What to feed a kitten at 3-4 months?

At 3-4 months of age, kittens' growth accelerates and gains momentum. Their teeth are changing, their skeleton is rapidly developing and strengthening, their muscle mass is increasing—significant changes are occurring in their bodies. Therefore, the question of what to feed a 3-4-month-old kitten and how much to feed it is quite relevant. After all, for proper development, they need a balanced diet containing the necessary vitamins and minerals.

At this age, the little furry creature begins to actively explore its surroundings and enjoys playing with all sorts of objects. Naturally, the little one requires a lot of strength and energy for such activities. The ongoing changes in its body and rapid growth also require enormous resources. Where can they be found? The answer is obvious: the kitten receives the nutrients it needs to support its vital functions from its food. The feeding strategy you choose will determine its future development and overall health.

Features and rules of feeding

When feeding a kitten aged 3-4 months, you need to take into account a number of important points:

• the smaller and more active the kitten, the more frequent the feeding should be;
• a malnourished pet will develop more slowly and get sick more often, while a constantly overfed pet will suffer from obesity and other diseases;
• Decide in advance on the choice of food for your pet: natural food or prepared food for kittens;
• Introduce new foods gradually, without offering everything at once and by alternating feeding with different foods (the kitten gradually gets used to a certain diet);
• You can't put the entire daily portion in the bowl: the baby hasn't yet learned to control his appetite and may overeat, and after a while, the hungry body will have nothing to support its growth and playful state;
• Monitor the temperature of the food you serve him: the food should be warm;

• don't forget to add minerals and vitamins to your food;
• The kitten should have a separate bowl for warm drinking water (the water should be changed frequently so that it does not stagnate, and the bowl should be thoroughly washed to prevent oxidation; the pet should have unlimited access to water).

Feeding regime and norms

So, how much food should a 3-4 month-old cat eat? The total daily portion size should be approximately 0.2 kg per 1 kg of body weight (at a standard weight, kittens need 0.4 kg of food per day, meaning 0.1 kg of food per meal). A three-month-old kitten can get by with 180 grams, while a four-month-old might need more than 200 grams (at a weight of 3 kg, 0.6 kg per day). Appetite and digestibility will depend on many factors: the exact age, breed, activity level, weight, and health of the pet.

Experts recommend creating a varied diet and establishing a feeding schedule for pets every day. Three-month-old kittens are recommended to be fed 5-6 times a day, while four-month-old kittens, if there are no problems, can be transitioned to four meals a day.

Diet

Once you've chosen a specific feeding method, stick to it, otherwise it will have unpredictable consequences for your kitten's fragile body. It's forbidden to combine the two feeding methods—natural food and commercial cat food.

Veterinarians explain this by the fact that:

• the wards will experience problems with digestion, leading to gastrointestinal diseases;
• An overdose of vitamins in an animal can lead to hypervitaminosis.

We will tell you about the specific menu for the animal below.

Natural nutrition

After the baby teeth have been replaced, a growing 3-4-month-old kitten's diet should definitely include protein-rich solid food. Dairy products should be varied as much as possible. Veterinarians also recommend adding vegetables, which are rich in various vitamins. Meat should be the overwhelming majority of the pet's diet, with cereals and vegetables making up less than half of the daily portion. Don't completely deprive your kitten of meat: the taurine it contains is essential for heart and eye health.

It is important to remember that natural nutrition does not mean feeding your animal with food from your table.

Veterinary specialists recommend including the following natural products in the diet of a 3-4 month old kitten:

• It is imperative that the kitten consumes boiled lean meat - primarily beef, as well as chicken fillet or turkey meat in small chopped pieces or in the form of minced meat (if the absence of worms has been confirmed, from the age of three months it is also permissible to give raw frozen meat, tested for quality);
• low-fat milk and fermented milk products without additives - kefir, fermented baked milk, etc.;
• low-fat cottage cheese, which is essential for strengthening teeth and bones (it is best to start with a ready-made liquid product, for example, cottage cheese from the Agusha brand, which has proven itself well);
• various vegetables - pumpkin, zucchini, cabbage - in chopped form (raw grated ones are best, but if the kitten refuses to eat them in their pure form, you can mix vegetable mixtures into porridge or boil cereals in vegetable broth);
• raw or boiled and chopped egg yolk;
• lean boneless fish (preferably sea fish, because river fish can easily become infected with worms);
• cereal dishes - porridges made with water, milk, vegetable and meat broth (cats respond best to semolina and rice);
• special grass that is beneficial for cats (you can grow it yourself on the windowsill, or buy sprouted oat or wheat sprouts at a pet store or veterinary pharmacy);
• vegetable oil in small quantities to improve digestion.

