Weaning of the kitten should begin at one month of age, but it is usually not until almost two months of age that the transition to solid food is completely complete. This is why this stage is critical for a kitten. In addition, during its first month of life, the cat's socialization takes place, which will be fundamental if you wish to have a future healthy and happy adult cat. If you have just adopted a very young kitten, whether because of abandonment, the death of the mother or the fact that it was given to you, and especially if you have never been in this situation before, you may ask yourself: what does a 1 month old kitten eat?
On The Pretty Pets we bring you the necessary information to be able to raise a 1 month old kitten who is no longer with his mother and whose diet will depend exclusively on you. Read this article until the end to find the answers to all your questions!
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What does a kitten eat?
How much does a 1 month old kitten eat ?
What happens during the first month of a cat's life?
What does a 1 month old kitten eat ?
What does a kitten eat ?
Newborn kittens receive their mother's antibodies in the colostrum during the first hours of their life, then they receive the nutrients they need to gain weight during the first weeks of their life, again in their mother's milk. If the mother rejects her litter, does not produce milk or if one of her cats is weak or sick, they should be fed with milks formulated for baby kittens, like when we find an abandoned kitten on the street, feeding them every 2 or 3 hours until they are three weeks old. In addition, we must provide them with heat at all times, as they are not yet able to regulate their own temperature. After 10 days of life, they will open their eyes and after 20 days, their first teeth will start to come out.
The energetic needs of newborn kittens increase and reach 130 kcal/kg per day at 3 weeks. From that moment on, the frequency of intake can be extended to 4-5 hours. It is important to use kitten formula, although if you don't have any, you can opt for an emergency kitten formula. If it is powdered, do not prepare more than one serving at a time for 48 hours. Also, when reconstituting a commercially available cat formula, you can divide it into portions and keep them in the refrigerator until you use them. Before use, they should be heated to 35-38ºC by immersing them in a hot water bath, never in the microwave because of the risk of overheating or uneven heating.
An orphaned kitten must be bottle-fed, using a syringe only for emergency cases. To do so, the kitten must be placed horizontally, in a sternal decubitus position with the head raised to resemble the nursing position. To make it easier for the cat to start sucking, we can put a drop of milk from the bottle on our finger and bring it close to the kitten's mouth. During the bottle-feeding process, we should never remove the bottle from the cat, as it may cause the contents to expire.
In kittens under 3 weeks of age, it is necessary to stimulate the anogenital area after each meal to encourage them to have a bowel movement. It is necessary to keep a daily record of the kitten's weight, meals, eliminations and behavior in general, as well as to maintain a good body temperature (30-32 ºC during the first week, dropping to 24 ºC in the following weeks) and keep the kitten in a safe and calm place.
However, before starting to feed a small kitten, especially if you have found it abandoned, it is important to consult your veterinarian, as this will allow you to know the kitten's exact age.
How much does a 1 month old kitten eat?
If at the age of 3 weeks kittens must ingest at least 130 kcal/kg through
breast or formula milk, when they reach one month of age they will go to
200-220 kcal/kg per day divided into 4-5 daily intakes. From then on, the needs
increase much more slowly. Thus, a one and a half month old cat should consume
about 225 kcal/kg per day, and when it reaches 5 months, the maximum is 250
kcal/kg per day. At this age, growth is fairly complete and it will take less
energy daily to reach, by the age of one year, the daily calories of a standard
adult cat (70-80 kcal/kg per day).
Normally, 1 month old kittens still suckle their mother most of the time if
they also live with their mother, but since they already have teeth, they also
show interest in solid food. That's why the mother usually offers her kittens a
prey. If we have just welcomed an orphan kitten of 1 month old, it is important
to know that at the age of 4 weeks, the kitten's diet must be modified, even if
it must be based largely on kitten milk.
What to feed a kitten? If you want to know more about how to feed a kitten
and about kitten food, you can read this other article from The Pretty Pets cx
on "Kitten food - 6 homemade recipes" to feed your cat yourself.
What happens during the first month of a cat's life?
A cat's socialization period begins at 2 weeks of age and ends at 7 weeks of age. During this period, kittens learn everything from their mother, and physical contact with humans is essential for optimal behavior in adulthood, as certain events during this period will have a long-term effect on the cat's personality. Ideally, the kitten should not be handled by only one person, preferably at least four people, and the kitten should be in contact with other animal species and people of different ages to increase its future sociability.
From the first month of life, the kitten begins the weaning phase, reducing its ability to digest milk lactose and increasing the amylase enzymes that are responsible for breaking down the starch from the carbohydrates in dry or wet cat food. Weaning begins at four weeks of age and can be extended to eight weeks, when the transition is complete.
What does a 1-month-old kitten eat?
What does a 1-month-old cat eat? When we are responsible for a 1-month-old cat, we can encourage the introduction of wet kitten food, but never force it. If he is not interested, it is better to leave him for later or try another food. Another possibility, especially if we don't have any type of food for a 1 month old kitten, is to try a homemade diet, like giving him chicken pieces and see if he is interested. Some cats may be very interested in this type of food, but we should not overdo it so as not to cause indigestion, because the kitten is still much too young.
To encourage weaning, replace the bottle a cat receives during its first weeks of life with a saucer of milk to teach it how to drink, and gradually add a commercial quantity of kitten food to it. This will make it easier for the kitten to start eating kibble. This quantity of food will be gradually increased until the kitten will eat only kibble and alone at about 7 weeks of age. What kind of food for kittens? The best food that can be given to a kitten until it becomes an adult is a specific kitten food, which can also be given to the mother until the end of the lactation period.
In short, the food for a 1 month old kitten will consist of A food based on
kitten formula.
At 4 weeks of age, you should start introducing dry food to encourage
weaning, and always do it gradually, starting with very little food compared to
milk, until the proportion is reversed and finally feed only cat food.
Never forget to place a container with water at their disposal, even if
they are not yet fed exclusively dry food.
A kitten should be fed about four or five times a day. It is not
recommended that he have food available at all times, to prevent him from
overeating.
It must be considered that a kitten, from the first month and until at
least 6-7 months of age, triples the energy needs of an adult, which is why the
kitten's food must be more energetic. Ideally, a commercially available kitten
food.
When they reach seven weeks of age, kittens should be fed exclusively dry
and/or wet kitten food.