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Diet
Sheet
Food given raw can be rabbit,
beef, heart - not liver as it is a laxative. Cooked meat can be rabbit,
chicken, turkey etc, making sure all bones are removed. Fish must always be
cooked - dark or white varieties i.e. cod, coley etc, again making sure all
bones are removed. Cats do appreciate a small amount of cooked vegetables from
time to time.
Preferred tinned foods are Whiskas and Felix.
Tinned pilchards (in tomato sauce is a favourite), tuna, salmon or sardines can
be given as an occasional treat, but not the varieties which come in brine, the
kitten’s kidneys can’t cope with the extra salt. Don’t feed fish more than once
a week, as it is low in iron. Feed a good variety of foods and your cat should
be fit and healthy. It should have an alert look, a soft glossy coat and clear
bright eyes.
Quantities - Try one
tablespoon per meal to start with. If this is not enough, you will soon be
informed of the fact! As the kitten grows, increase the quantities and reduce
the number of meals until, by 9 months (when the kitten is officially a cat)
your cat is having two meals a day plus a good quality complete dried food
(e.g. James Wellbeloved, Vitalin, IAMs or Hills Science Diet) and fresh water
available at all times.
Apart from the dry cat food, never leave food
down - always take away what is not eaten.
Never feed cows milk, as this can cause severe tummy upset and diarrhea (I
have found that even one drop can do this). Vary your kitten’s diet as much as
possible.
Like children, kittens vary in their likes and
dislikes and behavior patterns, and even kittens within the same litter will
vary. If your kitten turns its nose up at some of the food, don’t panic! It
will come around. An unbalanced diet can cause serious deficiency diseases, so
do not encourage your cat to become a fussy feeder. Occasionally a greedy
kitten will bolt its food and bring it straight back undigested. It does not
mean that the food disagrees with it, but that the food should be fed in
smaller quantities or mashed up more finely. Large lumps could make a kitten
choke! Fresh water must be available at all times! A well-fed, well cared-for
cat, that has exercise and fresh air, will be a healthy kitten.
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