Question for Cat Owners

I just recently acquired a kitten about 2 months old after having owned dogs for the last twenty years and I was wondering what the average cat owner feeds their kitten per day... amount and kind of food (dry, soft, mix)

I am feeding Iams kitten food (dry) with a serving of soft food once a day.
The kitten eats about 1 cup of food per day - served as 4 small meals a day.

Thanks.

I keep dry food out to let my cats eat at will.

If they are sick or skinny I will give them scrambled eggs once daily until they perk up.

My cats are fine with dry food only. They are not picky at all. My male cat likes canned (wet) food if I give it, and he also supplements his diet with small animals that he catches...

I just keep a bowl of dry food available so he can eat at will. He only gets wet food when I have to give him medicine mixed in it. I give him dry treats occasionaly.

We have 3 cats ranging in ages
they are strictly indoor cats the youngest is 6 weeks old
she eats dry food which is available all day
and then in the evening she has wet food
but cats will just eat as long as you give it they will
eat it so you have to be careful the kitten does not over eat
a bowl of dry food left out all day
and a small serving say half cup in the evening
is what we do
hope this helps

Wow, my kitties are full grown and they only eat a couple cups a day of dry food (an estimate since we just pour food into their bowl until it's full) my mom also like to give them each a quarter of a can of wet food as well per day. Wet food is better for them then tuna and it makes their poop a bit less smelly then feeding them tuna but just a word of advice anything but dry food = smelly kitty

Thanks for all the replies.... they have been very helpful.

The bag of Iams kitten food I purchased says to give her 1 cup of dry food every day per her body weight, so I have been following that advice with once exception... I switch out one of her dry food feedings for wet food since I read and talked to people that said a cat could possible develope urinary problems when feed a diet of dry food only.

I will adjust her feedings as needed as she grows.
I hope I am taking good care of this little girl...

One very important thing I did learn, not knowing about my first cat either - is NOT to have a self feeder.
My Fritz got so fat his back legs went out for two months. I even had to hold him up to go potty.

I am sure you learned from that experience and thanks for sharing your story with me so I too could learn.

If I ever do free feed the food I place out for that day will still have to remain with in the correct amount the bag of cat food says a kitten should be eating for that day, as I too do not want a fat kitty, its not healthy for them.

my kitties are a little on the chubby side but I think that is more of a hormonal thing as they do chase each other like maniacs around the house and I play with them too. When female cats are spayed they have a tendency to put on some pounds because of the change in hormones... we also had a male cat named moose and he was about 22 pounds but he was meant to be a really small cat however he didn't eat more then any other cat and he did run around and play as well (he played less as he got older) so I think he just had some kind of hormone thing going on too....

Unlike dogs most cats will eat dry food until they are full and quit. Plus cats like to eat throughout the day. I leave dry food out for my guys 24/7. They seem to maintain a healthy weight this way.

One think you didn't mention. Be sure to feed your kitten food for kittens. They have different nutrional needs than adult cats.

I leave food out all day for Tyger..dry food that is and give him a spoonful of canned in the morning. If I forget to give him canned food he whines until I give it to him. He likes the kind with gravy and filets. But only chicken and fish flavored. Picky cat.

Jan

Free feeding is generally a good idea for a kitten. After about a year, if you notice weight problems, switch to ration. Fixed animals do tend to become heavier than their "natural" counterparts, so that is something to keep in mind. Make sure you have PLENTY of clean water available, that is the biggest mistake I've seen cat owners make. Cat's drink a lot more water than most people would think. (Hence the urinary problems on dry food mentioned earlier.) And I say generally, because each critter is different! What I've done with dogs and cats both when they eat out of boredom or competition is to put their max amount for the day (or half-day) in their bowl, and when it's gone, it's gone. Due to jobs and such, I can't feed them more than twice a day. As long as they are healthy and happy, you do what works best for you!

Another Question:
What cat litter do you find works best to cut down on potty odor?

