A healthy kitten is the basis for a long life
The diet is an important component in ensuring that kittens develop as they should. It also establishes the foundation for a long and healthy life. A healthy diet also means healthy teeth, good immune defences and the wellbeing of your feline friend. Young cats, especially kittens, have very different needs to adult cats in the first few months. The Happy Cat Kitten and Junior products were developed to ensure that your little tiger receives the very best. This Cat Advisor article contains important information on finding the right diet for your kitten.
Baby cats have high energy requirements
If you watch your baby cat playing you will quickly see that the curiosity and play instinct of your little bundle of fluff is apparently infinite. The energy reserves needed to grow are equally large. However baby cats don’t only need lots of energy because they are constantly in motion, their bodies are also working to capacity in the first few weeks and months. In this short time, the baby cat multiplies in size and weight, the bones, organs and muscles grow and the immune system matures fully. Your little feline friend will then put on another 50 g to 100 g every week until she is around six months old. But this will only happen if she has the right diet. For the first important life phase from 5 weeks through to 6 months there is Happy Cat Kitten dry food. This is an energy-rich and balanced recipe that covers all of your baby cat’s needs. It contains only high-grade proteins and highly digestible and well tolerated nutrients for optimum development of the digestive system. The adapted recipe also ensures steady growth.
It’s all about the quality of the food
A higher energy and protein content alone is not effective in a cat food. The energy content and proteins need to be precisely matched to requirements”. The supply of protein, in particular, must not be overdosedduring the growth phase. Quality is king in this respect. For this reason at Happy Cat we avoid the use of plant-based protein alternatives (such as soya), and use exclusively the highest food grade animal protein.
Benefits of dry food for kittens
Is wet food or dry food better for baby cats? Many new cat owners ask this question. Actually neither form is intrinsically “better” than the other, provided that it is a high-quality product declared as a complete feed for kittens.
However, dry food does have a few advantages over wet food:
- More hygienic: dry food does not go off as fast as wet food
- More practical: the open packs don’t have to be kept in the fridge
- More environmentally-friendly: dry food is packed in larger amounts, thus reducing packaging waste
- Strengthens the teeth: the tissues that support the teeth (periodontium) are strengthened by chewing the kibble
But:
Since dry food, as the name suggests, contains barely any moisture, it is particularly important that kittens have free access to enough fresh water at all times. Ideally you should set up several water bowls or even a water fountain in your home to encourage your baby cat to drink more. You will find more information about the fluid intake of cats under the heading of Cat nutrition.
When should a cat be changed over to adult food?
A cat is not regarded as fully developed until it is around four years old. But they only need Junior food during the first rapid growth phase, so until they are no more than 12 months old. When baby cats are neutered, their metabolism changes. Happy Cat has developed recipes adapted to each life phase to allow your kitten to develop exactly as she should.
This overview advises you which cat food is most suitable for your kitten or young cat:
- Happy Cat Kitten: from 5 weeks to 6 months
- Happy Cat Junior: for young cats up to 1 year old
