When it comes to caring for a kitten, one of the most important things is diet. Since a cat is supposed to reach their full size between 12-18 months, it is critical that you feed them an adequate diet while they are kittens. The topic of today’s article will be wet food and whether or not you should feed your kitten wet food.
Should you feed a kitten wet food?
Yes, wet food is a great option for feeding your kitten. Below are the advantages of feeding your kitten wet food.
Hydration
The best part about feeding your kitten wet cat food is that it keeps your kitten hydrated. Wet cat food contains around 70% moisture, while dry food usually contains less than 10%. This is very important because cats in general have a hard time staying hydrated. This is because in the wild cats usually get their water from the contents of their prey. Sitting water in the wild is usually dangerous because it can contain harmful bacteria or fungus. Water is extremely important for the overall function of your kitten’s body. Water helps perform essential chemical reactions in their body, and also helps maintain joint health and mobility. Most importantly, water helps regulate your kitten’s internal body temperature. Water is also a necessity to flush out harmful toxins.
Building Muscle
Secondly, since wet cat food is usually high in protein, it is a great way to help your kitten build muscle. In particular, protein helps develop your kittens lean body mass. This includes muscles, bones, and vital organs such as the kidney and heart. Therefore, protein is crucial in order to support and maintain your kitten’s vital body functions. While protein can sometimes be hard to digest, the protein in wet cat food is easily digested since it has such a high water content.
Strong smell
Wet food is also great for your kitten because its strong smell makes it very appealing. In the wild, cats are naturally drawn to their prey by their sense of smell. Cats’ sense of smell is almost 15 times stronger than humans’. Therefore, feeding your kitten wet cat food is a great option if they are not attracted to dry food. Best of all, wet cat food is the most natural type of food you can give your kitten since it is so high in meat content. This is because cats are obligate carnivores that need meat in order to survive. Wet cat food is also a great way to sneak medicine into your cat if they don’t want to eat the pill.
How often should I feed my kitten wet food
The amount of wet cat food you should feed your kitten is dependent on your kitten’s age. You should keep in mind that you should only feed your kitten wet cat food after they have been properly weaned. Kittens are usually weaned by the age of 2 months.
If your kitten is 2-6 months old, you should feed your kitten wet food 3 times a day
If your kitten is 6 months or older, you should feed your kitten wet food 2 times a day.
How much wet food should I feed my kitten?
When it comes to quantity of wet food, you should feed your kitten around 25-30 calories per pound of body weight. It is important to remember that wet cat food can’t stay fresh as long as dry cat food. You should throw away the wet cat food if it has been sitting for longer than 5 hours.