Feed 3 month old kittens. A kitten appeared in the house - what and how to feed it? How to tell if a diet is right for a kitten

What to feed a kitten? Most articles on the Internet on this topic indirectly or directly advertise expensive premium food. But let's face it: most families in our country cannot afford such luxury. And I want to have a fluffy pet at home. In addition, no matter how superb the food is, imagine the situation - you feed it to an animal all its life. Now think about it, would you like to eat the same canned food all your life? No? Why should a representative of the cat family suffer? He also wants variety in food. Plus feeding natural food closest to the type of nutrition genetically inherent in nature. Now let’s take a closer look at what to feed the kitten. And at the same time we’ll tell you a recipe for busy people.

Age 0-30 days

Anything can happen in life, and it is not uncommon for a baby to be left without breast milk. We will not describe all the possible reasons why this happened. Now the most important thing is to provide for the baby good nutrition for initial starting growth.

The most common mistake is to try to feed the kitten whole cow's milk during this period. They say that in villages they always gave it to cats to drink and nothing happened. And they omit a small clarification: adult cats, although a similar product is not recommended for them.

What to do? There are several ways out:

Buy cat milk replacer at a veterinary pharmacy.
Dilute clean boiled water cow's milk. The proportions are 2 to 3. That is, take 3 tablespoons of milk for 2 tablespoons of water.
Buy a pack of sugar-free baby formula. By the way, it will last a long time.
Find a cat nurse. But it is not a fact that she will accept the orphan.

As you can see, before one month old The baby will have to be fed from a syringe or pipette. Don't worry, time will fly by quickly and the next period will come.

Advice. Do not try to feed your kitten another food for up to a month, otherwise you will become a regular client of the veterinary clinic.

Age 30-90 days

As with any child, the time has come for a cat baby to introduce complementary foods. Just don’t pour everything into your kitten’s bowl at once. Try one thing first. Then watch the baby for a couple of days. Does the stool remain normal? Is the kitten cheerful, playful, and eats with appetite? So feel free to continue the experiment. At the slightest sign of depression or change in stool to a liquid state, stop giving complementary foods. Or replace the product with another one.

What to feed a kitten at this age:

raw meat (veal, chicken, horse meat, beef)
fermented milk products (cottage cheese, fermented baked milk, kefir)
porridge (buckwheat, oatmeal, millet)
boiled vegetables (carrots, zucchini)
boiled and raw egg yolks (chicken, quail)
by-products (liver, lung, heart)

The last two items are a rare delicacy, and not a permanent part of the menu. Because they are too difficult for the kitten’s still weak intestines to tolerate.

The general cooking rules are very simple:

Raw meat is thoroughly frozen, then scraped or ground in a meat grinder.
The same is done with offal.
Boiled meat is ground in a meat grinder and diluted with a small amount of broth until it becomes mushy.
Boiled yolk or cottage cheese is passed through a garlic press and diluted with low-fat kefir.
Porridge is cooked in water or diluted milk. Sugar and salt are not added.
Vegetables are boiled in water and ground into a paste. Or cut into very small cubes.

In principle, it will be easier for those who have cooked for their child. Because the menu is very similar, the preparation is also the same. The question arises: why grind? Because the kitten’s jaw apparatus is fully formed only by 3 months. Until this time, hard and large pieces of food are contraindicated.

Advice. Use a grater and garlic press. They are much easier to clean than a blender or meat grinder. And not everyone will agree to take out and assemble the unit for the sake of 30 g of food.

Age 90-150 days

At this point, the kitten's teeth and jaws are fully formed. Therefore, you can forget about the grater. But you'll have to pick up a knife. Because pieces that are too large will only be slobbered on and thoroughly chewed, but they will never get into the kitten’s stomach.

But now you don’t have to necessarily cook the meat and vegetable components of the menu. Of course, you will still have to cook the porridge, because kittens do not eat raw cereals. Raw fish is added to the diet. Strictly sea and boneless. River fish is contraindicated!

The milk is completely removed. It is replaced with low-fat cottage cheese or fermented milk products. You can give it sometimes egg white, and raw. But teenage kittens often become indifferent to eggs in general. But at this time, unexpected taste habits are formed. Therefore, it is very important now to diversify your pet’s menu as much as possible. Otherwise, he will get used to one product and simply ignore the rest.

