Nutrition is an important part of your cat’s upbringing because proper nutrition protects your cat from many common diseases and makes them healthy.
Cats are obligate carnivores which means they need to have meat in their diet to be able to survive. Cats' feed should contain 30%-35% protein.
At the age of 9 weeks to 5 months
Your kittens should be weaned by their mother after 9 weeks of milk feeding. Their deciduous teeth begin to complete so they are able to eat.
A good quality balanced diet of wet food for kittens ( since it’s softer than dry food) will be the best choice as these contain all the important nutrients to support their growth and development.
You should also never give your kitten cow’s milk or kitten milk as this can lead to an upset stomach.
9 weeks kittens will need to take from 4 to 5 meals per day as kittens develop and grow at such a rapid rate, they generally need to eat more than adult cats.
From the age of 5 months to 9 months
Your cats begin to lose their deciduous teeth and replace them with permanent teeth, so you can start to give them dry food ( should be good quality ) to graze.
You have to change your cats’ diet gradually by initially mixing a very small amount of the new food in with your cats’ usual food and building this quantity up over time.
You could reduce to 3 meals a day when your cats are approximately 5 months old.
At the age of 9 months plus
Your cat becomes an adult. Their permanent teeth are completed at this age so you can feed them good quality dry food for adult cats.
At this age, 2 meals per day will be enough for your cat.
If your cat likes to eat wet food more than dry food, you can feed them good quality adult wet food or mix it with dry food.
Water
Cats need access to fresh clean water daily, especially if they eat dry food.
Shallow larger diameter stainless steel or ceramic bowls will be the perfect choice for your cat to encourage them to drink more water.
Food and water should be in separate areas as cats wouldn’t naturally eat and drink at the same time in the same location. You can also offer your cat multiple water sources around the home.
Tips to get a good quality balanced dry or wet food for your cat:
Avoid coloured dry food since it contains artificial colours and high mineral content.
Choose high-protein food ( 30%-35%)
Make sure the dry and wet food taurine and arginine amino acids, arachidonic fatty acid, and vitamin A since these nutritional values are very important for your cat's growth and health.
Read the nutritional value of the product on the package.
Notes:
Cats are selective feeders so it’s normal for them to refuse dry food or wet food, so you have to give them the food type they like.
You have to change your cats’ diet gradually ( even from dry food brand to another) by initially mixing a very small amount of the new food in with your cats’ usual food and building this quantity up over time.
You can give your cat treats from time to time, but be careful with the amount since most treats are high in calories which may cause obesity.
There is a toxic food for cats that you have to avoid such as chocolate (toxic), avocado, any junk food, grapes, tomato, onion, garlic, sweets, tea, coffee, yeast, soy, species, dried fruits, milk, and nuts.