Is it ok to start 3 month old kittens on dry cat food?

Question

I am getting a pair of male 3 month old kittens, and i was wondering if it was ok to give them dry cat food. If not what do you recomend? I am also trying to think of names for both, but i will look at their personallitys before naming them.

Answer 1

If you're going to use dry cat food, sure, 3 months is old enough. Kittens are generally started on solid food around 6 weeks, so the kittens you're getting have probably already BEEN on dry food.

Just make sure you get quality food. Try to avoid foods with "by-product", "meal", and "corn" on the ingredients list. The FIRST listed ingredient should be meat. And make sure it's either formulated especially for kittens OR fine for both cats and kittens (some of the holistic foods can be given to either).

I would not, however, recommend a mainly dry food diet for the rest of their lives. This site changed my mind about dry food;

http://www.catinfo.org

And for God's sake, dry food does NOTHING for a cat's teeth! When are people going to wake up?!

Answer 2

3 months is absolutely old enough for dry kitten food! They should have been already fed dry food for a little while now, but if not, you can certainly start them on it.

Whatever you do, do NOT feed them cheap brands that can be purchased at the supermarket, such as Iams, Purina, Meow Mix, etc, INCLUDING Science Diet. They are like JUNK FOOD for your kittens and absolutely awful. Read the ingredients and you'll see why. The first couple ingredients should always be meat, and the ingredients should never contain corn and other fillers. Animal by products, which are used in nearly all of these brands, are parts of animals that are not legal for human consumption-- such as beaks, etc. AWFUL.

For a few extra bucks you can get food that is not even comparable in nutrition to these other brands. A great one that my cat loves is Natural Balance. You can find it at Petco, and other small pet supply stores (don't go to PetSmart, they sell absolute cr*p). They don't have specified kitten food, as the food is good enough quality it can and should be fed at any stage of the cats life. I started feeding my kitten Natural Balance when she was 3 and a half months old, weening her off of Iams (yuck). You can tell the difference in her coat, even. Compare the ingredients and it will be clear.

Good luck with your kittens!

p.s. http://www.bowwow.com.au/ has some great cat names ;)

Answer 3

NO!!!!

Never feed a cat dry food! At least not as a major portion of its diet.

Cats evolved in the desert and they have a poorly developed thirst reflex. they drink very little because they get their moistire from their food. Wet food has about the same water content as fresh killed prey. Dry food, as the name implies, has very little water content. Because of that poor thirst reflex, even though cats on dry food will drink more, they won't drink enough. The resulting imbalance is a recipe for kidney failure. It's probably not coincidence that renal failure was almost unheard of in cats until the introduction of dry cat foods, and now it's so epidemic that many vets think it's a normal part of the aging process.

Also, as obligate carnivores, cats lackk the digestive enzymes required to digest plant proteins. All they can do is turn it into fat, then live off the fat as if they were starving. This puts a strain on the liver. Grains are especially difficult for cats to process and dry foods are mostly grian.

Read this and you'll know more about feline nutrition than most vets - and you'll never consider dry food for your cat:

http://www.catinfo.org

Answer 4

Actually they should stay on kitten food for about a year, remember they are growing boys ^_^ kitten food has the extra protein and fat they need. Then you can switch to adult cat food.

Don't buy brands that list corn or other grains as the first ingredient. Remember cats are carnivores that eat NO grain. The only vegetables they eat are the partially digested grass in the stomachs of mice/other prey. So get them some meaty food!

Answer 5

Yes they are old enought to have dry kitten food, I recomend Iam's not only is it healthy it doesn't have as many fillers(less fillers less poop!) At that age they shouldn't have any soft food or milk! Be sure to have them both neutered as soon as your vet recomnends (4-6 months) that will help avoid fighting and mounting each other. Plus it'll also help stop them from spraying and will keep them close to home. Congrats on the new kitties and I hope you have a blast!!!

As for names... We had 2 sister pup's and named them Precious and Trouble= precious trouble!

Answer 6

At 3 months old, I think dry kitten food would be fine. Kittens are a lot of fun! Enjoy. Also, www.petplace.com has a lot of information for new pet owners.

Answer 7

After a kitten is weened it's okay to put them on regular kitten food but make sure you get kitten chow or another brand formulated for kittens. Those usually have the nutrients to help the kitty grow healthy and strong.

Answer 8

I've raised lots of cats ,so yes its fine to give them dry right now. All the cats I've ever had would start eating with there mothers as soon as they could. If you get them started eating can food they may want it all the time. And i really believe dry is better for them. Although i give my cats some dry food as well as some meat scraps. I have a calico who is 20yrs old right now and 2 other cats one 10yrs and one 12yrs. so have fun with yours.

Answer 9

Yes, they can certainly be on dry food now, you should be able to start them on any kitten formula food. Try to wean out the wet food (you can mix the wet and dry to start to make it an easy transition) because as their teeth get bigger, and they start teething the dry is going to be very important.

Answer 10

They should be fine, if they seem to have trouble chewing the crunchies, just add a little bit of water to them and nuke it for awhile. The water will absorb into the crunchies and make them softer. Just make sure you're feeding them a high-protein specifically for kittens dry food.