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New to feeding

Michele&Will

Savannah Super Cat
I am picking up my Thor this week but really have no idea how much to be feeding him. He is a 11 week old male F5. We will be feeding him Royal Canin kitten dry food (from breeder), and RC wet food 3 oz cans for now until I can get him to switch his dry food to Orijen dry food (How long until I can switch him over?) How much dry/wet food do you think he should receive per day/per meal? I will be home in the morning and evening, not lunch time. How old should they be before adding in some real meat, or vegetables (according to breeder) or trying a raw meal? Please help a first time owner! I want him to be strong and healthy :)
 

admin

Paige
Staff member
Welcome @Michele&Will and congrats on Thor...try to leave him on the food from the breeder for a few weeks, but you can slowly integrate the orijen with the RV dry...kittens should be free to sat whatever they want...you can try him on raw food now...not sure why you would feed veggies as cats are obligate carnivores...mine will eat some lettuce and spinach if I have it out, but I do not go out of my way to feed veggies...

You can try your kitten on some raw food such as feline's pride, rad cat, blue ridge beef kitten mix, etc. Or freeze dried raw such as wysong, stella and chewy's etc.

Try reading a bit through this subforum as there are lots of good suggestions here...I would try a packaged raw before buying a grinder and/or ordering in bulk from hare today...
 

Michele&Will

Savannah Super Cat
Ok, I will integrate the food slowly, and not do the veggies. What do you mean by packaged raw? Do you just cut it up then without the bone instead of using a grinder? How much of the dry/wet food a day would you suggest for him right now?..not including any raw.
 

admin

Paige
Staff member
Ok, I will integrate the food slowly, and not do the veggies. What do you mean by packaged raw? Do you just cut it up then without the bone instead of using a grinder? How much of the dry/wet food a day would you suggest for him right now?..not including any raw.

By packaged raw, I mean raw that comes with all the ingredients you need, such as Omas Pride Poultry Blend, Blue ridge Beef Kitten Mix, Felines Pride and such...you would have to add a supplement such as Kitty Bloom or Mazuri, Wildtrax, etc...Do some reading under this topic...

Try leaving the dry out and give him a can or two of wet food...see how much he eats in 15 min...I feed my kittens 3x a day...they need food and nutrients to grow :)
 

Patti

Admin
Staff member
Hi Michele and Will, I agree with Paige, you should definitely leave Thor on the food he is used to for the first couple of weeks he is home with you. He has a lot to get accustomed to with moving to a new home, a new diet can upset his tummy as well.

Once you are ready to start switching over just add a little of the Orijen to the Royal Canin. Each day you can add a little more, and take a way a bit more of the RC. You should try to take a minimum of a week (preferably two weeks) to completely switch him over.

As for how much to feed, start by finding out how much the breeder feeds. I am a believer in free feeding kittens so would leave the dry out and available to him 24/7. I would offer him a can of wet in the morning and in the evening. If he gobbles it all up you can give him more, if he leaves some behind give him less.

If you want to try him on raw then the prepared raw you can purchase is a great way to start as Paige has pointed out - if you purchase a feline diet it should have all the necessary vitamins and minerals, including taurine. If you decide you want to grind your own then you will need to add a supplement, or add the ingredients needed to provide a balanced diet. Some people like adding veggies and fruits as their source of vitamins and minerals as they feel it is more natural, others prefer to purchase a commercial supplement which usually comes in powder form and obviously easier to use than trying to figure out how much of what to add to create a nutritionally balanced feline diet.

I hope you post lots of pics of Thor when he arrives - I'm sure you started the count down to his arrival some time ago - not too much longer now! :up:
 

Michele&Will

Savannah Super Cat
Yes everyday I read more and more and still have to wait for him..my bf says he misses him too, super cute! I think I have finally figured out the feeding plan, and I will eventually give the raw a try after he has accustomed to his new home. I will post a bunch of pics and videos asap! Thanks for all your help :) I love your site!
 
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