At 8 weeks, kittens should be old enough to leave their mom's side which is why it tends to be the youngest age for adoption. That being said, 8-week-old kittens still remain fragile which is why cat parents have to be careful while looking after them, especially their food. As kittens would grow rapidly until they reach the 1-year mark, deciding how much to feed a kitten at 8 weeks obviously prove crucial to the proper development of the pet. Hence, if you want your fluffy friend to grow up to be a healthy cat, make sure that it gets enough nutrients during this time.
Really need a couple of hints about how much to feed a kitten at 8 weeks? Well, if that happens to be the case, you have come to the right place. Down below, you shall find everything that pet owners must keep in mind regarding the diet of 8-week-old kittens.
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Kittens Need To Eat Lots
As mentioned above, to support their growth, kittens require more protein, vitamins, fat and so on compared to adult cats. Unfortunately, because kittens have a small stomach, it's rather difficult to give them sufficient nutrients through a single feeding.
Overall, cats need one to two daily meals once they mature but growing kittens need to be fed between three and four times a day. In most cases, the average kittens at 8 weeks should have four meals in the course of a day. Felines of the age require small portions of food in mealtimes but give your furball a bit more if it belongs to a big breed. Don't use hunger as an indicator as some kitten may be greedy: They continue to beg for food even after they have their fill. Needless to say, your fluffy friend is going to run into digestive issues if it eats too much at once.
Wet Food Vs Dry Food: Which One Is The best
While talking about how much to feed a kitten at 8 weeks, many novice cat parents also question the suitability of wet food and dry food. On average, wet food would offer kittens much needed moisture which keeps them hydrated while dry food could last a long time in the open. The majority of feline experts recommend that you feed your kitten wet food in order to supplement its water intake. Still, it's possible for pet owners to feed 8-week-old kittens dry food periodically.
Examples of high-quality cat food on the market
Wet Food
- Instinct Original Kitten Grain-Free Recipe Natural Cat Food
- Purina Fancy Feast Kitten Canned Wet Cat Food
- Blue Buffalo Healthy Gourmet Natural Kitten Pate Wet Cat Food
Dry Food
- Royal Canin Feline Health & Nutrition Mother and Baby Cat Dry Food
- Organix Grain-Free Organic Dry Healthy Start Kitten Formula
- Merrick Purrfect Bistro Healthy Kitten Grain-Free Dry Cat Food
Note: As dry food diets tend to lead to the forming of painful crystal right in the bladder of cats, kittens should adopt wet food diets as soon as possible.
Why Kittens Don't Eat
Considering the nature of kittens, it's natural for their appetite to fluctuate from time to time without apparent reasons. However, you have to keep an eye on your furball in case it stops eating for more than a day.
Generally speaking, kittens don't eat much when they arrive at new homes with unfamiliar faces. That means if you recently adopted your fluffy friend, it may opt to hide in the carrier instead of heading to the feeding bowl. So you don't have to panic if your kitten refuses to eat much food on the very first day. Of course, if necessary, you could get the pet straight to the local veterinary clinic for a full medical checkup. Veterinarians shall conduct a thorough diagnosis for signs of illness as well as offer more detailed advice on how much to feed a kitten at 8 weeks.
Litter Box Training For Kittens
Overall, as kittens eat, it's just a matter of time before they have to answer the call of nature. Because of that, it's a good idea to make sure that your furball knows how to use the litter box in times of need. Fortunately, cats instinctively look for dirt, sand and similar materials in order to poop/urinate. So as long as you leave your fluffy friend near a suitable litter box, the pet should be to figure out how things work eventually. Obviously, pet owners still have to supervise reactions of the kittens to the litter box.
For most of the time, people must keep in mind 2 things:
- The box: Kittens have fairly limited mobility which is why you need to pick a litter box that is shallow enough for your pet to get in. In the case you use a box that proves to be too high then your kitten would be incapable to take care of its business. While cats may agree to share certain resources with each other, they usually prefer to have their own litter box. As a result, cat parents should ensure that the number of litter boxes always corresponds with the number of cats in the house, including kittens.
- The litter: Different cats tend to have different tastes so while some kittens like one particular type of litter, others hate it. Needless to say, your furball may refuse to use the litter box if it finds the litter in there uncomfortable. Experts in the field suggest that you put in a variety of litter to determine which matches the preferences of your kitten the most. When you manage to find the ideal litter, all you have left to do is to come by the box every to scoop the litter.
Note: The litter box is also a nice indication of the health of your kitten. If your kitten is suffering from constipation, diarrhea and so on, you could notice the signs in the litter box. That is why it's strongly recommended that pet owners drop by the litter box every once in a while.
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