What kind of food should I give to a very young kitten.

frends i have a small kitten.. its very young. only 2 week ago its born. I got it from a aunty of mine..
i am told that I should make the kitten drink milk as much as i can for 1st month. i am giving the kitten milk from a dropper, as it dont drink by itself. pllsss tell me what should kind of food i should give it later . after it grows. i dont have much knowlege about cats.

Hi Deepak, i know what you should give to a kitten.

Now that you have said its 2 week old, you can give your kitten milk by dropper as you are doing now...after some time you need to think of giving it solid food.. like biscuit,etc.

small kittens don't eat by ....so take 1 parle G biscuit and make it mushy in milk.. and try feeding it to the kitten with dropper.. remember - start with more milk and less amount of biscuit.
as your kitten grows.. increase the amount of biscuit..when you kitten is around 1.5 months old it will start eating my himself..just make sure biscuits is mushy .not hard... because their teeths are not grown enough by then.

also try feeding him boiled egg.. or raw pieces of meat.. (when you make non veg at home).. cats love nonveg.

As far as I know, biscuit have good amount of fat and sugar which is not good for kittens. You may see lumps of hair / hair balls on their skin if excessive sugar is fed. Goat milk is best for them and there few more things you should know, I have found a very good piece of information for you, please read on :


Feeding Kittens:

1. Feeding all kittens: Food should be warmed to room temperature prior to feeding any kitten under 4 months of age. This includes mother's milk replacement. You should only put as much milk in the bottle that will be used at this feeding. After the feeding is over, throw out all remaining milk and clean the bottle and nipple. Re-using milk can cause bacteria in the kittens stomachs, which can make them stop eating. If kittens DO get a bacteria in the stomach (and stop eating), a dose of amoxicillian should fight the bacteria within 12 hours. Use the entire dose of the drug.

2. How much to feed and how often: 8cc per ounce of weight per day, do not overfeed. Feedings should be every 3-4 hours when the kittens are young and should be round the clock. The stool should be soft formed, not runny. If the stool is runny, it is likely you are overfeeding the kitten or it has a parasite. It is better to feed more often and give less food each time than to overfeed a kitten.

3. Position to feed from a bottle: Kittens should eat on it's stomach, in the position one would feed a horse, lamb or cow. Do not put them on their backs and feed like a human baby. This can lead to the formula going into the air pipes which can cause pneumonia and can kill them.

4. How the kittens should suck the bottle: Kitten should suck the bottle, not be forced down the throat. If the kitten is sucking, the ears move and the mouth creates a suction around the bottle. This prevents the food from going down the air pipes which can cause pneumonia. If the milk comes out of the mouth or nose, the hole is too big and you need to replace the nipple with one with a smaller opening.

5. Weaning kittens: Weaning kittens can be frustrating, especially if they don't want to give up the bottle and the special attention you are giving them. Start by mixing baby food (meats like chicken or turkey) or wet food mixed with KMR. You can also puree dry food in a blender and add with KMR.

6. Water dishes: Kittens should start drinking water on their own at 4-5 weeks of age. Don't get frustrated when they are only playing or walking in it. One day, you will see them drinking.

What to feed:

Goats milk or KMR should be used on young kittens. Regular milk (whole, low-fat and non-fat) is not recommended. There are some home made remedies which work, too.

Goats milk: Most grocery stores carry goats milk, and it is available in condensed form to keep in the cupboard.
KMR: Available from a pet store, your vet or a feed store.

KMR is available in both mixed and dry version. The dry is more economical. There is a trick to mixing the water. Get a small container with a secure lid. Add some KMR powder and then add 1/10 the amount of total water needed. Shake until mixed. You should have a thick, smooth liquid. Dilute the liquid with the remaining 9/10 of the water.

Notes: I, personally, don't believe in tube-feeding. A healthy cat will eat. A cat that needs to be forced may need a 12-24 hours of anti-biotics to 'kick in' the stomach. A kitten that has gone a long time without food may have it's stomach shut down. This will result in the milk curdling inside the kitten if the stomach is not functioning. This will kill the kitten. The best thing to do is to give the kitten warmed sugar water or rub Karo Syrup on the gums. Warmed sugar water is water that is saturated with regular white table sugar. Warm up a bit of water and add as much sugar that will be absorbed by the water. Karo Syrup on the gums will be absorbed into the system through the gums. Karo Syrup is easier to digest and is the best for the kitten, but if you are in a jam and don't have Karo Syrup, use regular white sugar.

How to Feed Dry/Wet Food To Your Kitten

Feeding your kitten is an important job that should be done properly. Giving them right food becomes our duty. Their proper diet and time schedule should be maintained or else they may grow healthy frequently. Proper nutrition is very necessary for them to build an effective immune system. Let’s discuss how to feed your kitten right from the first day and the best schedule for it.

Nursing Kittens

For the first few weeks, spring one will need feed only from the mother. While nursing, the adult cat will need more food and water, but she must be able to feed her newborn without any further help. It is suggested that lactating cats should get kitten food so that they can gain extra calories.

If mother is not able to produce enough milk for entire litter, you must require to hand rear. A healthy one will gain its weight in the first two weeks and if it fails, you must take the help of a veterinarian.

4-5 Weeks old

After completing one month, it must start showing interest in solid food. At this particular stage, it is recommended to give them small amount of kitten food mixed with milk. While mixing, you must make something like a baby food. It should be provided to them four times a day. Keep watching them while feeding and once they have finished, remove the bowl to keep that place clean.

While weaning, the amount of milk mixed should be reduced. Kittens should be able to digest solid food. During this period, the amount of food offered to the mother can be reduced every week, till she is not back on adult food.

After Weaning

After ablactating, the cat must eat kitten food that contains meat, fish or poultry. You should not feed them adult food till it has completed its one year. It is wisely suggested to avoid a diet of dry food as this may cause them life threatening dehydration. You may provide them wet food or a mixture of dry and wet food. Just make sure that kittens have access to clean fresh water. In the best case, the water bowl must be kept in unlike location from the food as they don’t like eating and drinking in the same place.

Changing Foods

Cats may be awfully busy, so you can plan to change kitten’s food into adult food gradually. With weaning, add small portion of new food to the familiar meal. But, remember that sudden changes should not be there or else cats may cause digestive problems.

Milk

You should not feed a kitten with any kind of milk after it has been ablactated. Like all animals, it can also mislay the power to digest lactose. So, milk may cause them stomach problem that will be quite dreadful for the cat and you as well.

Though, kittens need more nutritious food that is comparatively unlike from adult cats. So, feeding them with kitten food is very essential. In this way, you can feed your kittens with dry or wet food and make them grow fit and fine.

When it comes to choosing wet or dry food for kittens, it becomes very difficult to opt among these two. Each one has its own benefits. Canned food gives more moisture than a dry one. This can be useful for keeping your kitten well hydrated.

Coming to their dry food, it is easy to feed them and stored for longer period in the bowl. It doesn’t contain high carbohydrate content, which means cats can gain their weight easily if they eat more. Nonetheless, they can gain weight on both types of food. The main thing is that you have to take proper care of their diet or else their overeating may cause obesity, which is commonly found in maximum domestic cats.

Please refer to this complete guide of Kitten food feeding - Feeding a Kitten- How to Feed Dry/Wet Food to a Kitten | Pets World