The kitten is 3 months old on natural food. A kitten appeared in the house - what and how to feed it? What to feed newborn kittens without a cat

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

If your cat wishes, add grated raw or boiled vegetables to the food. 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.

With the advent little kitten, the house is filled not only with a good mood, laughter and fun, but also with worries. For your tomboy to remain as perky and cheerful, he needs proper nutrition. Proper nutrition is not only the key to the health and longevity of your pet, it is also yours. good mood. Therefore loving and caring owner three one month old kitten must follow the following rules:

A three-month-old kitten should be fed 4 times a day, the volume of each serving is 180-220 grams.
Stop co feeding dairy products and milk porridges (lactose contained in large quantities in cow's milk, is practically not digested in the gastrointestinal tract of cats, which leads to serious digestive disorders).
Include in diet dairy products (kefir, sour cream, cottage cheese, cheese) and cream. The lactose content in them is much lower, but useful for growth minerals enough.
Meat products, These are the foods that are most easily and quickly digested in the cat’s body, so the kitten’s diet must include meat. Wherein daily diet kitten should consist of 30 grams raw meat. Use frozen meat; scald it with boiling water before eating. Cut the meat into cubes; it is better not to give minced meat to kittens, as some of it passes into the intestines undigested. Meat waste (liver, heart, kidneys, udder, spleen) is good for kittens and cats, but it is better to give it to your pets boiled, so you will reduce the risk of helminth infection. Most daily ration The kitten consists of boiled meat products, so that it does not cause constipation, combine them with vegetables.
It is best not to include fatty meats (pork, duck, goose) in a kitten’s diet; excess fat has a bad effect on digestion.
Bones Kittens should be given it, it is necessary for correct formation bite, and also helps the change of baby teeth. But keep in mind that tubular bones (chicken, rabbits, etc.) are not suitable for these purposes. It should also be remembered that the number of bones should be limited; their excess in the kitten’s diet leads to intestinal blockage and damage to the stomach.
Fish It should be present in the kittens’ diet once a week. It is best if it is boiled and from the ocean. Raw fish can only be given to kittens if it has been deep frozen. river fish It’s better not to give it to cats at all, especially raw food (it contains a lot of helminths and bones that are dangerous for cats). On a note: fish is almost completely excluded from the diet of castrated cats.
You should train your kitten to eat raw vegetables , this will relieve him of constipation problems. Cats brush their teeth by eating raw vegetables.
Once a week the kitten should be given a raw egg, it can be mixed with something or offered as an omelet.
Minerals It is best to buy what your kitten needs at a pet pharmacy.

Development of a newborn kitten: Newborn kittens photo A newborn kitten is born weighing 80-120 grams, the size of kittens at birth is body length about 9-12 cm. Newborn kittens during this period are absolutely helpless, they are blind, deaf, and do not know how to regulate temperature regime. Newborn kittens have no undercoat, the fur is thin, weak and does not warm at all. Newborn british kitten photo Kittens do not know how to stand on lamps, their bones are very fragile, so babies require special care. At this time, sleep and kittens are almost inseparable concepts. Newborn kittens sleep almost constantly and eat a lot and often. Kittens need sleep for further development. nervous system. Newborn kittens also cannot defecate on their own; the mother cat licks their genitals and eats their feces. What is really well developed in newborn kittens is their sense of smell and touch; they easily find their mother’s nipples, fingering them with their paws, sucking and, thereby, stimulating further milk production. Newborn Scottish Straight kittens During this period, it is better not to touch the kittens at all, just monitor their weight. Kittens should add it daily (about 10-20 grams per day), if the kitten is growing, then everything is fine. Photo of a newborn fold kitten Scottish fold Things to take care of:

Set up a box for a cat with newborn kittens. It should be warm and dry there. The bedding should be changed (it is advisable to use white sheets to track the color of the mother cat’s discharge), because The cat will have discharge. Also, if necessary, you can put a heating pad.
Cat food. It should be plentiful and balanced; food is a must for nursing cats. Food and water must be in free access, next to the nest box. It is also recommended to place a tray here.

