Unless care is taken cats can develop very fussy and frustrating eating habits. It is important that right from an early age they are introduced to a wide range of foods and not allowed to become “addicted” to one particular food.
Regardless of what you choose to feed your cat or kitten, make sure there is plenty of fresh water available at all times.
Kittens
A kitten’s diet gradually changes from that of its mother’s milk to solid food between 3 and 6 weeks of age. During this stage the kittens should remain happy, active and make steady increases in body weight & growth. Cow’s milk is not suitable as its lactose content is too high. It is better to offer a milk substitute such as Wombaroo or Divetalac, which we have available. These are designed specifically for animals and are much closer to the real thing as far as kittens are concerned. In the way of solid food, offer them kitten food 4 times daily until they are 8 weeks of age, then 3 feeds daily until 12 to 16 weeks of age. When they are this age 2 daily feeds will be adequate. We recommend Iams and Eukanuba Kitten food which are dry food designed especially for kittens and may be soaked in milk substitute for the very young kittens.
Adult Cats
Good quality commercial biscuit diets should form the majority of your cat’s meal. Eukanuba and Iams which are recommended by Midland and Bullsbrook Vets are scientifically balanced to provide all the essential ingredients at the right levels. They are also excellent for providing good oral and digestive health as well as keeping their skin and coats in excellent condition. If soft food is fed, we recommend and stock Tuckertime cat food. This is like a roll of polony and most cats think it is fantastic. Whilst Tuckertime is excellent for the digestive tract, it should be always fed with some biscuits to ensure the teeth are kept clean and healthy.
Supplements
If your cat is healthy and eats one of the well balanced diets mentioned above, there should be no need to use vitamins or mineral supplements. However if your pet is sick or convalescing we often have prescription diets to provide nutrition for their specific illness.
Laxative pastes such as Cat-lax are very important in the prevention of fur balls. They may be used weekly or more often is required, especially in long-haired cats or fastidious groomers. There is also an excellent furball diet available that will help prevent fur ball build up and can be fed as your normal cat food.