By the way, there are many known cases when kittens after 3 months demanded completely non-cat products:

corn
chocolate
raw potatoes
sunflower seeds
fresh cucumbers
dried fruits

Every normal person understands that such nutrition does not contribute full development And good growth kitten Some make excuses by feeding the fluffy another candy: “Well, he loves it!”

You never know who loves it! But cats also have diabetes, obesity, urolithiasis and other human diseases. And they do not arise on their own. Domestic cats are fed by humans, which means that it is he who is to blame for the pet’s illness.

Do you want to pamper your kitten? Give him a prohibited non-cat product. But very little and very rarely. Let it remain a delicacy or a reward, but not a permanent menu item.

Age 150 days and older

Your kitten is no longer the same little one that appeared in the house. But it is not yet a fully grown animal. The frequency of feedings decreases, the size of the pieces increases. By the way, do not feed your kitten food from your table, at any age. Human food is too salty and fatty for animals.

What to feed the kitten now:

raw meat
fresh offal
sour milk
broths
raw sea fish
fresh vegetables

As a treat, you can give all kinds of cartilage and unsalted low-fat cheese. Any bones are strictly contraindicated! They are too sharp when chewed, and the fragments can injure the esophagus or stomach of even an adult animal, not to mention a baby.

By the way, you need to teach a kitten to eat in one place from a young age. It happens that the owners first pamper the baby, giving him pieces from their plate, and then chase the adult pet, which roams around the tables. So it’s your own fault!

What not to give to a kitten

Despite the fact that it has long been customary to feed cats certain foods, we still do not recommend taking risks and shortening the life of your pet. To prevent various diseases from appearing prematurely, you should not feed the kitten:

sausages, frankfurters and similar products
potatoes in any form
pasta
smoked meats
rice
mushrooms
canned food
bread
oil
sweets
tomatoes

Of course, nothing bad will happen from one piece. But if you systematically consume food from this list, your kitten will get a whole bunch of diseases and ailments, including fatal poisoning.

Recipe for very busy people

Not every person has enough time to prepare food for a kitten every day. What to do if sometimes after work there is practically no energy left for the kitchen? Grab the recipe and you’ll thank me later.

You will need:

meat grinder
cling film
4 parts chicken fillet or veal
1 part offal
1 part egg yolks
5 parts boiled cereal
3 parts boiled vegetables
free day off

Grind all this stuff in a meat grinder, then knead thoroughly. Now place a piece of mass on the spread cling film and cover it with another layer of film on top. Now take a rolling pin in your hands and roll out a thin cake. Then put it in the freezer along with the film. A few of these cakes - and your pet will be provided with food for a long time.

They came home from work and broke off a piece of the required size. Thawed in the microwave or naturally. Now you can feed the kitten.

Advice. Instead of flatbreads, you can roll out small meatballs. Just freeze them individually on a tray, and only then pour them into a freezer bag or container.

Water. The kitten should always have it within walking distance. Clean, first boiled, until about 3 months of age. Then you can give it raw. Just not straight from the tap! Let it sit for at least 6 hours, at the same time it will warm up to room temperature.

For a breastfeeding kitten, you can replace cow's milk with goat's milk. Just be sure to dilute it with water. Baby food should be prepared according to the instructions on the package, but the amount of water is doubled. A feeding syringe is taken without a needle and with a soft stroke of the piston, this will make it easier to dose the food so that the baby does not choke.

Up to 2 months for a kitten instead meat products can be given baby food from jars, pates and porridges. For older kids, such a menu is no longer necessary.

Don't let your pet overeat. Babies know no limits and will lap from the bowl as long as there is food in it. No doubt, the kitten, swollen like a balloon, is touching. But here are problems with digestion and trips to veterinary clinic no longer cause attacks of cuteness. For example, at the age of 1 week, 30 ml per feeding is enough. And at the age of 5 weeks - only 50 ml at a time. For kittens over 5 months old, the amount of food per feeding is calculated according to the scheme 200 g per 1 kg of live weight. That is, if a baby weighs 1.5 kg, then he needs 300 g of all food at one time, including liquid food.

If possible, purchase vitamin and mineral supplements from a veterinary pharmacy. Add them to your kitten's food periodically according to the instructions, at least until the age of 10 months. And you don’t have to splurge on foreign brands. Our industry produces a sufficient number of inexpensive and high-quality analogues.

