How to feed a malnourished kitten with limited food options?

If you are not giving a vitamin and mineral supplement, I would recommend going to www. balanceit.com to formulate an adequate diet and to purchase a supplement of vitamins and minerals. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

Unfortunately I can't recommend feeding a diet such as you are suggesting. Kittens need minerals (among other things) for proper growth, especially calcium and phosphorus, and they need to receive them at a specific ratio. Commercial diets specifically prepared for growing cats are formulated properly, and I would urge you to feed one of these. Royal Canin is available in India, and they have an excellent diet for kittens. Here is a link to their dry product: https://www.royalcanin.com/products/royal-canin-feline-health-nutrition-kitten-dry-cat-food/2522 At 7 weeks of age you may want to also purchase the canned product (https://www.royalcanin.com/products/royal-canin-feline-health-nutrition-babycat-instinctive-canned-cat-food/4057) and mix the two together. You can certainly continue feeding a bit of chicken (preferably white meat/no bones) along with the commercial diet, but limit the amount you feed to only a tablespoon or so.

Thank you for submitting your question regarding Ron. I recommend feeding a well researched kitten food such Royal Canin, Purina ProPlan or Hill's Science Diet. If you do prefer to home cook his food, then you will need consult with a veterinary nutritionist. The website www.balanceit.com is a great resource. Ron is growing quickly at this stage and it is important to ensure he receives proper nutrition. I hope this information helps!

Properly balancing a home cooked diet for cats is extremely difficult, and is nearly impossible for growing kittens. Cats are obligate carnivores, meaning that they require meat as the staple of their diets. They are also require a careful balance of amino acids, particularly taurine, to maintain optimal health. Nutritional deficiencies can lead to dilated cardiomyopathy, abnormal bone growth, or a host of other problems. I strongly recommend exclusively feeding Pelly a commercial kitten food to provide a proper nutritional balance for optimal growth. Royal Canin kitten food is a great option! You do not need to add additional foods or vitamins while feeding commercial diets. If you decide to feed more home cooked foods, try to wait until she is fully grown, and then only do so under the guidance of a board-certified veterinary nutritionist (including the recommendations found on www.balanceit.com). I hope this helps and that all goes well for Pelly!

Thank you for submitting your question regarding your pets. Home cooking pet food can be very satisfying as most pets love it. However, it is extremely difficult to make the meals nutritionally balanced. For this reason, I recommend using a recipe provided by a veterinary nutritionist. I have several clients using this and have been so pleased with the results. I recommend www.balanceit.com. The nutritional requirements for a kitten will be different from an adult dog. Kittens need more protein and fat for growth and development. They also require an amino acid known as taurine in their diet. I hope this information helps!

It would be the right time to start introducing solid food gradually. Initially just mixing it with kitten milk, then over 4-5 days wean her off onto solids completely. She is too big to rely on milk only.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! This is difficult for me to answer because I’m not sure what’s available in your location. In general, I stick with the bigger name brands because they are formulated by veterinary nutritionists. These include Purina, Hills Science Diet, Eukanuba, Royal Canin etc. Choose something that says “kitten” or “all life stages” until about 9 months, then transition to adult formula. I don’t have a preference on dry or wet so whichever you and Ginger prefer. I always also tell people that if finances are a concern, mixing half high-quality and half low-quality is perfectly acceptable. As for amount, approximately 1/4-1/3 cup or 1 -1.5 can per day (split up into two or three meals ideally). This will of course increase as he grows. Best wishes to you and Ginger!