Cats are by nature excellent mothers and may not leave the box for a whole week, so it is important that newborn kittens have enough milk. In the first days, the cat produces colostrum (very fatty, nutritious milk, which has antibodies, thanks to which kittens develop lasting immunity).

Photo of a newborn kitten If there are a lot of kittens, be sure to make sure that each newborn kitten gets its good portion.

Newborn Scottish Fold kittens The development of kittens after birth (the development of newborn kittens) is very active, so the first week can be scheduled day by day.

Kittens - development by day:

1-2 days after birth, a newborn kitten only sucks milk and sleeps. After 3-4 days, the kitten’s umbilical cord heals and falls off. After 4-5 days, the kitten’s hearing begins to develop, and you can already observe how it begins to react to loud sounds.

How long do kittens sleep?

Why does the kitten sleep all day?

Kitten sleep If it seems to you that the kitten sleeps all the time, this is most likely normal, do not worry right away. In the first week, the kitten sleeps about 22 hours a day. Just weigh the kitten daily - this is the best indicator that everything is fine with the baby.

A newborn kitten sleeps How much a kitten should sleep, he decides for himself, however, if the kitten sleeps constantly and does not gain weight, first of all, pay attention to whether the kitten has enough free nipple (this often happens if there are 5 or more kittens in a litter), if the kitten is weak or the last born, apply it to the cat more often and do not let other kittens chase it away. If in this case the kitten behaves sluggishly and does not recover, contact your veterinarian. Kittens from birth to one month change greatly both in appearance and development, and it is important to pay close attention to this in each period. Newborn kittens in the photo, look in the pictures.

So, a tiny bundle of happiness with huge eyes and a stomach no bigger than a thimble has appeared in your house. Surely the fluffy miracle has already made you understand that now it is... main member families, constantly meowing and asking for food. But what to feed a small one-month-old kitten at home and how to choose a balanced diet for him?

The importance of proper nutrition

If you have a small pet, you need to have an idea of how to properly and effectively feed a kitten in order to raise a healthy and happy animal.

Absence balanced nutrition affects the development and growth of the baby, can lead to physical disabilities, problems of internal organs and even death.

If the food is not selected correctly, this can lead to an allergic reaction in the young body, which can also affect the growth of the animal.

In turn, we must not forget about the baby’s feeding schedule, which differs from the feeding schedule of adult cats. Did you know? Not all cats can boast of the ability to hunt rodents. But those who regularly eat mice replenish their body big amount

trace elements such as sulfur, which contributes to the health and beauty of the fur of baleen hunters.

Basic feeding rules

It is recommended to gradually start introducing complementary foods to your baby 3-4 weeks after birth. The first thing you need to figure out is how often, what and how much to feed the kittens.

How often should I feed? When the little cat reaches four weeks of age, except mother's milk

, he is entitled to additional feeding from 4 to 7 times a day. But if the kitten is deprived breastfeeding , That:

you need to feed him according to the schedule
at the age of up to 2 weeks - 10 meals a day, along with night feedings;
at 1 month - 8 meals a day, along with night feedings;
2-3 months – meals 6 times/day;
4-5 months – feeding 5 times/day;
5-9 months – 4 times/day;
9-12 months – up to 3 times/day;
kittens from 1 year of age are fed twice a day (approximately every 12 hours).

What to feed?

Before feeding a kitten at 1-2 months, which switches to home feeding or later, when he has completely switched to complementary feeding, you need to make sure that the food is at room temperature (they should not be given too hot or, conversely, cold food).

The consistency of cat food should be mushy, without any hard pieces. In the diet of little ones "mustachioed-striped"may be included:

lean meat - raw, boiled, scalded or frozen should make up from 60 to 80% of the daily diet;
liver – should be on the menu once every 2 weeks;
porridge - as an additive to meat, mixed in a ratio of 1:2;
egg yolk– It is recommended to give it raw to the kitten once every 7 days. Quail eggs are more preferable in terms of the composition of microelements, moreover, they can be given whole, without being separated from the protein;
low-fat fermented milk products - sour cream, kefir, yogurt or cottage cheese;
fresh or boiled vegetables;
Vaseline oil;
Brewer's yeast.