You can often hear from some owners: “The soup is sour, I’ll pour it out for the cat.” I just want to say that they themselves should eat such rubbish. Still, a cat is far from a pig, and you shouldn’t feed it spoiled food. Otherwise you’ll be tortured to wash the tray. And it’s good if everything turns out to be simple diarrhea, and not more serious consequences.

And one more thing. Kittens of any age are not given legume products. They are not absorbed by the body at all.

What to feed a kitten? Imagine that this is not a fluffy squeaking creature, but a human baby. This is what you use to create your pet’s menu. Then you definitely won’t make a mistake or do any harm, and the purr will live with you happily ever after.

Video: what to feed a one-month-old kitten

Kirill Sysoev

Calloused hands never get bored!

Content

Families who decide to have a kitten take on great responsibility, because small pet needs proper care, on which its health depends. The main thing that needs to be done when bringing an animal into the house is to choose for it suitable diet nutrition.

How to feed a kitten at home

Self-feeding of an animal is permissible only if the mother cat has died or been lost. Before you start giving the kitten food, you should try to find another nurse (a recently lambed cat or even a small dog). If your search is unsuccessful, you need to provide the baby with suitable food yourself, and the food should be as similar in properties as possible to cat milk.

What to feed newborn kittens without a cat

The key to the health of the offspring of any animal is mother's milk, however, if the animal was separated from its mother early, it can be fed without this valuable product. What to feed kittens without a cat? Pet stores sell a special milk formula that should be given to babies for at least the first 10 days after birth. Regular cow's milk cannot be fed to kittens under 1 month of age, since their bodies are not able to digest it. This rule applies not only to British cats or other breeds, but also to ordinary cats.

How to feed kittens without a cat? It is worth giving food to newborn animals using a pipette or a special bottle with a nipple. In this case, the second option is more preferable, since the baby cat needs to be taught to suck - this is a natural reflex. Try giving formula in a bottle until the kitten is able to suck out food on its own; to do this, squeeze a few drops into his mouth and immediately apply the pacifier - a hungry animal will quickly understand what to do. In addition to the main food, you should give your baby warm, clean water from a syringe or pipette.

What to feed a week old kitten

During the first week of life, the animal needs to be fed every 2-3 hours, with additional feeding at night. If you don’t have a special bottle with a nipple, you can use a syringe without a needle for feeding, slowly squeezing the liquid out of it. What to feed a kitten? The best option- This is baby formula from a pet store. If desired, the product can be prepared independently by mixing:

50 ml natural cow's milk;
1/2 chicken egg;
15 g powdered cow's milk;
1 ml vegetable oil;
4 g grape sugar;
2.5 g dry yeast.

When preparing food for a newborn kitten, it is important to strictly adhere to the specified proportions, otherwise you can cause diarrhea or other digestive problems in the baby. A one-week-old cat cub should be given a mixture of 38 g of food per 100 g of weight. In this case, the food should be moderately warm. Two-week-old kittens are given 2-3 teaspoons of milk mass 5-6 times a day.

What to feed a one-month-old kitten

Starting from the age of three weeks, the animals develop an interest in adult food. At the age of one month, babies, as a rule, can safely eat from a bowl. What is the best way to feed a kitten? Many veterinarians agree that the most appropriate and healthy eating is natural food, not store-bought food, but not everyone shares this opinion. Canned cat food and dry food contain a lot of vitamins and useful substances, which are often absent from the pet’s home menu.

If you prefer natural food, you can give your month-old animal the following products:

semolina porridge with milk or water;
diluted milk powder or infant formula;
boiled or raw egg yolk (no more than once a day);
cottage cheese diluted with milk to a paste;
boiled vegetables;
meat broth;
chopped boiled beef, chicken, fish.

To avoid harm digestive tract animal, do not feed it with common table: smoked, salted and sweet food Contraindicated for kittens. Important tip veterinarians - for small kittens you need to grind the food with a blender and feed the animals at least 4 times a day. A one-month-old baby should eat 200 g of food per day. Don't forget that cats really need fresh and clean water, access to which must be constant.

There is no difference in feeding Abyssinian, Bengal, Siamese, Persian, Scottish, British fold or outbred cats. The only type of animal for which it is worth making an exception in the diet is hairless (sphinxes and others). For such breeds it is required increased content calories in the diet, which is due to the lack of fur: “naked” animals have to spend more energy on their own heating. The diet of hairless cats should be dominated by protein food– meat, eggs, cottage cheese, fish.

