Cat food guidelines and very hungry kitten

[iaietta]

Hello,

I am using Whiskas Kitten dry food for my 11 weeks kitten.

Guidelines on the package recommend 15g of food per day but my kitten seems to be starving. She wolves up the whole amount as soon as I pour it (looking very impatient to be fed) and keeps checking out her bowl for the whole day to see if there is any more.

I am not sure whether this is normal or if guidelines are not so accurate. I am feeling guilty because she is only little but heard that it is important to stick to recommendations on the package.

Any experiences or thoughts?

Many thanks

[KittyWitty]

When cats are young they won't over eat like a older cat would so when they are full they will stop - if she is still hungry then give her more.

Do you feed wet food too? As dry food is not natural for cats and can cause many health problems further on in their lives.

[bobbys girl]

KittyWitty is right. I would vary the diet and if she is looking for food she is probably still hungry. Only a few cats carry on eating when they are full (unlike us humans!)

[MarkB]

Are you sure you read it correctly? - 15g is nothing.

I just found this feeding guide on Pets at Home website " Feeding Guide (approximate per day) Weaning to 3 months: 35-60gm (across 4-5 meals per day); 4 to 5 months: 70-75gm (across 3-4meals per day); 6 to 10 month"

You have probably read the amount to feed if you are also feeding pouches. A kitten will starve on 15g a day. (ie they might say 60g a day if you are only feeding dry or 15g of dry + 2 or 3 pouches of wet)

Also, Whiska dry (along with Go-Cat & supermarket own basic dry food) is one of the poorest quality dry foods on the market. It is full of cereals, with very little meat in.

Although there are premium foods available, there are also some much cheaper foods you can buy online that have a much higher meat content.

I would never feed a cat all dry food. I always give them mainly wet food with dry as a supplement.

[KittyWitty]

Also how many times a day are you feeding her? Kittens should be fed at least 6 times a day!

I am unsure of the amount of food of dry as neither of my cats are fed dry - I won't get into my personal views about dry food and about Whiskas - but 15g does sound like a tiny amount.

[andtiggertoo]

I found the Pets at Home feeding guidelines too, Mark. I think you (not you, Mark!!), need to be feeding her substantially more than you are, but do please look at giving her wet food as well.

[greenkitty]

It doesn't sound anywhere near enough.

I've had one of my cats since she was six weeks old, she had four meals a day and basically would eat as much as she wanted, typically she would get through 2-3 pouches a day plus a bowl of dry food. At about 5 months we cut down to 3 meals and then at 8 months transitioned her onto adult food twice a day.

[booktigger]

15 g a day isn't enough for a growing kitten, per meal time sounds more realistic. And cats need to be fed more than once a day, unlike dogs.