Advice on feeding......

**chocoholic85** · 31st August 2012, 12:25 PM

Hi I'm sure most of these questions have been asked before but I'm getting in a bit of a muddle with what to feed and and how often etc. So far my kittens (18 weeks) have had rc kitten 36 which is what the breeder gave them. This was all they had eaten when I got them so I gave them cooked chicken/ odd bits of ham and a bit of tuna occasionally. Basically a bit of what we ate if it was suitable. I have only added these bits as a taster on top of the biscuits in the evening though. Recently I decided I wanted to give them applaws dry so bought a 400g kitten bag to mix with the rc. They love it so I am mixing more and more in over the next week or so.

First question- is the kitten stuff a gimmick, ie should I just buy the adult applaws dry for the next bag??
Secondly- I figured if I was giving them bits of meat anyway should I just buy applaws/ encore wet? If so then how much do I give them? I give them 50-70g dry food each every 24hours which is sometimes finished, sometimes not. So is half a pouch/ tin each at teatime enough/ too much in addition to this?I know it indicates on the bags but I figured they might need more if they are growing quickly? They would probably eat a whole pouch each and gobble down chicken etc. They are both 2.8kg at 18weeks but seem to be growing quicker than their weightcan keep up!

Also- can I give them encore instead of applaws as it's cheaper but the same stuff............only thing is that it's complementary cat food. But is that ok if they have dry food as their main diet??? Thanks, A very confused first time maine coon owner lol.

**Howlinbob** · 1st September 2012, 04:35 PM

Hi there, hope you are enjoying your new kittens, it's such a fun time when they are that age.

To answer your questions, yes, kitten food is a gimmick, as is breed-specific and other types of food marketing by the pet food industry. All a cat needs, at any age, is decent meat protein in the right proportions with enough moisture. There are various ways to achieve this.

You are also on the right track to suggest going over to wet food. Wet food is much better than dry, because it contains about 60% moisture, as opposed to dry food which is about 10% moisture. Cats need to take in moisture with their food because they are not great drinkers (they used to live in the desert after all). Even if you provide plenty of bowls of water they will never drink enough to supply themselves with sufficient moisture. Lack of adequate moisture in their diet leads to overly acidic urine which in the long term can lead to the dreaded UTI infections, ie, painful cystitis, and bladders stones.

How much to feed: The guideline amount for an adult cat is 2-3% of the cat's bodyweight per day. So for a 7kg cat that's 150-200g per day. But growing kittens should eat as much as they like, preferably in 3 or 4 small meals per day. A kitten can eat an astonishing amount of food, often more than an adult cat. As your cats are only 18 weeks, give them as much quality wet food as they will eat. It might be fun to calculate how far it is off the adult guideline of 2-3% of bodyweight per day.

Encore is a complementary food, but good quality. So make sure it's a small part of their diet, not the main part.

Hope this helps x

**chocoholic85** · 4th September 2012, 08:54 PM

Hi, thankyou for your help and advice. The kittens are now on applaws kitten dry and I've been trying different wet food. No tummy upset with applaws or feline fayre( asda). Applaws also has complementary written on it though..... Does this matter if they have dry too? If so which are complete and high quality? They have half a pouch each in the eve at the moment and will do the same in the am too soon. Thanks again for your help. Xx

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