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Preparing A Nutrition Diet For Your New Kitten
Kittens are not merely mini cats; they
seriously require certain special attention and care to help them grow
up into strong healthy cats. Kittens need higher proteins to help build
and grow strong bones, generally about 30 percent protein in their
food, compared to adult cats that need only about 25 percent. They also
need more calories as kittens are generally more active, the extra
calories would give them the necessary energy to explore and play.
Veterinary also take particular note on the importance of
docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an omega-3 fatty acid that naturally occurs
in the kitten’s nursing mother’s milk. DHA is important to the
development of brain and ocular tissue, and kitten cat foods are often
enhanced with added DHA.
Dr. Richard Pitcairn, author of “Dr. Pitcairn’s Complete Guide to
the Natural Health for Dogs and Cats,” Rodale Press, has a homemade
kitten formula that he says closely approximates the nutrition in
feline’s milk. The following recipe listed below is close to 42%
protein, 25% fat and 24.6% carbohydrates. One serving holds 566
kilocalories.
Kitten Formula
2 cups whole milk
2 large eggs
5 teaspoons protein powder from animal source
1/3 teaspoon bonemeal
1 day’s worth cat vitamin supplement
100 mg taurine if it is not present in the supplement
Mix
ingredients well. Warm to body temperature and feed with a dropper or
doll bottle. When kittens are 3 to 4 weeks old, you can introduce solid
foods by mixing them well into the formula.
A kitten feeding schedule should approximately up to 2 weeks feed
every 2 hours a total daily serving of 2 to 4 tablespoons; at 3 weeks
feed every 3 hours a total daily serving of 4 to 6 tablespoons; at 4
weeks feed every 4 hours a total daily serving of 6 to 10 tablespoons;
and at 6 weeks feed a total daily serving of about 8 to 12 tablespoons
across 3 feedings.
After 6 weeks, kittens can begin to eat the regular cat formulas. If
you simply have not time to prepare a homemade meal for your new
kitten, make sure that you feed a correct wholesome natural formula
designed for your kitten’s stage of life. It is important that you
start your kitten out with the right nutrition, so that she will be set
up on the right stage and be healthy through her adult life.
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