I use plain old clay cat litter and change the litter every two or three days. I tried the pine pellets, which smell really good, but one cat hated them and the other didn't seem to have a preference. I can't use the scented litters. One of the kitty's reacts badly to whatever they use to scent it.

I tried the clumping litter, but my cats did not like it.

When you say "change it every two or three days" are you meaning - totally dumping all the old litter out of the box and replacing it with fresh new litter?

Yep, I upend the whole thing in the trash.

Having 3 cats, this is something Im savvy about.

what PP said, about upending it every 3 or so days? Totally agree.

Yes, you can scoop it, but even though you do that it still keeps tiny bits of waste in the clay, and thats enough sometimes to cause a stink. Personally i scoop the big stuff daily, and replace entirely every few days. More expensive but your house doesnt stink and your cat doesnt pee everywhere because its cranky at the litter.

However, it depends on your kitty. Some kitties are extreme OCD types who need it spotless or they wont use it. Some kitties could care less and will go for weeks on the same box. But generally thats what I do.

Also, if you have multi-level house? Put a litter upstairs and one downstairs.

Plain clay is fine - just be aware that it will track around the house some - you can either put a towel down in front of it, which will help pick the stuff out of kitty toes, or you can get a special mat that does the same. Personally Id just go with the towel.

With other types of litter it is trial and error. Clay seems to be the most widely accepted, however some cats will use other types, and some will outright reject it if its not clay. Whatever you choose, despite the temptation stay away away away from scented. Ive had 3 cats in my life get urinary problems due to the scented clay, one of which also broke out to the point where he had to be kept at the vets and given steroids. Think of it this way - if you had a newborn, would you put perfume on it thats based in oils that can harm skin?

Thanks for the suggestion of trashing the entire box of litter at least once a week - it has helped, and I am adding a some baking soda to the mix for a little extra freshness.... my house smells a lot cleaner now.

P.S.
I was told that kittens are smellier, when it comes to their waste, than adult cats are - is this true?

I never noticed a difference.

Another Question....

How many of you have cats that are inside cats that go outside occasionally? - how did you know your cat would not run away?

My cats are not allowed outside at all. It's too dangerous.

I think it depends on what you feed them too - it seems that some cats foods make the smell worse - (and of course it is the cheaper kinds) I have good luck with purinia one food - it is more expensive but I am changing the entire litter box and contents less often so I think it evens out

I agree there are a lot of things out there that can be dangerous to our beloved pets... but in this situation I feel as though I am fighting against nature as the kittens I own came from the wild (born and raised in the wild for two or three months) and now the more independent kitten of the two is constantly trying to go out the front door when I let our two dogs out to go potty... she has managed to escape out side once but remained close to the house (she seemed curious to the surroundings).

I'm always with my pets when they go outside for daily potty breaks....

Have grown up with a wide variety of cats I found that 1 cup of dry food per cat daily (I would put it out fresh in the evening, just before the family ate- less begging @ the table) was plenty of food. one quarter to one half can of wet food for breakfast seemed to perk them up for a day of happy playing while we were out of the house.

As for indoor/outdoor- we had outdoor cats for a long time, as they aged we kept them in @ night, then they just stopped asking. I had one cat that was totally indoor, but he escaped on night- to go looking for our other kitty who had moved to a new home that day, we looked for a long time, but as we lived between two very busy streets and he had no outside experience (other than trips to grandma's on a leash), I thought that he was gone for good. After 3 days I was woken up by my roommate screaming "Buddy's home". He had survived, and found his way back, a trip to the vet showed that he was dehydrated and they gave him IV fluids, but otherwise he was fine(he was so happy to be in my arms that he didn't even flinch when the iv went in!). I lost him to old age @ 16 3/4 years- Nov '06. I am only now considering replacing him- I love the emotional support from a pet, but my Buddy was unique and I know I will never have that same connection again.