Kitty Question....

[Cookiebaker]

Hey, PT'ers....its been a long time since I posted on a regular basis. Anyway, I just have a quick question that hopefully you can answer.

How long do you leave wet cat food down for? Does it go bad after a couple of hours??

just in CASE you were wondering why I had that question....YES, we rescued a 12 week old kitten from Animal Control last week. He is a mediium-haired, black and white kitten -- he actually reminds me a bit of Vermontcat's Samantha. So far, he is working out to be the best.kitten.ever. He is SO snuggly....loves my girls....tolerates their loudness, pokes, and loving pats (ie bonks) on the head. He especially loves my 4.5 year old, curling up with her, playing with her and following her around. He tolerates Malone, and Malone tolerates him. I had forgotten how uber sweet it is to have a purring kitty in my lap as I relax in the evening.

So, yes, my question....also, how much should a kitten be eating? My vet said as long as he was peeing/pooping enough...but how much is enough?? He is eating about 1/4 cup dry food, and 1/8th can of wet food per day. I'm guessing he really doesn't need all that much and he is probably doing just fine. I'm just a worrywart. haha

Oh, and the most important detail of all...his name is PATCHES.

[Cookiebaker]

I'll try to attach a picture...its been so long, I'm not sure I remember hehe

[cassiesmom]

What a darling kitty!

[kitten645]

OMG what a cutie! xxxooo

[Taz_Zoee]

He is adorable!! Welcome to a wonderful home Patches!

I feed my cats different than most people. They always have dry food in their bowls. This works for now since they are both at good weights. I couldn't do that with my RB kitty Taz. He got too big on free feeding.
I also give my two kitties 1/8 of a can of wet food each day. They usually eat it all up in about 10 minutes (long enough for me to do my daily stretches), then I pick up the plates and wash them. If he seems to not be eating the entire 1/8 of the can maybe give him less for now until he gets bigger. But just keep an eye on him and if he seems to be getting "plump" then cut back on his amount of food. Or if he seems a bit thin then give him more. This is also how I manage the dogs weight. The bag might give suggestions on how much to feed, but those aren't set in stone. I think all cats are different...just like we are.

I can't wait to see more pictures of Patches! (hint hint)

[orangemm]

What a little darling!

[sasvermont]

Hi stranger.

Congrats on the new arrival. How are the girls and hubby?

I free feed my cats (three of em') and give them a little bit of wet food every now and then. I usually buy expensive, grain free food (Blue Buffalo Wilderness right now) and I have found their weight stays the same but their teeth have stayed clean. I used to feed them more wet food, but now only maybe once a month.

Male cats probably need more water in their food, so he probably should have wet food more often. Each cat is so different.

I found that by free feeding, they never wake me up to be fed. Great for Saturday mornings when you want to sleep in!

I have to feed the cats on top of the washing machine, as my doggie, Prue will eat ALL the cat food if given the opportunity! I bet Malone would do the same.

Keep us posted with photos. And how about a photo or several of all the girls!

[mrspunkysmom]

Hi!

I free feed Blue Buffalo Wilderness Dry and have three that eat it almost exclusively. I feed wet twice every day, but it's 8 ounces divided 5 ways so it isn't much.

It's been a while since I've had a kitty that young so I can't say how to feed. Jane was 20 week when she showed on my porch and was skinny, so I let her clean everyone's bowls for a few weeks. She's a little pudgy but regulates herself and stays at that weight.

Good Luck!

[catmandu]

Con Cat Ulations of You New Cat of the Future!!!!

I just took in Josephine of Many Nmaes and it is nice to have a Furry Purry Kitten about.

Josephine will not touch canned or human food, so I put out her Kitten Food in small bowlfuls so she will not eat everything in sight.

I put down a tub of canned food, and only replace that when it is eaten. At midnight the rest goes to My Porch Cats.
Good Luck with Your New Little Buddy^^.

[Catty1]

The labels on cat food often give feeding guidelines for different ages and weights. That's the guideline I use.

He is TOO stinkin' cute!

[Vermontcat]

Congratulations on the cute new addition to your family!
Samantha is smiling down with her approval from the Rainbow Bridge.
Since Samantha was an only cat I was able to free feed her canned & dry food, now that I have two cats I can't free feed them because Milly would eat it all and Izzy wouldn't get any! I portion out wet and dry food for them for two meals and a couple of snacks/treats. I wouldn't leave the wet food down for more than a few hours especially if the weather is warm, cats tend to turn up their noses if the food isn't fresh enough.
Has Patches been to the vet's yet for a checkup & shots? They will have feeding advice for you & once you know his weight it will be easier to figure out the serving sizes on the cat food labels.
Please post more photos of the little Mini Moo Cow Kitty.
He is just too cute!

[Karen]

Welcome Patches! I have a kitty nephew in upstate New York whose name is just Patch! He's orange and white, though. And welcome back, Cookiebaker, good to hear from you!

[katladyd]

I have three cats with three different dietary needs. Ming needs to watch his weight, Mac needs to put some on, and Kimba is a young, growing cat who needs good nutrition. I have found, like so many other people one here, that if I free feed Wilderness Dry (all my boys adore the Duck variety) all of their needs are met. They each get a small amount of wet twice a day. For my wet, I feed Wellness Chicken and Herring, Royal Canin Adult Instinctive, or Max Cat Venison or Duck. All three of them eat all of the above with gusto, so I stick with these for the most part. Solid Gold Indigo Moon is a very good dry that I also feed them sometimes.

[Pinot's Mom]

Welcome, Patches!! Welcome back Cookiebaker!

Put me in the Blue Wilderness category. Pinot is not free fed; she would be 30 lbs. She gets 1/4 cup of the dry with a spoonful of canned twice a day mixed up into a gravy with a bit of water. There aren't any leftovers, so I can't advise on how long to leave it out, but I wouldn't think it would be very long, as they recommend the leftover in the can get refrigerated.

[Cookiebaker]

Thanks everybody! I will try and post new pictures of Patches and my girls soon. I guess my question was not so much about how much food to offer, but how much food should he be intaking? It just doesn't seem like very much to me at all -- but then again, I'm used to a 70# yellow lab who inhales anything i put down in front of him. Patches is pooping and peeing regularly...I scoop twice a day and there's always something in there, so I guess I just won't worry.

He got his foot hurt last night....I still feel badly about it. My husband was feeding the dog, and went to close the closet door, and didn't notice that Patches had his paw in the hinge side of the door. The yelp that ensued was not a pretty sound, and Patches limped around for the rest of the evening, and wouldn't jump. But by today he is back to his happy-go-lucky self and I don't think any permanent damage happened. Its just a good reminder to always be aware of where little paws might be that we aren't expecting them to be!!!