiskas Gold pouch with Salmon with the equivalent Whiskas pouch for adults cats and it's almost the same, but kitten one is 30% more expensive.

          Can I feed adult cat food to a kitten?

        • SirFlibbled on 06/01/2016 - 20:08

          @sagrules: They just stuck "100%" onto the wording which is fine.

          Kitten food has a few more calories and protein in it. But a kitten can eat adult food if you really want to.

  • zoe hart on 06/01/2016 - 14:07

    Try realsmart.com.au for cat trees. Their prices are about 1/3 of what they ask in pet shops, and frequently have sales. Get something with sisal rope for scratching and hammock to sleep in, or cubby hole and put a blanket inside to snuggle in.

  • sagrules on 07/01/2016 - 11:07

    Can anyone here recommend a good vet to get vaccinations done? Approx what price would I be looking at?
    Does anyone know if RSPCA or Cat shelter/association offer any of these services cheaper than normal vet (if at all)?

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