What to feed a two month old kitten

Starting from one and a half months of age, cats can be given soft varieties of cheese and goat milk, mixing with cow milk in a ratio of 4:1. In the absence of the latter, water is used. It is not advisable to give whole cow's milk to kittens, since this product is too heavy for fragile intestines. At 2 months, the animal should be fed 4 times a day in portions of 60-80 grams. What to feed a kitten:

lean boiled chicken meat;
boiled fish;
kefir/ryazhenka, sour cream, cream;
porridge with milk or water;
beef;
dry food soaked in water;
cottage cheese;
grated raw or boiled vegetables (zucchini, carrots, pumpkin, cabbage, greens);
raw yolk.

How to feed a kitten from three months and older

At this time, the animal is changing its teeth, so veterinarians advise introducing solid foods into the diet. At three months, babies can be given raw meat, while antihelminthic prophylaxis is regularly carried out. It is worth feeding a three-month or older kitten:

raw or boiled boneless fish;
raw or boiled meat without fat;
soft raw vegetables;
cottage cheese;
yogurt;
porridge with milk.

To raise three-month-old animals of any breed, be it Persian, Scottish or British Fold, you need to provide the babies with portions of about 100-120 g, which are given three times a day. Grown-up kittens begin to ask for food themselves, and they quickly become full and do not overeat. Animals are allowed to eat meat with bones - cats should regularly consume hard food for dental health.

Which food is better for kittens - dry or wet?

Opinions different specialists They don’t agree on the issue of artificial food: there are many pros and cons of such a diet. Each owner makes his own decision regarding the diet of his beloved pet and, if you prefer special canned food or dry pads, you must choose what food to feed the kitten. There is no significant difference between the two types of food for cats, however, there are more cases of animal poisoning among those who eat canned food.

Proper feeding of a kitten - important factor maintaining health and appearance. Balanced diet will avoid the development various diseases. The pet will actively grow and develop, turning into a healthy, active animal with beautiful fur. Let's look at what you can feed little kitten at home.

In caring for a kitten special attention pay attention to nutrition. First of all, you must follow the basic feeding rules:

The transition to “adult” food should be gradual.
You cannot force food; the kitten must start eating on its own.
Introduce a new product to the menu no more often than every 3-4 days.
For a small kitten whose teeth have not yet erupted, prepare mushy food by grinding the food in a blender.
Dilute food that is too dry with water. This will avoid stomach upset.
Food should be at room temperature (neither cold nor hot).
You cannot mix the types of feeding kittens (dry food or natural products).
Monitor your baby's weight; he should gain about 100 g per week. If necessary, reduce or increase the amount of food or its calorie content.

It is correct to feed the kitten several times a day; portions should be small. Feeding frequency depends on age:

up to 2 weeks - 10 times a day, including at night;
2-4 weeks - 8 times, including night feedings;
1-2 months - 7 times a day (no need to feed at night);
2-3 months - 6 times;
4-5 months - 5 times;
5-9 months - 4 times;
9-12 months - up to 3 times;
from 1 year - 2 times a day (with an interval of 12 hours).

What to feed kittens up to one month

Kittens left without a mother cat are fed using a pipette, a syringe without a needle, or a bottle with a nipple (the latter option is more preferable). For feeding, purchase a special milk formula from a pet store. Regular cow's milk is not suitable for kittens under one month of age. You can dilute powdered milk or baby formula.

You can prepare your kitten’s food yourself; for this you will need:

goat or cow's milk - 25 ml;
powdered milk - 5 g;
glucose - 2 g;
fortified supplement - a few drops.

The mixture should be slightly warm. The daily amount depends on age:

from 1 to 4 days - 30 ml per 100 g of kitten weight;
5-13 days - 38 ml/100 g;
14-24 days - 46 ml/100 g;
from 25-35 days - 53 ml/100 g.

In addition to the main food, give your baby warm, clean water during the day.

If the kittens are feeding mother's milk, starting from the age of 3 weeks, you can give them complementary foods. This can be: milk formula, cream, fermented milk products, baby meat and meat-vegetable purees. The first portions should not be more than 5-10 grams per day, then gradually increase them.

What to feed one-month-old kittens

Month-old kittens need to be gradually accustomed to the food that adult animals eat. Include the following foods in your diet:

semolina, oatmeal with milk or water;
egg yolk (boiled or raw);
cottage cheese (diluted with milk to a mushy state);
sour cream, cream;
boiled vegetables (carrots, zucchini, pumpkin);
chopped boiled meat (beef, poultry);
boiled sea fish (hake, pollock, cod) without bones, cut into small pieces.

