Wet Vs Dry Cat Food: Which Is Best
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When you bring home a kitty it can be difficult to choose between wet vs. dry cat food. Both are ultimately excellent sources of nutrition if you serve an appropriate amount, and some pet parents decide to blend the two. Of course, each type of food presents its own advantages and disadvantages. Here’s what you need to know so you can decide what’s best for your cat.
Four Weeks Old Kitten
Its been one whole month! Its amazing how quickly these helpless kittens have grown up over a four-week period. Darling, Denby, Corduroy, Tweed, and Wembley are thriving babies, starting to explore the world around them and play frequently with friends and toys.
At four weeks old, Corduroy is ready to explore!
What’s The Difference Between Kitten And Cat Food
If you think that it doesn’t really matter what you put in your kitten’s bowl, you’d be wrong. Kittens grow extremely quickly and have specific nutritional requirements that can’t be met by adult cat food.
One of the main differences between adult cat food and kitten food is that kitten food is more calorie dense. Kittens need plenty of calories to grow and play, but they have small stomachs, so they need food that delivers large amounts of calories in small portions. If you fed this to an adult cat, they’d likely put on weight. Kittens also need more fat and protein to support their growing bodies, plus a fatty acid called DHA for retinal function and brain development. Since their bones are growing, kittens also need higher levels of calcium and phosphorus in their diets, so extra is added to kitten food.
Now you know there are some subtle but important differences between kitten and cat food, so you can choose the correct formula for your feline friend.
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When The Food Doesnt Taste Good Enough
Even if you keep the food within the safe time limit, it simply may not taste as good a few hours later. Wet food tends to congeal or dry up within a few hours. Dry food will go stale within a day or two. The food is still safe to consume, but some cats still choose not to eat it because its not fresh enough for their taste.
Tips To Help With The Transition From Kitten To Cat Food
- Switching your kittens food too quickly can make the process more difficult. Provide privacy and a quiet eating area away from loud noises and other cats.
- Hand-feed your cat, at least initially. The person offering the cat food should have a good relationship with the cat.
- Offer moist or canned cat food along with dry cat food.
- Ensure you store all of your cat foods appropriately to maintain the quality and freshness of the cat food.
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What Nutrients Does My Kitten Need
Kittenhood is a playful, highly energetic time in a cats life. In addition to being more active than adults, kittens need more energy for growing and developing. These tiny creatures have different nutrient requirements than adult cats do. In general, kittens need the following in an appropriate kitten food:
- More calories, protein and fat than adult cats
- Omega fatty acid DHA, which is important for brain and vision development
- Vitamins and minerals for developing immune systems
- Optimal calcium to phosphorus ratios
How Should I Transition My Kitten To Adult Cat Food
It is important to transition to adult cat food gradually. Your pets digestive system is home to billions of bacteria that keep their gastrointestinal tract healthy. These microbes aid in the digestion of food, fight off potential pathogens, make nutrients and vitamins, and bolster the immune system. Unlike humans, pets eat the same diet every day, and therefore develop microbes to digest that specific diet. When the diet is abruptly changed, the gastrointestinal-dwelling microbes do not have time to adjust and digest the new food. This can result in severe gastrointestinal upset, with vomiting and diarrhea. To avoid this, I always recommend slowly transitioning your pet to their new food. The general guideline is to transition your kitten to an adult diet over 7 days as follows:
- Days 1 and 2, add ¼ of the new diet to ¾ of the old diet
- Days 3 and 4, add ½ of the new diet to ½ of the old diet
- Days 5 and 6, add ¾ of the new diet to ¼ of the old diet
- Day 7, transition fully to the new diet
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Leaving Cat Alone For A Week
Leaving a cat alone for a week can end in a disaster. If you have to go away for the entire week, you must find someone to at least check in on your feline. A friend, a family member or a pet sitter are all viable options.
If no one is available, consider a boarding facility. Otherwise, its a huge gamble. Too many things can go wrong. Dont take that risk!
Here are some situations that might occur:
- Your cat can run out of food and water
- Food and water can go bad and cause health issues
- There can be weather changes that will affect your cats well-being
- Your cat can get ill or injured
- The litter boxes will be full, and your cat will start house-soiling
- Your kitty can get lonely, depressed, or anxious
Plan ahead and dont neglect your cat when you have to go away for long periods of time.
When Can Kittens Eat Dry & Wet Food
Although kittens shouldnt eat adult cat food before theyve fully matured, they can begin eating dry kibble and wet kitten food much earlier.
