Feeding Kittens

[ShadowDancer]

I have a question. I just got 2 nine week old babies and i bought them iams kitten food which is pretty good considering whats in it. But theyhave been on canned food and there mothers milk so now that they live with me i have an idea. They try the kitten food but its a little hard for them and i dont want them to stay on canned food. So i got out my trusty blender and mixed the kitten food with a little water and their usual canned food to mix in with the food in thier dish. Im hoping that this way it softens it up a little and its easier for them to eat it. And its stashed in my fridge hope noone eats it lol. What do you think?

[lastunicorn86]

try putting some pieces of dry In the wet food, slowly adding more dry and less wet. or try breaking thepieces into a smaller size. you might look at Royal Canin baby cat food, it might be smaller/softer for them! good luck

[tltrull]

I gave hard food all day and put a little canned out a few times a day to make sure mine ate enough. Eventually in between canned meals she would nibble on the hard food, now she just gets a little canned once daily as a treat.

[ShadowDancer]

I was just hoping to avoid canned food by in a sense making my own out of dry food. Adding a little canned was just to connect the familiar smell and taste. And they can get familiar with the taste of the dry food. Thanks for the comments!

[Spudnik]

Just curious... but why don't you want to feed them canned?

[creativz]

IAMS is rubbish. There are much better pet foods available. Check and compare a few ingredient listings.

[AllAnimalLover]

Iams cat food is crap. yes they have "good" ingredients...like meat and other crap, but you have to think of the QUALITY of the food. Why don't you want them on a diet of both. If your looking beacuse pice?? Go to a better quality of food and they won't eat the quantity that they did on the poor food. Wet food is fine to feed on a reg basis. It makes sure they get water intake!

[brandy pup]

Royal Canin make a baby formula kibble that is small for kittens. Then they have regular kitten food.

I personnaly think canned food is fine. You need to give them a variety of foods so they do not become picky eaters. You do not want them to become dry food junkies also becuase wet food is neccasary to retain moisture to flush the kidneys and urinary track.

Dry Cat Food Crisis
http://www.felinefuture.com/nutrition/bpo_ch4.php

Feeding Your Cat
http://www.catinfo.org/index.htm

SELECTING A PET FOOD
http://www.api4animals.org/doc.asp?ID=689

[ShadowDancer]

Dont take it the wrong way i have nothing against canned food its just that i would prefer they eat dry also for thier teeth to help keep down that tartar. And this way i can get them used to brand while still giving them canned food. Just seems easier since the hard food is still difficult for them to eat.

[Nell]

Contrary to popular belief, dry food does not make any significant difference with dental health, unless it is a special dental diet. Regular dry food cleans teeth about as well as croutons.
A high quality canned food will not cause your cats to accumulate more tartar on their teeth (though low quality foods might), and it will make a significant difference to the well-being and health of your cats.

Definatly check out the links that Brandy Pup provided for more about the benefits of including canned food in your cats diet.

[brandy pup]

Have to agree with Nell. Dry food is worse on teeth then canned. That is becuase of the grains in the kibble, leads to tooth decay. Also when a cat eats canned they ussaly lick it up and swallow, not much hits the teeth. Dental diets are just oversized kibble, again a false sence of security.

The only way to ensure healthy teeth and gums is 1)a well planned raw diet 2) regualr brushings 3) regular vet trips.

[christen renee]

Before I was enlightened on most groc store foods being crap.. I was feeding Iams. I switched to Evolve, but will be switching to Felidae soon and see how kitties like it. they love their evolve.. but i hear felidae is better.

evolve was cheaper and much better than Iams. Felidae is slightly cheaper than Evolve.

If you cant find the foods near you.. you can order them online www.petfooddirect.com w/ the shipping and handling it just ends up being the same amount as iams.

they also have dry formulas. but you might think about reconsidering wet food.

[AllAnimalLover]

Actually brandy Pup, yes they are over sized kibble, however they are meshed together so taht the kibble crunches in a certain way. Somewhat cleaning the teeth, however, you have to start with a clean slate, and brush their teeth as well