Your Cat’s Diet
A kitten’s weight may double or even triple during the first few weeks of life. To support this explosive growth -- as well as high activity levels -- your kitten may have triple the energy needs of an adult cat.
These high energy needs make it harder for kittens to get enough calories in one meal, so most kittens want to eat at least three or four meals a day.
It’s also a comfort thing -- kittens love to snack as they did while nursing with mama.
Kittens’ needs for fat, some fatty acids, and most vitamins are the same as for adult cats, but kittens have a higher requirement for protein, amino acids, and minerals, as well as for some vitamins.
What to Feed
Your new kitten has been weaned on a combination of raw mix and Nulo dry kitten kibbles. Based on our conversations, we have either transitioned them to a high quality wet food or continued raw mix at your discretion.
We recommend the continued use of raw mix or at the very least another premium wet brand such as Nulo, Tiki Cat, or Feline Natural.
The initial cost may seem to be a bit higher, but the benefits of good nutrition (a healthier animal, lower veterinary bills, etc) will close the price gap,
and many are surprised that feeding raw is not always more expensive than other wet foods!
Anytime you are considering transitioning to a new diet, make sure to do this gradually, adding slightly more of the new food to the kitten food each day until the transition is complete. By doing this slowly, you will minimize the chance of intestinal upsets and diarrhea.
Feeding Routine
When you get your cat, they will be at an age to eat about 3-4 times a day until around 6 months. Kittens 3 to 6 months old generally eat between 1/3 and 1 cup each feeding as they are growing quickly! Cats require high levels of protein and moisture in their diet and do well on a combination of dry and wet food as wet food contain much higher protein levels.
Use a clean bowl for each meal, and put fresh water down at least once a day. The bowls should be as clean as those you would use for yourself. Dirt, dust, and hair will collect in the bowls during the day - you wouldn't want to eat or drink dirty food or water so we want to do the same for the new kitten! It’s super handy to have a few bowls around that are just for the kitty. Bowls should usually be ceramic or stainless steel. Ceramic and stainless steel bowls can be cleaned much better (and usually in the dishwasher). Bacteria loves cat food and water dishes. Clean cats are most likely to be healthy cats!
A cat 6-12 months of age can start to be fed twice daily, and by the time they are 12 months can generally do better on a diet higher in dry food, lower in wet, if this is preferred. RBC continues to offer cats 50/50 wet and dry into adulthood.
The best measure of how much to feed (or not feed) a cat is visual. Watch his weight (an overweight cat or kitten will have a hanging stomach, ribs you can’t feel, etc.); watch their activity level; and watch their stools.
By focusing on good nutrition from the start, you’ll set yourself up to have a healthy and strong cat.
If you are concerned, feel free to reach out to us for support or consult with your vet.
Raw Mix Recipe
Ingredients
· 5.5-6 lbs total of Chicken Thighs (with skin and bone). Try to find the most fresh and natural chicken as possible.
o Remove 20-25% of bone and discard.
o Keep skin from a quarter to half of the total thigh for weight maintenance. For kittens or cats who need to gain weight, leave on more skin!
· 7 oz. (about a half pound) Chicken Livers
· 14 oz. (a little less than a pound) Chicken Hearts
· 4 large egg yolks
· Heaping 1/2 tsp. Taurine powder
· Scant 1/8 tsp. Vitamin E powder
· 4 pills of Wild Salmon Oil
· 2 pills of Vitamin B-Complex
· 1 cup of filtered water
Preparation
· Using a meat grinder or high powered blender (such as vitamix), blend together chicken thighs (and bone), hearts, and liver.
o An option that we like is to chop the hearts separately and mix in later to give cats more texture.
o Stop blender intermittently to scrape down the sides to ensure good mix. Once they are in smaller bits, add the remaining half cup of water and a half cup of the ground meat. Keep blending on medium to high speed until there are no more bone fragments and everything is blended nearly smooth.
· In a medium bowl add the egg yolks, taurine, vitamin E, and lysine (if using… we personally do not add this). Open the vitamin B-complex capsules and empty powder into the bowl. Pierce the salmon oil capsules (carefully) and squeeze into the bowl. Add 1/2 cup of the water and whisk well until all incorporated.
· Put the blender/bone mix and the liquid bowl mix into the large bowl with the rest of the ground meat. Carefully begin to stir with your spoon or spatula, careful not to splash.
· Mix well until the whole mixture is all incorporated
· Portion out into meal prep type containers, keeping one in the fridge and the rest in the freezer.
o When you only have one to two servings left in your fridge remember to bring one over from the freezer. It takes about a full day to defrost.
Serve
Our adult cats generally eat around 3oz per feeding on a clean ceramic type bowl/plate. Royally British Cats serves directly from the fridge (cold). Some cats prefer the food ‘warm’ (aka room temperature) so we allow food to sit out about an hour before cleaning it up to allow cat to decide how they prefer it. After this time, discard as it can begin gathering too much bacteria.
Based on this, adjust the amount that you will serve your cat at a time.
Unless bones are FULLY pulverized, do not cook this raw mix as bone fragments when cooked are prone to splintering and intestinal damage, unlike raw bones.
Cats may enjoy chewing bones, but as chicken bones are usually small and fragile, take great caution to supervise and avoid all together.
Breeder Tip! Prepare and freeze your servings the same day as purchasing them! We’ve noticed our cats can be picky if we leave the chicken in the fridge even a day or two before preparing the mix.
Water
Cats in general are more prone to urinary crystals as a result of not drinking enough water. Providing your cat with filtered water, perhaps even in a fountain, will provide great health benefits. In a cat’s diet, water quality can be just as important as their food!
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