If a kitten grows up without a cat, give him goat milk, which must be mixed with water in a ratio of 4:1. It is not advisable to feed whole cows. It is better to replace it with a mixture or powdered milk diluted with warm water.

Daily food intake for one month old kitten should be approximately 120 g. Starting from the age of 1.5 months, add soft varieties of cheese to your diet. Vitamin and mineral supplements are also necessary, they provide normal development bone and muscular systems, strengthen the immune system, improve the quality of wool. To select the most suitable drugs It is better to seek advice from a veterinarian.

What to feed kittens at 2 months

The diet of kittens at 2 months is almost the same as for one-month-old babies. Gradually increase the amount of solid food. Feed boiled meat along with porridge (oatmeal, buckwheat, rice), mixing in a 2:1 ratio. Cereals can be cooked in vegetable or meat broth, on water or milk.

Include beef and chicken offal in your menu (only in boiled form); they are given 2-3 times a week. Mix cottage cheese with sour cream. Carrots, pumpkin, cabbage and zucchini can be fed raw. Pre-grate the vegetables and add vegetable oil or sour cream. You can give finely chopped greens, grass, sprouted oats. To keep your coat beautiful, add brewer's yeast and vegetable oil to your diet.

Control the amount of food; kittens at this age are prone to overeating. The daily amount of food is 160-180 g. There should always be fresh drinking water in a separate bowl.

What to feed kittens at 3-4 months

Let's look at how to feed kittens at 3-4 months. At this age, their teeth change, so solid foods should be included in the menu. Porridges should be thicker. Meat can be given raw (in small quantities). Pre-freeze it, and after thawing, finely chop and scald with boiling water. Gradually increase the number and size of pieces. Always feed raw meat separately (as a separate dish).

The diet should be varied; you cannot feed your pet only meat and fish, or only cereals. Quantity fermented milk products reduce the diet to one-fourth, eliminate whole milk completely. The daily amount of food should be 180-210 g.

What can you feed kittens at 3-4 months:

lean meat, offal;
sea fish (boiled, boneless);
fermented milk drinks and products;
vegetables (pumpkin, zucchini, cabbage, carrots), raw (grated) or boiled;
egg yolk (raw or boiled);
porridge (rice, buckwheat, oatmeal, semolina).

Kittens aged 5 months and older are fed the same foods. Increase the amount of protein in your diet, which is especially necessary during active growth. The daily portion of meat and offal should be at least 60-80 g, the total volume of food should be 210-240 g.

Ready-made food for kittens

Kittens can be fed ready-made food - dry or canned (canned). Veterinarians do not advise buying cheap diets; such nutrition leads to serious illnesses liver, kidneys. It is better to choose premium or super-premium food (Hills, Nutro Choice, Iams, Royal Canin, Purina Pro Plan, etc.).

There are special diets for kittens in each line; pets are transferred to the “adult” menu at 8-10 months. or from 1 year. The diet is selected taking into account the age, weight and breed characteristics of the animal. To decide which food is best to feed your kitten, you can first consult with a veterinarian or breeder.

During the day, it is allowed to give both granules and canned food, if they are of the same brand. Canned food can account for 25-50% of daily ration. However, experts consider such feeding undesirable. The point is that gastrointestinal tract animal adapts to certain type food, and all changes in diet can cause indigestion.

Kittens are accustomed to dry food at the age of 1 month. Babies continue to drink mother's milk, and only supplement with granules. Give the kittens the food you decide to use in the future. Change rulers ready-made rations not recommended (only in as a last resort). For the first feedings, soak the granules in water.

Feeding a 3-4 month old kitten with dry food will be quite simple; you can simply pour the daily portion into a bowl. At this age, pets can independently control the amount they eat. With this method of feeding, be sure to provide the kitten with access to fresh drinking water.

If the diet is chosen correctly, the pet will be healthy and active, its coat will become shiny and silky. Proper nutrition will allow you to maintain a constant weight of the kitten and avoid the development of obesity. Fatness is considered optimal when the ribs are not visible, but can be easily felt with your fingers.