By three to four weeks, kittens can begin eating moistened dry kibble or wet food. Between six and eight weeks, kittens are fully weaned from their mothers milk and can eat dry or wet kitten food.
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Feral Mom Returns Do Not Fear
Leave the family outside, and provide food, water, and shelter. The mother will likely move the kittens, do not worry. If she knows this is a safe place with a stable food source, shell return with them. If you are able to commit, the kittens should be taken away from their mom when theyre able to eat on their own . When you bring them inside, handle them often to get them used to human socialization. The kittens should be fixed and adopted out around 8-10 weeks of age. If you cannot foster and socialize the kittens, leave the kittens outside! Dont socialize a kitten that you cannot place they will learn survival skills from their mother that will give them their best chance at outdoor survival as a feral cat.
Do Cats Miss Their Owners
Cats form very strong bonds with their human companions and family members. Even though they may play it cool, they will notice youre gone and they will miss your attention. If your cat starts meowing loudly when you leave the room, thats one sign they miss you.
Other symptoms may include clinginess, loss of appetite, depression, anxiety, vomiting and diarrhea, and house-soiling.
If you notice these signs, talk to a vet to determine if theres a health condition to address. And please, dont get mad at your cat if they urinate on your clothes. It is their way of saying that they miss you.
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What Happens When A Kitten Is Removed From Its Mother Too Soon
If a kitten is taken from its mother and sent to a new home too soon, there can be some serious health consequences. The first few weeks of a kitten’s life are essential for its health and body development. The colostrum and nutrients in the mother’s milk are responsible for strong bone development, eye health, and full organ development, so if a kitten is weaned too soon, you could be increasing the risk of your cat developing more health issues later on. A kitten removed from its mother too soon may need nutritional supplementation and other veterinary care early on in life.
In addition to health concerns, behavioral issues can arise in kittens who were removed from their mothers too early in life. Mother cats teach their kittens’ lifelong lessons and give off calming pheromones. Kittens who left their mothers too soon may have trouble grooming themselves, not know how to bury their waste in the litter box, play too rough, not know how to hunt for food, or have other behavioral problems.
How To Tell If Your Kitten Was Properly Weaned
When looking to adopt a kitten, one of the most important questions you should know to ask is, has she been weaned? What is weaning, you ask? Weaning is the process of graduating a kitten from milk to solid foods, and that she has learned everything she can from her mother. Once a kitten is eating on his own, that is usually a tell-tale sign that hes ready to be separated from his cat mama. However, just like humans, some cats take longer than others to fully prepare for life outside of kittenhood. Are there any ways you can you tell if your cat was taken from his mother too soon? And if so, what are they?
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Feeding Kittens 6 To 8 Weeks Old
When a kitten is 6 to 8 weeks old, it should be thoroughly weaned from the bottle and transitioned to solid foods. At this time, offer only food thats been specially formulated for kittens. Its a good idea to mix dry and canned food together so your pet experiences both at a young age. As your kitten ages, you can switch to an all-dry or all-canned diet. You should be feeding a kitten this age three to four times per day, depending on their appetite. Its also important to keep a clean, shallow bowl of fresh water available at all times to keep your kitten hydrated.
Whats The Best Method For Feeding My Kitten
Young cats need more frequent feeding, Bough says, But as they get older, they can go to twice-a-day feeding.
Larsen agrees that its fine for young kittens to free feed, by making unlimited kitten food available to them all day long, and then to transition to meal eating around four to six months of age. Free-choice feeding has the additional benefit of reducing stomach distention resulting from rapid meal eating. It also helps underweight or slow-growing kittens. Of course, its not the best option for overweight or obese kittens. For these kittens, measured portions offered as meals or until gone is a better choice. Check packages for suggested amounts. Even with the energy needs of kittens, overfeeding can become a big problem.
Especially control intake around the time of spaying and neutering, which increases the risk for obesity, Larsen says. Preventing obesity is preferable to addressing it once its already occurred.
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How Long Can You Leave A Cat Alone
How long you can leave your cat alone depends on your pets personality and habits. Other factors are the environment, their health, and age.
Heres a rough estimate of how long you can leave your kitty alone based on age:
| Age | |
|---|---|
| Healthy grown-up cats | 24-48 hours |
Keep in mind that this is the maximum amount of time you should leave your cat home alone. Beyond this time, you should get somebody to check up on them. Its vital that your pet has enough food, fresh water, and a safe place to sleep. Also, remove any sharp items and poisonous plants.
