The way to a kitten's heart

To give your kitten the best start in life you should feed him well-balanced, nutritious food and he’ll certainly appreciate you for it. After all, once he’s been weaned, he’ll be looking to you for everything and that means the best possible care and the best possible food.

Special food for a special member of the family

For the first four or five weeks of his life, your kitten should get all he needs from his mother. If he cries or is particularly restless after suckling, it might be that he is not getting enough milk. If this is the case, it is worth speaking to your vet about what you can do to help.

If there are no suckling problems, your kitten can usually be weaned at twelve weeks old. Even from week four, however, he can get used to eating solids, such as Whiskas® Kitten food. To begin with, spread the food onto a plate, so he can lick it and get a taste for it. Then increase the portions gradually and always make sure he has access to a bowl of fresh, clean water.

Small stomach, big appetite

Your kitten will grow 15 times faster than a baby, and as you may have already realised, he has much more energy than an adult cat. In order for him to get all the nutrients he needs to develop and grow properly, you now need to introduce him to solid food. With a stomach that’s only as big as a thumbnail, he can’t eat a great deal at once. So, feed him small meals at regular intervals (up to six times a day) at the beginning. Whiskas® Kitten food has been specially developed to meet all his specific nutritional needs.

From little kitten to big cat

From about four months old, a single Whiskas® Kitten pouch is perfect for a single tasty meal. One pouch provides exactly the right amount of calories, vitamins and calcium, and because it has smaller chunks of meat, it is ideal for smaller mouths, smaller teeth and smaller tummies. During this time a kitten should be fed 3-4 meals a day which should be reduced to 2-4 meals from the age of six months. Finally, at ten months old, your kitten will be ready to be introduced to an adult diet.

A few tips for successful feeding:

Serve his food at room temperature
 Make sure he has his own feeding and water bowls and that they’re cleaned after each meal (cats don’t like to eat from dirty dishes)
 Ensure that fresh, clean water is always available
 Stick to the same food. Changing it suddenly or repeatedly can upset his delicate stomach
 If you do have to change his diet, introduce the new food gradually, a little at a time
 Do not give him uncooked meat or let him eat human food. It’s bound to be too rich for him and some human foods can even be toxic for cats.

Keep him regular

The best way to keep your cat in the best of health, is to feed him a combination of wet and dry food. Whiskas® Kitten pouches and Whiskas® Kitten Complete for example will give him all the nutrients, vitamins and minerals he needs. It’s especially important that meal times are regular, even if you can’t be there; for example, when you go on holiday. In that case, the kitten’s ‘foster parents’ will need to know when to feed and how much to give him, as well as being informed about his other habits, likes and dislikes.