Can kittens eat dry food?
Kittens feed on mother’s milk up to 2 (and sometimes more) months. However, already at this age, babies are recommended to introduce other foods into the diet. This is done in order to smoothly prepare the body for independent nutrition and specific food, and also to contribute to the proper development of the baby and strengthen its immunity due to the beneficial components of the feed. But what foods are the first in the diet? Can kittens eat dry food?
Dry food is not only suitable for the first independent food in the life of small pets, but also the best option. But there is one amendment: the product must be of high quality, balanced and designed specifically for kittens. Why is it so important?
The fact is that babies grow very quickly, they have an accelerated metabolism and for proper development they need nutritious food containing a full range of vitamins and minerals. High-quality feeds are developed taking into account the needs of the body during a period of rapid growth and development and daily saturate it with all the substances necessary for this. It is impossible to achieve the same result with natural feeding. That is why, with this type of feeding, pets are also given additional vitamin and mineral supplements. In addition, it should be borne in mind that kittens have sensitive digestion. Incorrectly selected or insufficiently high-quality products can lead to serious digestive disorders or even poisoning, so you need to be careful in this matter. In addition, do not forget that sudden changes in food deal a blow to the body of even an adult healthy cat, and you need to be much more careful with fragile babies.
At what age can kittens be fed dry food?
When pets are only 3 weeks old, they are already trying to lap up water from a saucer. Kittens mature even earlier than puppies, and upon reaching 1 month they can already be transferred to special dry food. At the same time, it is not necessary to soak the granules with water. Even at such an early age, they can easily cope with them. In addition, such food will be an excellent helper during the period of changing milk teeth.
Initially, the food is offered to kittens with cat’s milk. That is, babies continue to drink mother’s milk, and they are reinforced. When the animals are 2 months old and it is time to completely transition them to dry food, they will accept full replacement with ease, as they will already be familiar with it. In this case, the body will avoid stress.
It is very important to gradually introduce into the diet exactly the food that you are going to feed in the future. Remember that it is recommended to change feed lines only if necessary.
Dry food for kittens: which is better?
When choosing a ready-made diet, be sure to familiarize yourself with its composition. Kitten food should be complete and balanced.
Quality meat as ingredient number 1, high protein and fat content, balanced levels of calcium and phosphorus, xylooligosaccharides and antioxidants (for example, vitamin E) in the composition will be a great advantage.
Many high quality kitten foods (such as MONGE SUPERPREMIUM KITTEN) are also used for adult cats during pregnancy and lactation, which is not only convenient but also economical.
Summing up, I would like to note that the issue of feeding is one of the most basic, because the quality and life expectancy of pets depends on it. Be careful in choosing a diet and do not hesitate to consult with experienced breeders and experts.
Let your kittens grow up healthy!