What should not be fed?

It is recommended to completely exclude from the diet of a three-month-old kitten:

• fatty foods, which will only harm the stomach and liver (in particular pork - meat, lard, fat);
• meat with bones (a kitten may choke on hollow bones or scratch the stomach walls);
• whole cow's milk;
• salty and spiced food (often, in an effort to make food more attractive, breeders rely on their own taste and make it completely unsuitable and dangerous for a small, fragile organism);
• spicy and canned food (sausages, canned goods from your table);
• fried foods (can clog the intestines with toxins);
• tomatoes and eggplants;
• corn and cereals made from it;
• any sweets, especially chocolate (eating them weakens the immune system, causes dental disease and hair loss).

It is better to limit the consumption of some products to a minimum, these are:

• oatmeal and legumes;
• river fish;
• potatoes in any form (cats are almost unable to digest starch).

During illness, certain foods should also be excluded from the diet: fermented milk products for diarrhea, and solid foods containing adequate amounts of starch for constipation. Furthermore, cat owners should be extremely careful to keep vitamins and medications intended for humans out of reach of their kittens, otherwise, if they ingest them, they could become seriously poisoned.

How often and in what quantities per week to feed your pet basic foods is a personal decision for each owner, but the basic recommendations are as follows:

Depending on the exact age, weight and activity of the pet, these proportions can be reduced or increased by 5-15%.

Ready-made feeds

Veterinarians disagree on which is better—natural or commercially prepared food. The main advantage of commercially prepared food is that it doesn't require the introduction of special supplements, as is the case with natural feeding, as it already contains vitamin supplements. However, it also has a significant drawback: added flavorings and preservatives, which can be harmful to the health of puppies.

If you decide to feed your pet prepared food, you need to remember the rules:

• do not mix dry and wet food together;
• stick to a specific brand of food and change it only if absolutely necessary.

When choosing prepared food, carefully research the manufacturers' products. Find out whether it's possible to combine dry and wet canned food, and in what quantities. Veterinarians recommend that kittens starting at four months of age can be fed their entire daily ration at once: they're already able to control their intake. Wet canned food in sauce and jelly is best given in the amount needed for a single meal. If a combination is possible, experts recommend that a pet's daily diet consist of three-quarters dry food and one-quarter canned food.

Therefore, it's best not to skimp on the health of your beloved furry friends. Brands such as Royal Canin, Acana, Purina, and Nutro Choice have long established themselves on the Russian market. These include both dry and wet canned foods, which can be combined.

Without causing harm to the baby's health, you can use foods such as:

Acana

One of the best, proven super-premium foods. It offers complete, balanced nutrition and is the best hypoallergenic food. Produced in its own juice, it contains only whole, fresh ingredients. It contains optimal amounts of meat, vegetables, fruits, seaweed, fresh eggs, polyunsaturated fats, and proteins.

Royal Canin

This company's dry food is the best substitute for natural food, as it contains the nutrients necessary to support a kitten's vitality and activity. The brand's "therapeutic" line is particularly popular. The composition of this company's veterinary food is perfectly balanced and tailored to the specific needs of specific conditions. It is suitable for kittens aged 4-12 months.

Features of kitten care

In general, kittens aged 3-4 months should be cared for in the same way as before. An important difference is that, since they begin eating meat and fish at 3 months, they may be susceptible to worms and other infections. Therefore, owners must adhere to the vaccination schedule and deworm their pets on time.

Regardless of whether your pet is fed a natural diet or a commercial one, make sure they always have access to clean drinking water. After meals, give them time to relax and unwind, and then play with them to maintain their physical activity and health.

Read also:

• Proper nutrition for cats
• What to feed a 2 month old kitten?
• What to feed kittens at home?