# Kitten Feeding Schedule?



## shan841 (Jan 19, 2012)

How often should a 6 month old kitten be eating? I read the they should eat every 4 hours. The problem is that I am trying to switch him to an all canned food diet, and since I work 8 hours a day i have been leaving dry food out so he has something to eat while I am at work. This causes a problem because he isn't too excited about the wet food so if he isnt really hungry when I give him the wet he wont eat it. Is it okay to only feed a 6 month old kitten 3 times a day?? 

I also found that if I give him dry when he is hungry then he eats too fast and throws it up. (But he still wont be hungry enough to eat the wet)

Any advice would be appreciated!!


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## yingying (Jul 19, 2011)

It's nonsense that 6 month old kitten should be fed every 4 hours. That's 6 meals a day! 4 meals a day would be perfect, but 3 will do. I feed mine 7:30 in the morning before going to work, 5:30pm after I come back, and a late night snack around 11:30pm before I go to bed. I only give wet/raw, no dry and no free feeding. They have to finish the dish right away and I will take away leftover (if there are any). Three of us are all happy with this arrangement


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## valer4ik (Sep 11, 2011)

I am having the same problems - the kitty is not too excited about wet food and she does not eat it right away, so I leave it out for her, along with the dry food. Sometimes she eats wet after a while, sometimes leaves it and it dries up... I was thinking of training her to eat wet only by placing a meal and taking it away after 30 min with anything that's left. However it seems too harsh, since she may not even touch it in this 30 minute period, and that would mean she will be hungry for a good portion of the day... Not sure what to do about this. Also, how much wet food should a 6 month old kitten eat if I stop providing kibble?


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## valer4ik (Sep 11, 2011)

sorry to bombard your thread with my own questions, but it seems like you're having the same issues


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## noladeb (Jan 12, 2012)

Thanks for this thread! It looks like I may not be feeding my kitties enough? I give them each 1/4 cup kibble in the am, and then a small can of wet in the evening (I think 3 oz). Due to my work schedule, I may need to adjust the feeding time too. I feed around 6:30 am and then 5:30 pm. Maybe I should give them a snack too? 

They are 4 months and weigh approximately 4 lbs each, the vet said they were a good healthy weight.


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## yingying (Jul 19, 2011)

valer4ik said:


> I am having the same problems - the kitty is not too excited about wet food and she does not eat it right away, so I leave it out for her, along with the dry food. Sometimes she eats wet after a while, sometimes leaves it and it dries up... I was thinking of training her to eat wet only by placing a meal and taking it away after 30 min with anything that's left. However it seems too harsh, since she may not even touch it in this 30 minute period, and that would mean she will be hungry for a good portion of the day... Not sure what to do about this. Also, how much wet food should a 6 month old kitten eat if I stop providing kibble?


If your kitty prefer dry over wet and you leave dry out, then for sure she won't be interested in eating wet. I agree with AC that you should take away the dry food completely. At the beginning if you worried that kitty is being picky and not eating enough, you can crush some dry kibbles and sprinkle it on the wet food (I still do it when my cats refuse Wellness). You can put a bit more wet, and after half-one hour, save the leftover for next meal


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## yingying (Jul 19, 2011)

noladeb said:


> Thanks for this thread! It looks like I may not be feeding my kitties enough? I give them each 1/4 cup kibble in the am, and then a small can of wet in the evening (I think 3 oz). Due to my work schedule, I may need to adjust the feeding time too. I feed around 6:30 am and then 5:30 pm. Maybe I should give them a snack too?
> 
> They are 4 months and weigh approximately 4 lbs each, the vet said they were a good healthy weight.


Kittens do not have big stomach to hold food sufficient for half day activity, so they need many small meals. 2 meals per day is definitely not enough. Adding a late night snack (may be lighter than the 2 regular ones) is definitely better. If they eat up all you give them, then you should provide more.


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## shan841 (Jan 19, 2012)

Thanks guys! I guess i should just stand my ground and get rid of the dry completely. I know every 4 hours seems like a lot, bu he is very good about eating very small amounts at a time, and he gets sick when he eats too much in one sitting so that had me worrying. Im also going to pick up some different brands of canned. So far i have only given him wellness, maybe he will be more willing with a different brand.