In turn, we must not forget about the baby’s feeding schedule, which differs from the feeding schedule of adult cats. Cats cannot stand the smell of citrus fruits and are indifferent to the taste of sweets. You should also avoid feeding kittens dog food, which contains much higher protein levels.

How much to feed?

In different time periods The baby should receive the appropriate amount of food for his weight:

1 week of life – 30 ml/100 g of animal weight;
2 weeks of life – 38 ml/100 g of weight;
3 week – 48 ml/100 g of weight;
from 4 weeks – 48-53 ml/100 g kitten weight.

Thus, daily norm young cats should be:

1.5 months of life – 120 g of food per day;
2 months – up to 180 g of food per day;
3-6 months period active growth– 180-240 g (quantity meat product must be at least 40 g);
6-9 months – 180 g of food per day;
10-12 months – 150-200 g of food.

It happens that kittens are left without breast milk. In such cases, in addition to providing a warm, cozy incubator place, you need to know how to feed a kitten up to 1 month old that is left without a mother.

The first and most important point How to replace breast milk:

It would be ideal for the baby to find a nursing cat;
cat milk replacer purchased at any pet store;
diluted infant formula;
goat milk.

Important! Veterinarians categorically do not recommend giving kittens whole cow's milk, which is not absorbed by the young body and can lead to the death of the animal.

The necessary conditions feeding:

the mixture should be heated to a temperature of 36°C;
dishes for artificial feeding must be sterile;
It is more convenient to carry out feeding using a pipette or syringe. A little later, when the pet is a little older, you can use a bottle with a silicone nipple for newborns;
the baby should be tummy down, in a natural position, with his hind legs tucked under him;
The head should not be thrown back during feeding. To do this, the container with the mixture must be held at an angle;
There is no need to put pressure on the bottle of food when feeding - this can affect the sucking reflex, in addition, the liquid can get into the respiratory tract;
Lightly stroking the tummy after feeding will help improve intestinal motility;
You can store food for no more than a day in the refrigerator;
You need to feed the baby for at least five minutes, until signs of satiety appear, such as sluggish sucking, calmness and falling asleep;
If a fluffy refuses to eat the dosage required for his age, there is no need to force him, you can simply increase the number of feedings.

Features of preparing a diet by month

As it grows small cat, he needs to gradually introduce lumpy solid food into his diet, which they themselves begin to show interest in after a month.

2-4 months

From two months, when they are teething, it will be useful to give meat and vegetables. During the period of rapid growth and formation of bone tissue and gastrointestinal tract, kittens need to be given food, rich in vitamins and proteins.

Important! All new products must be introduced into the kitten’s diet gradually, first in small portions, bringing them to the required norm in one week. It is imperative to monitor the reaction of your pet’s body and its behavior.

4-6 months

During this period, your mustachioed friend begins to actively gain weight, so you need to add foods to your diet that help increase muscle mass.
The kitten's jaw, formed by this age, is already capable of processing meat cut into pieces.

As for fermented milk products, rich in lacto- and bifidobacteria, as well as calcium, you can include yoghurt or fermented baked milk in the menu.

6-10 months

The daily number of feedings during this period decreases markedly. Growth activity stops a little, but the pet’s taste preferences are clearly formed.
The main thing is not to spoil your pet, who persistently asks for sausage from the table. Better time From time to time treat him with low-fat sea fish.

Properly selected products will guarantee the kitten’s health and good mood.

There are a number of foods that are acceptable and contraindicated for feeding small pets.