What not to give to kittens

The diet should not include hazardous or undesirable foods. You should absolutely not give your kitten the following foods:

Fresh meat. May cause helminthiasis.
Pork. Leads to the development of liver cirrhosis, pancreatitis, chronic renal failure. May provoke unwanted reactions(gastrointestinal disorder, allergies).
Smoked, spicy, fatty foods. Causes inflammatory diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, dysbacteriosis.
Sausages, any food from the table. Contains spices and salt that are harmful to the kitten.
Onions, garlic. Poisonous in any form.
Sweets. The most dangerous is chocolate, which is a powerful poison.
Bones. They damage the esophagus and can cause internal bleeding.
Economy class dry food. Lead to the development of various diseases, incl. urolithiasis.

Some products may cause negative consequences Therefore, such food is given with caution or completely excluded from the diet. These include:

Fish. Too much content in the diet provokes the development of urolithiasis. This product is contraindicated for kittens under one month of age. river fish It cannot be given, it causes infection with helminths.
Liver of animals and birds. Too much frequent use may cause hypervitaminosis of vitamins A and D.
Milk, flour products, potatoes, legumes. Causes gastrointestinal upset.

Consequences of poor nutrition

Improper feeding of a kitten can provoke serious problems with health. Imbalance nutrients often leads to the development of diseases:

Diabetes mellitus. Causes development pathological processes in all organs and systems of the body, which leads to death.
Nutritional secondary hypoparathyroidism. Consequences: growth and development disorders, lameness, gastrointestinal disorders, neurological symptoms.
Food allergies. The main symptoms are: dermatitis, hair loss, digestive disorders.
Avitaminosis. Weakens the immune system, the kitten often gets sick. Metabolism is disrupted and wool quality deteriorates. Vitamin deficiency often causes rickets, irreversible changes in the musculoskeletal system.

Some products can cause severe poisoning. This condition often causes the death of a pet.

A cat's childhood is much more fleeting than that of a human, because the life expectancy of furry pets is also much shorter. Sometimes the owner who adopted a kitten from a shelter or from harsh street conditions cannot accurately determine the age of the little family member. This creates certain inconveniences because proper care, providing treatment and entertainment for a pet often depends on the degree of its natural development.

Fortunately, most owners of tailed babies know when they were born and even opened their eyes. Experts advise taking into account the age of the kitten both when organizing nutrition and necessary medical procedures, and when training pets. If a small family member is developmentally behind the generally accepted age standards, this may indicate various pathologies and diseases.

Let's consider the features of kitten development in different weeks their lives.

First week

Many people think this short period the most touching thing in a baby's life. The kitten is born completely helpless: it is blind, does not hear anything and navigates the new world only by smells. By the way, studies have shown that among thousands of other fragrances small cat or a cat has ways to smell its mother, who at that moment in life for the kitten is not only the closest creature, but also a source of nutrition and care. The kitten does not yet know how to eat on its own, so usually the animal, together with its brothers and sisters, is on breastfeeding at mom's.

The babies also don’t go to the toilet yet - the cat licks them. The kitten's fur is thin, so it often gets cold and needs to be warmed near its mother. The bones are also not yet strong, so it is not recommended to pick up, hug, or actively play with very small pets. A newborn cat baby weighs only about 100 grams and reaches a length of up to 10 centimeters. Like human babies, feline heirs mostly eat and sleep in early childhood, during which time time occurs. active development their body, including the nervous system.

At the age of three days, the kitten loses its umbilical cord, and at five days the baby can already hear the world around us . Very small pets do not yet stand on their legs, but can already crawl around the room for short distances.

At the age of two weeks, the kitten already weighs up to two hundred grams, it develops good hearing, but it is still difficult for the animal to determine the source of the sound. During the same period, the baby’s eyes open, but he still sees vaguely and cannot navigate in space based on the information received by vision. The kitten's fur becomes thicker and thermoregulation improves. The little pet is not yet able to walk, but he spends much more time in a state of wakefulness.

Third week

The kitten grows and gets better, its bones become stronger, its vision improves, although the baby still cannot see like adult cats. It is still difficult to stand firmly on its paws, but the little family member is making more and more attempts to move in space not by crawling, but at least with short and timid steps. At this age, a kitten can already survive without its mother, if a person provides a growing animal necessary care. The baby's first teeth begin to appear.

Fourth week

By the end of the first month after birth, the kitten has acquired a sufficient number of baby teeth to begin complementary feeding. At first, food should be added in doses, in small portions. The baby should also be given constant access to water.