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## shan841 (Jan 19, 2012)

valer4ik said:


> sorry to bombard your thread with my own questions, but it seems like you're having the same issues


 
glad this thread is useful for you too! and yeah your questions will help me as well


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## yingying (Jul 19, 2011)

My cats hate Wellness with heart. They still refuse to eat plain Wellness after so many months. It has to be mixed with other canned or dry kibble crunches. I also know some other cats who are not keen on Wellness either. Maybe you can try other brands like Evo/Innova/Merric/Before Grain? My cats like those. 

Also I recommend mixing a bit Weruva BFF into Wellness or any food your kitty doesn't like. Although I know seefood based food is not that good, by mixing just a little bit BFF into Wellness, my cats view the food from awful to delicious


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## Lyndzo (Dec 20, 2011)

I only feed my kitties twice a day, but they seem fine with that. I let them share a small can of wet food in the morning. I do leave some kibble in their bowls in case they want a snack in the afternoon (but usually they don't eat much of it). Then when I get home from work I share a large can (5.5oz I believe) between the two of them. They don't finish it, the usually leave half of it and come back during the night to finish it off. They seem very happy with the food.


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## littlesushi (Jun 8, 2011)

yingying said:


> My cats hate Wellness with heart. They still refuse to eat plain Wellness after so many months. It has to be mixed with other canned or dry kibble crunches. I also know some other cats who are not keen on Wellness either. Maybe you can try other brands like Evo/Innova/Merric/Before Grain? My cats like those.
> 
> Also I recommend mixing a bit Weruva BFF into Wellness or any food your kitty doesn't like. Although I know seefood based food is not that good, by mixing just a little bit BFF into Wellness, my cats view the food from awful to delicious


my cats used to eat all the brands you mentioned and now they refuse! we now feed them nature's variety, ziwipeak, addiction, and tikicat and it is a bit hard on the wallet but just glad to see them eat something they will not turn their noses up on.

maybe i'll try the mixing like you do to save some money..


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## valer4ik (Sep 11, 2011)

Juliette never eats more than 1/3 of a 5.5oz can at a time. Even if I take away all of her dry food (when I'm home on the weekends) and when she should theoretically be hungry and consuming 1.5-2 cans per day, she only eats 1 can max. Many times it is even less than that  and I don't think her tummy can hold half a can in one sitting, which would be expected if we're talking about a 1.5 can per day requirement. That's why I am more inclined to leave the wet out, so she can come back to it whenever she wants. On the other hand, maybe she will get used to eating larger portions three times a day if the food is taken away after half an hour... any thoughts?


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## shan841 (Jan 19, 2012)

valer4ik said:


> Juliette never eats more than 1/3 of a 5.5oz can at a time. Even if I take away all of her dry food (when I'm home on the weekends) and when she should theoretically be hungry and consuming 1.5-2 cans per day, she only eats 1 can max. Many times it is even less than that  and I don't think her tummy can hold half a can in one sitting, which would be expected if we're talking about a 1.5 can per day requirement. That's why I am more inclined to leave the wet out, so she can come back to it whenever she wants. On the other hand, maybe she will get used to eating larger portions three times a day if the food is taken away after half an hour... any thoughts?


This is the same problem i am having  allthough i stopped today and got some different brands, tonight i gave him blue wilderness and he ate a little bit more than he was eating of the wellness.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

noladeb said:


> Thanks for this thread! It looks like I may not be feeding my kitties enough? I give them each 1/4 cup kibble in the am, and then a small can of wet in the evening (I think 3 oz). Due to my work schedule, I may need to adjust the feeding time too. I feed around 6:30 am and then 5:30 pm. Maybe I should give them a snack too?
> 
> They are 4 months and weigh approximately 4 lbs each, the vet said they were a good healthy weight.


Your girls are weighing the same as mine, my twins weighed their age until 8 months (4 months, 4 lbs., 5 month, 5 lbs., etc.).

I put down wet food for my girls when I leave for work, when I come home, and before I go to bed. Sometimes between the last two meals they get a snack of dry food, but I'm only talking about a tablespoon each. A good sized meal before bedtime helps calm them down and make them sleepy, too.

My girls don't eat more than 1.5 ounces of food at one time, but I'm sure they ate more than that as kittens.