Once you have covered the basics, make sure your kitty has enough stimuli, so your pet doesnt get bored. High posts next to windows, scratch posts, toys, TV, and music for cats are a few examples. You can talk to your cat remotely through a Petcube Bites 2, a pet camera that doubles as a treat dispenser.
Use Can Covers Or Ziploc Bags For The Fridge
When you store wet cat food in the fridge, you have to cover it to keep it fresh. If you dont cover it, then it will dry out and you will have to throw out a large portion of it on the second serving. Moreover, it is important that the wet cat food gets as little air as possible, even in the fridge.
While refrigeration slows down the alteration process significantly, having access to air still permits the development of some bacteria and fungi. So when you store the cans in the fridge, use a can cover to keep the food safe and to prevent it from drying out.Pet food can covers are inexpensive and extremely useful. As an alternative to pet food covers, you can use Ziploc bags. Simply place the can inside the Ziploc bag, get the air out, and zip it up to keep the food safe.
If you have leftover cat food in a pouch, then you can use a food seal clip and then place it in a fridge. If you dont have any, then Ziploc bags are also very useful for pouches. Another alternative is to take out the leftover cat food and move it into a plastic container with a lid.
To sum up, wet cat food can be left out for up to 2 hours, but do this only if you have no other alternative. Your best choice is to get your cat smaller portions so that you dont have any leftover cat food. If you do have leftovers, though, you should refrigerate it after opening the can/pouch. Use a pet food can cover for the cans you refrigerate to store it safely, then remember to heat up the food before you serve it.
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Feeding Recommendations From Your Local Veterinarian
Canned food only is my first choice. For an adult cat, start with ½ of a 5.5 oz. can twice daily and no additional food. This is the starting point and likely will need to be adjusted downward.
For little cats, a half of a 3 oz. can twice daily may work better. This amount is also cat-specific and often needs adjusting up or down. Feeding canned food seems to create the best balance between calories and feeling full, and the meal seems to tide the cat over better than a dry food meal.
How Much Should You Feed An 8
Your kitten may think she’s as fierce as a lioncapable and independentbut when it comes to nourishment, she relies on her mother’s milk and the solid food you provide. Most kittens are through the weaning process and have transitioned to solid foods by the time they’re eight weeks old. So you might be wondering just how much to feed an eight-week-old kitten.
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Five Weeks Old Kitten
Showing their independence, Darling, Denby, Corduroy, Tweed, and Wembley are beginning to demonstrate their individual personalities: Darling is a talker Denby is always up for adventure and a good wrestle Corduroy is brave and confident Tweed is sweet and loves belly rubs and Wembley is a cuddle bug and full of silly mischief.
Corduroy, brave and confident!
How Long Should A Kitten Stay With Its Mother
Franny Syufy is a cat expert with over two decades of experience writing about feline anatomy and medical conditions. She is a professional member of the Cat Writers’ Association, won the prestigious PurinaOne Health Award for her writing, and authored two books on cat care.
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When looking to adopt a kitten, it’s common to see very young cats for sale or for adoption. But while it may be commonplace, placing a kitten in a new home at too young of an age can be detrimental to the cat.
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Choosing Between Dry Food Canned Food Or Both
In general, you need not offer multiple flavors and textures to cats. They get very good at training their owners to add something else to the mix if the cat shows any hesitation to eat what is given. If the cat is otherwise acting fine, a choice to not eat what is offered can be normal, or a test by the cat to see if something better will show up. Very, very few cats need any encouragement to eat. The opposite is usually a goal.
Chicken And Turkey Recipe
Poultry is the #1 ingredient of most cat food formulas from all the best cat food brands because its rich in proteins, so necessary for a feline to grow and stay healthy. Chicken breast and turkey breast are high in proteins and low in fats, preventing cats weight issues yet allowing them to remain satisfied.
The below homemade cat kibble recipe with chicken and turkey inside will reveal how to make dry cat food so that it would reflect a felines natural nutritional needs.
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Leaving A Cat Alone Overnight
If your feline is healthy and you can ensure a safe environment, leaving a cat alone overnight should not cause big problems. Food, fresh water, and at least a couple of litter boxes are a must. But, if your cat has health issues or separation anxiety, try to find other options. Petcube Play 2 will give you an opportunity to watch your cat and see how they are faring while you are away.
Getting a pet sitter is the best solution if you have a kitten or a grown-up cat with medical problems. The sitter will ensure your pet is safe and cared for and your house remains clean. Having a friend or a family member over will also give you peace of mind and reduce the cost of hiring a pet sitter.