How much are your kittens eating?

**Tomiam** · 27th January 2010, 10:14 PM

Semi-nervous here... probably nothing more than a nervous 'parent', but thought Id ask. Loki is eating a fair bit less than Storvenn and the size difference between the two is very evident. Getting a little worried that something isnt right / Im feeding wrongly. Loki isnt thin, just not eating as much and is smaller in comparison.

Info:-
Both born from same litter. Storvenn male, Loki female.
Both are active, chase toys etc. Poop & wee'ing - all seems fine.
Feed schedule is same as breeder recommended, with same food brands too.
They are now 16 weeks old.

Feeding schedule (water is available at all times in two seperate bowls + every other day ish they get kitten milk)
7:30am 1.5 packets of natures menu. (3/4 packet each)
12:30pm Rabbit mince. (1/3 packet (about 250g between them)
5:00pm 2 chicken wings ( 1 wing each - Storvenn has his raw / Loki only eats semi cooked )
9:30pm Pro Plan kitten. Dried food. (about 1/4 coffee cup each)

Storvenn - not a problem eating anything. I swear if an antelope wandered into the lounge it'd best have life insurance with how much he loves his food. 99% of the time his bowl is empty within 5 mins.
Loki - eats less. Wont touch the raw chicken at all, has to have it cooked. Generally speaking, if Storvenn eats 100 units, Loki will eat 70 units.

I've just registered with a vets practice here on the outskirts of Bristol. So will deffo mention this on their first trip.

Just wondering how much food your little ones eat in comparison and wether I should put down enough food so that there is a little bit left over at the end? I dont want to end up with fatcat coonie!

Any feedback very welcomed

**Karena** · 27th January 2010, 10:49 PM

Because Loki is a girl she won't grow as much as the boy - the girls are smaller as adults. If she is eating albeit a smaller amount than her brother and not looking underweight I wouldn't worry. Make sure she hasn't got diarrhoea as if she is she won't be absorbing any nutrients - other than that I would keep a close eye on her and if she does start to lose weight then take her to the vet - it's better to be safe than sorry.

**IrishKitty** · 27th January 2010, 11:37 PM

Good question!
I'm feeding Winston 3 times a day.
He is fed just after 7a.m with Maine Coon baby cat dried food. At 1 p.m I give him either half a tin of tuna in spring water or some wet kitten food.
He gets fed around 7pm with more dried food. In between he has been given some kitten treats for his skin and coat and has also had some raw chicken. He also has fresh water throughout the day/night.
He's not faddy but I've actually been concerned I'm underfeeding him!

**RiaBoo** · 28th January 2010, 09:56 AM

Hank has just started eating properly about 3 days ago. He's not a big eater, but maybe that will change as he gets more comfortable.

We feed him Royal Canin Kitten 36 biscuits mixed with wet food at about 7.00 am ( he does not like dry food on his own, and the breeder told us that he was not keen on it before anyway). I was a bit miffed that I didnt buy the Maine Coon range, but hey, I guess it's just as good. I will do though as soon as he's finished with this pack.

He loves the Whiskas in Jelly Kitten Pouches. Then at about lunch time we give him some raw mince sometimes mixed with biscuits again.

5.00 pm more kitten food. But we also leave biscuits for him to munch on during the day.

He's also starting to ask for more food at about 7.00. But he's such a nibbler that it seems like were feeding him more than we should.

But he drinks loads tho and spill loads too! Lol.

Irish Kitty: he has been given some kitten treats for his skin and coat

Which ones do you give him hun??

**IrishKitty** · 28th January 2010, 10:31 AM

Originally Posted by RiaBoo

Which ones do you give him hun??

Ria: I give him these little biscuits called Treat-Ums "Skin & Coat treats for cats and kittens" by Mark & Chappell Ltd. He loves them!!!!!!
There are a different range of treats for hairballs ,calcium etc. You can pick them up in most petstores and my local DIY Store also has them in the pet section

You can check them out here:
M&C Skin & Coat Treats

**Karena** · 28th January 2010, 11:58 AM

I was reading up about feeding in one of my Maine Coon books last night. It said that some MCs are grazers and prefer to eat a bit throughout the day rather than set meals and if your kitten isn't finishing his meal then its a good idea to measure out the amount he needs for the day and leave it down for him to come and eat when he wishes.

This is all fine but if you have other cats or dogs like me it wouldn't

stay down for long.

**IrishKitty** · 28th January 2010, 12:11 PM

This is all fine but if you have other cats or dogs like me it wouldn't stay down for long.

My parents know all about that. Their cat is a grazer and if the westhighland terrier spots any unfinished food he gobbles it down.

**Tomiam** · 28th January 2010, 07:51 PM

Thank you all very much for taking the time to give some feedback

Im a little happier now having read what you are all doing. Begining to think that Loki is the normal eater and Storvenn is just munching whatever he can. Amazing how much he has grown in the last week!

Now that payday has arrived (two x coonies wiped out the 'spare cash' fund last month) I've sent off for the raw cat food sample pack which misslinaoh linked in another post.
Linked again: Food4-Cats!, Just Food for Cats Nothing More!
Hope to give them both an occassional bit of variety to their meals with the selection food4-cats has on offer.

I shall keep a close eye on Loki to make sure she is ok, & will check with vets too. After reading your comments, Im sure everything is ok. Just me + worried 'parent' syndrome.

**RiaBoo** · 28th January 2010, 08:29 PM

Originally Posted by Tomiam

Now that payday has arrived (two x coonies wiped out the 'spare cash' fund last month) I've sent off for the raw cat food sample pack which misslinaoh linked in another post.
Linked again: Food4-Cats!, Just Food for Cats Nothing More!
Hope to give them both an occassional bit of variety to their meals with the selection food4-cats has on offer.

I shall keep a close eye on Loki to make sure she is ok, & will check with vets too. After reading your comments, Im sure everything is ok. Just me + worried 'parent' syndrome.

Totally understandable Tomiam, we were the same with Hank when he wasn't eating as much as we hoped for in the first few days. But now he's OK and all we want to do is do the best for him so that he can grow as a healthy and happy kitty!

Thanks for sharing the link again, I seemed to have missed that.

**harrymc** · 29th January 2010, 05:46 PM

I've been thinking the same Tomian, but having read all the replies you had, I think we're probably just being anxious parents ! Harry was on the Royal Canin 36 but seemed more interested in Poppy's tuna, so I put a bit on top and he woofed it down. Since then I've just been adding a bit of chicken or tuna to his dry food and that seems to work better. He never eats all of it, so as to not leave it hanging around, i change it 3 times a day and then just leave the dry food out for the night. Don't worry she will be fine me luv !