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## beckyhiker (Jan 3, 2010)

valer4ik said:


> Juliette never eats more than 1/3 of a 5.5oz can at a time. Even if I take away all of her dry food (when I'm home on the weekends) and when she should theoretically be hungry and consuming 1.5-2 cans per day, she only eats 1 can max. Many times it is even less than that  and I don't think her tummy can hold half a can in one sitting, which would be expected if we're talking about a 1.5 can per day requirement. That's why I am more inclined to leave the wet out, so she can come back to it whenever she wants. On the other hand, maybe she will get used to eating larger portions three times a day if the food is taken away after half an hour... any thoughts?


 
I don't know what canned food you are feeding her, but I would definately try something different. Maybe you will find something that will appeal more to her. I would think that a 4 month old kitten would eat more than a 5.5 ounce can a day, I know my boys did.

Also, if you want to have her get a meal during the day while you are at work you can buy a timed feeder with an ice pack. The ice pack will help keep the canned food fresh until the timer allows the lid to pop open. I like the Catmate C20.


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## littlesushi (Jun 8, 2011)

valer4ik said:


> Juliette never eats more than 1/3 of a 5.5oz can at a time. Even if I take away all of her dry food (when I'm home on the weekends) and when she should theoretically be hungry and consuming 1.5-2 cans per day, she only eats 1 can max. Many times it is even less than that  and I don't think her tummy can hold half a can in one sitting, which would be expected if we're talking about a 1.5 can per day requirement. That's why I am more inclined to leave the wet out, so she can come back to it whenever she wants. On the other hand, maybe she will get used to eating larger portions three times a day if the food is taken away after half an hour... any thoughts?


my kittens are at the 11 month mark now and they haven't been able to eat 1/2 a can at a time (that's pushing it, usually it's more like 1/3) until recently. at 6 months they were probably eating 1/4-1/3 can a time per meal. i was feeding them 4 meals a day, and gave them as much as they wanted to eat. i would give them breakfast in the morning before work, leave 1/4 - 1/2 can out for them to snack on while i was gone (sometimes they finished it, sometimes they didn't), dinner when i got back, and a snack before bed. as she gets older she will be able to eat larger portions, and if you take the food away she may also just because she just might not be that hungry if food is always out.

good luck  kitten feeding isn't an exact science, there's a bit of trial and error involved since every kitten is different.


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## yingying (Jul 19, 2011)

My Meatball just had her 1st birthday and Metoo is 10 months old now. Neither of them can eat more than 1/3 can (5.5oz) per meal. Each day their get 3 meals (with the late night one a bit lighter), so they get a little less than one can per day. As kittens, I remember they ate about the same amount. I really don't think your kitty would be able to eat 1.5-2 cans a day. Well, it depends on individual cats, but mine never ever eat that much. They are well developed, not thin. Actually I'm considering cutting off some food for Meatball, as she looks a bit chubby


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## shan841 (Jan 19, 2012)

Well, switching foods definately helped. I have found that Banjo LOVES avoderm, and now I am confident that he is eating enough. I am feeding him as much as he will eat in one sitting 3 or 4 times a day, depending on my schedule. He is not a big fan of the pate-style food(wellness, blue buffalo) but the avoderm is chunks of meat in liquid and I think that is one of the reasons he loves it so much. He will even eat the wellness if I mix it with the avoderm. And, his stool seems much healthier. It is much smaller and much less stinky since I switched him from that yucky science diet dry that he came with.


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

yingying said:


> It's nonsense that 6 month old kitten should be fed every 4 hours. That's 6 meals a day! 4 meals a day would be perfect, but 3 will do. I feed mine 7:30 in the morning before going to work, 5:30pm after I come back, and a late night snack around 11:30pm before I go to bed. I only give wet/raw, no dry and no free feeding. They have to finish the dish right away and I will take away leftover (if there are any). Three of us are all happy with this arrangement


I got almost the exact same schedule as you do! Cept I feed breakfast around 6:45am and dinner around 5p then late night snack at 11:30p


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## yingying (Jul 19, 2011)

Alpaca said:


> I got almost the exact same schedule as you do! Cept I feed breakfast around 6:45am and dinner around 5p then late night snack at 11:30p


I guess that's a typical working guy/gal's schedule  I need more sleep though... When I was a student I used to sleep till noon every day. After working for 3 years I'm still not used to getting up at 7am... :fust

@OP: Glad your Banjo enjoy his food and you can see improvement!


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