During this period of its development, a small family member already actively plays with other kittens, copies the behavior of an adult cat and interacts with humans. The pet’s gait is still unsteady, but he is running around the apartment with all his might and exploring the world. At this age, the kitten can already be trained to use a litter box; it is advisable to place it close to the place where the cat lives with her young offspring. At this time, helminthization can already be carried out.

After a month, babies are often separated from their mother and given to new owners, although experts recommend waiting a little longer so that the kitten can spend more time with adult and formed good habits and habits. At this age, the pet is usually transferred to dry food, canned food and natural food. True, when creating a menu you still need to take into account that pet He is still very young and not everything that is acceptable for adult animals suits him. By the fifth week, the cat practically stops breastfeeding her kittens., basically leaving only night meals of this nature. Little pets at this time still sleep a lot compared to their waking hours, but during their active time the kittens run around the apartment like clockwork, playing and playing pranks, not knowing peace and rest. Family members need to get used to caution and prudence, otherwise there is a risk of crushing the young mischief-maker.

A kitten’s eyes at this age transform from pale blue to green, gray or others, but it will be possible to finally name the color of the iris only after reaching one year old. At the same time, the baby’s coat also changes: it acquires recognizable features of the breed or becomes similar to the parent’s.

Sixth to eighth week

At one and a half months, the little animal already successfully repeats the daily routine procedures of adults in everything. The baby washes himself, goes to the litter box, plays, and can also eat solid food if it was gradually introduced into the diet earlier. However, the growing cat still has a lot to learn from its mother. For example, hunting skills, which throughout evolution were needed by animals in the wild. Alas, such strong instincts also manifest themselves in a city apartment, so there is no need to let your guard down.

Now is also the time to think about a scratching post., which will save furniture and wallpaper from the merciless attacks of a growing predator. By this age, the baby’s vision has reached a fairly good quality, coordination is also close to that of an adult, but some uncertainty in movements still sometimes manifests itself.

A kitten of this age still needs to be fed frequently—five times a day. The menu should be balanced and contain different components from which you can get everything essential vitamins, minerals and other useful things. It is advisable to take the little inhabitant of the house to the veterinary clinic for the first examination.

Two months

An older pet can already get everything it needs from non-dairy food, but out of habit, the kitten still attaches itself to its mother’s breast. This calms the baby. He can already show his excellent mood by rumbling.

This period of life becomes very active for the kitten - he gets into any unlocked door, plays with every trinket accidentally left on the floor or on the table. It is necessary to tightly lock the entrance and balcony doors, since the desire to explore the world can sometimes lead to dire consequences.

Three months

A three-month-old kitten is already a fully formed member of animal society, with its own advantages and disadvantages. Experts believe that by this age the animal’s character has developed and it will be quite difficult to influence its behavior and habits.

The animal is already freely oriented in its home, can, if desired, find the mother, the tray, and also the feeding place. Many kittens respond to nicknames. The animal can now be relocated to new owners.

Four to seven months

The kitten is already growing more slowly, its length and weight may vary depending on the breed. The young pet is more reminiscent adult cat and a cat, not a helpless baby. Milk teeth are replaced by molars. At the age of seven months the animal reaches sexual maturity. The boys are marking their territory. Girls may go into heat, but sometimes this happens later.

Eight months to a year

Such an animal can no longer be called a baby - it is a full-fledged individual, ready to adult life. Although cats and kittens at this age already experience strong sexual desire, mating of such young pets is undesirable, there is a risk of unhealthy offspring.

The activity of pets is declining, although games and cognition environment continue. By the age of one year, the animal’s body is absolutely ready for adult food.

WITH early childhood. “We will feed you from the table” or “Keeping a cat does not require material costs” - statements of people with extreme ignorance and irresponsibility towards animals. The first thing you need to understand is that a kitten is a child who needs complete and high-quality nutrition. So that the statements do not seem unfounded, let’s consider how to properly feed a kitten and the animal’s primary needs.

Cereals

Although not the basis of the diet, it is still an important part of it. Buckwheat and rice groats are suitable for preparing porridge. Wheat, corn, and even more so semolina Not suitable for feeding cats.

Vegetables

At the request of the cat, add grated raw or boiled vegetables. Be prepared for the fact that after eating vegetables, the animal’s stool will be softer than the “standard” - plant food It is not completely digested, but serves as a source of vitamins. Read the composition ready-made feed, avoid feeding corn, peas and other legumes. Potatoes, enough controversial product, is a source of starch, but is not recommended by many breeders and veterinarians due to possible problems with digestion.