What is possible

Products that should be on the menu of a healthy mustachioed baby are given in the table:

Product	Frequency of application
Veal, raw or frozen	Once a day
Boiled boneless chicken	Few times a week
Beef or chicken by-products - liver, kidneys, heart, lungs, raw or cooked.	Few times a week. Liver no more than once a week.
Boiled, low-fat sea fish without bones. Raw fish can cause worms.	After 10 months no more than 1 time per week
Boiled or raw egg yolk in pure form or mixed with other products.	Up to 2 times a week
Milk (not cow's) is required for up to 3 months.	Every day. If dysbiosis is observed, change to fermented milk products
Liquid milk porridges for up to 3 months - oatmeal, semolina, rice, without added sugar.	Every day
Low-fat fermented milk products (sour cream, kefir, fermented baked milk, cream or pure yogurt) and hard cheese.	Every day. You can have cheese once a week
Low-fat cottage cheese, can be mixed with yolk or sour cream	Few times a week
Cereals (rice, buckwheat, oatmeal, wheat cereal) with boiled meat in proportion 1:2	Few times a week
Vegetable purees from raw or cooked foods ( cauliflower, carrot, black Eyed Peas) with boiled meat in a ratio of 1:2	Few times a week
Greens (spinach, lettuce) can be chopped and mixed with the main food. Sprouted grains and wheat or oat grass	Few times a week. If the grass grows in a place accessible to the kitten, he himself controls the process of its consumption
Brewer's yeast (can be purchased at the pharmacy)	Few times a week
A few drops of vegetable oil can be added to food	In one day
Mineral and vitamin complexes	Every day
Clean fresh water	Always

class="table-bordered">

What not to do

There are foods that are strictly prohibited by veterinarians for consumption by kittens:

Product	Why is it dangerous?
Raw meat poultry, pork and lamb	The product may be contaminated with worms or other infectious diseases. In addition, pork and lamb are extremely fatty, and small organism can't cope with their absorption
Fish and chicken bones	Sharp parts may cause damage internal organs kitten
Sugar and sugar-containing products (cakes, pastries, chocolate, candies, etc.)	The immune system weakens, leading to metabolic problems, a sign of which may be dull fur of the animal
Salt and spices	Such products settle in the kittens’ bodies, leading to problems with the liver, kidneys and stomach.
Human sausages or canned food. Fried, spicy, smoked dishes	They disrupt the animal’s metabolism, leading to chronic diseases digestive system
Potatoes, peas, soybeans and beans (except asparagus)	Not absorbed by the cat’s body, causing flatulence and indigestion
Human vitamins and medicines	Call severe intoxication and kidney problems

class="table-bordered">

In turn, we must not forget about the baby’s feeding schedule, which differs from the feeding schedule of adult cats. Ingestion of aspirin by an animal will lead to immediate death. Garlic, vinegar, grapes and coffee have an extremely negative effect on cats.

Dry food or natural food: which is better for your pet?

IN natural food There are many vitamins and microelements that are useful for cats, but such feeding requires certain efforts, time, financial costs, precise menu balancing and the need for constantly fresh food.

Stale food that has been left in a bowl for more than half an hour begins to deteriorate and can lead to intestinal disorders fluffy.
Whenever allergic reactions must be excluded dangerous product from the baby's diet.

Dry food is available on the market in huge quantities and solves many problems of cat breeders regarding their feeding.

However, it is imperative to take into account the fact that high-quality, ideal balanced feed won't be cheap.

Inexpensive “dinners” usually contain a huge amount of salts, which have a detrimental effect on the health of the animal.
When choosing dry food, you should definitely pay attention to their classification.

Premium food can only be purchased in pet stores. They are packaged in both small and large packages, 10 or 15 kg.

Important! You can determine the difference between premium and economy class feed due to the price difference. Cheap food usually includes low-quality, poorly digestible protein, bones, feathers and addictive attractants.

Professional dry elite food includes: Nutro Choice, Royal Canin, Yams, Purina Pro Plan, Innova, Chicken Soup, Hill’s.

Kittens that eat dry food must be provided with a sufficient amount of clean and fresh water.
The introduction of new complementary foods should be gradual. It is necessary to take into account the fact that the animal may not like the food.

Considering the fact that pets are not so active image Living like street dogs, in addition, they are often castrated and sterilized; such pets require mandatory replenishment of the body with vitamins and nutrients.

And how will the owners solve this issue, with the help natural products or dry food, this is the choice of every breeder.