Kitten feeding and nutrition guide

At this early age, your kitten is growing at a lightning-fast pace. A week-old kitten has only just opened their eyes. Fueled by their mother’s colostrum, which builds their immunity, and then by milk, they gain around 0.3-1 oz of weight per day. Fast forward to a month old and that tiny bundle has already transformed into an inquisitive and playful, though still small, explorer. They’ll be ready to start weaning—a vital process as the kitten transitions from complete dependence on their mother for their nutritional needs, to independence. The weaning process is usually completed at around two months. Their first food needs to be soft, to ease the transition from milk to solid food, and full of the antioxidants they need to build their immunity, as well as amino acids to aid muscle and cell growth.

Your kitten’s growth is continuing and they are developing strong muscles and bones. Growth is at its most intense at around four or five months, when your kitten could be gaining around 3.5oz a week. They need a more energy-dense food—a food that contains more calories per ounce—than adult cats. But at first, it must be one that little mouths can still manage while they’re waiting for their adult teeth to grow in. Keep a close eye on portion sizes to ensure your kitten does not put on too much weight during this growth phase. At this age, kittens are busy playing and also honing their social skills. During this period your cat will go through puberty and you may notice that they start to behave more like an adult cat. That could include sleeping for as much as 13 to 16 hours a day. After all, growing, developing and socializing is tiring work.