Top 5 Things You Should Know About Cat Food for Mother Cat and Her Kittens
Your family celebrates the addition in the family.
On her bed is Amidala with her 3 new kittens by her side.
Amidala, you favorite Persian Cat, is now a mom to 3 kittens happily enjoying bottomless supply of milk from their mom.
Now, that you have new members of the family, here are the 5 things that you should know when feeding your growing family of fur babies.
the Top 5 Things You Should Know About Cat Food for Mother Cat and Her Kittens
#1 – How she builds her milk supply
During the 2 months of her pregnancy, the mother cat starts building up her milk supply for the period of lactation. When her kittens arrive, she will produce up to 250ml of milk per day – so she needs a very high energy food!
#2 – Nutrition that she needs on her cat food during lactation
To support her during lactation, the mother cat needs cat food with high fat, protein and mineral contents.
On the other hand, the nutritional needs of her kittens start to increase as maternal milk production declines, prior to weaning.
Kittens start showing interest to solid food from the age of 2-3 weeks (when the kitten’s milk teeth appear), while complete weaning won’t be completed until at least 2 months of age when the kittens’ milk teeth also appear.
#3 – Kittens grow super fast on their first few weeks
Your cute cuddly kittens will grow very fast in their first few weeks. Think of it this way, their birth weight multiplies by a factor of 8 in just 8 weeks!
Growth then slows down for a period of consolidation.
#4 – Best cat food during intense growth of your kittens
Up until 4 months, the kitten’s digestive system progressively adapts from digesting milk to starch. During this transitional period the kitten has very high nutritional demands: food must be rich in protein with adapted levels of vitamins and minerals.
#5 – Sustain their growth with the right cat food
Kittens undergo a consolidation phase, usually up to 12 months old.
During this stage, your young cat’s muscles and bones are developing, but her digestive system remains immature. Her adult teeth will come through from around 4 months.
While at this phase, her food can be less soft, and must reinforce the natural defences.
Sterilisation can be performed between 3 and 6 months of age. Sterilisation has an impact on nutritional requirements, and a specific diet is recommended for neutered cats from 6 months of age.
Now, that you know these Top 5 things, what should be your next steps?
Well, for one, you can be more conscious is choosing the right cat food for your mother cat and her kittens as you learned that they have specific nutritional needs.
Second, you’ll have second thoughts about giving the same quality of food to your kittens and to your more active cats. Now you know that not all cat food are created equal.
Third, start to be on the lookout for cat food brands that provide the answer to your cat’s nutritional needs.
You’re in luck as here in the Philippines, we have one cat food brand that does that.
The next time you go on pet food shopping, check out Royal Canin, specifically the package with pink color code 🙂 This line of cat food is designed specifically for the mother cat and her kittens.
Hugs to your growing family of kittens!