Can my kitten eat only dry food and still get proper nutrition?

It is quite alright if little Oliver does not eat dry food. Canned food has a higher protein and moisture content as well as less carbs than dry food. Cats do not "need" carbohydrates but do need a high protein diet, especially growing kittens. Feed a good quality canned food that comes from the can looking like a hockey puck. Read the ingredients and confirm there is named protein source of animal, not plant, origin. Avoid by-products and meat meals. Stay away from store or discount brands too, these typically contain low quality ingredients and more fillers.

Kittens do the majority of their growth in the first five to six months of life but continue to grow until they are around one year old. During this time of rapid growth and maturation of their bones, it is very important to choose a complete and balanced diet with the appropriate levels of nutrients. Diets formulated for growth include those labeled for kittens or “all life stages.” Canned foods promote increased water consumption in cats, and feeding dry food exclusively or in combination with canned is also acceptable. Offering a kitten with a variety of textures early in life can be helpful in minimizing the chance of having a picky eater. Regardless of diet selection, always make diet changes gradually by mixing the old and new foods together over five to seven days and make sure to carefully measure the appropriate portions of your cat’s food. Abrupt changes have a greater likelihood of resulting in vomiting and/or diarrhea.

Some cats prefer one type of food over another. I would just leave dry food out for him to nibble on and then feed him small amounts of canned food twice a day. He has plenty of teeth that he should be able to chew small kibble. He will begin to eat more dry as he continues to get older and gets hungrier. I hope this helps!

You should transition Oliver to cat food as soon as you can. Dog food is not an appropriate diet for a cat's system. Restrict access to dog food and feed a good quality kitten food. Choose one with a named protein source of animal origin. Serve it warm or mix in a teaspoon of baby food to stimulate his appetite. You can then transition hinm to an adult cat food when he reaches 1 year of age.

By 8 weeks old, you can absolutely start to give your kitten dry food. If they are accustomed to eating wet food, consider making the transition gradually by mixing the wet and dry foods together over 5-7 days. While it would not necessarily be harmful to eat small amounts of an adult cat food, it would be best to exclusively feed kitten food for the first year of life since these foods are balanced for growth. Some of my favorite brands of kitten foods include Science Diet ( http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=29250 ), Royal Canin ( http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=31886 ), and Purina ProPlan ( http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?pcatid=31190 ), and I have included a few examples. It would be fine to give an occasional Webbox tasty stick as a treat, but avoid offering too many. I hope this helps and that all goes well!

Gerat question! Over the next few days before you start school, begins increasing the amount of dry food and decreasing the amount of kitten milk so he's eating the dry food only. He is only enough for dry food only, but he needs to be weaned onto it. I hope this helps!

It is completely fine to feed you cat only dry food if that is all she likes. If you want to give her canned food as an occasional treat any brand should be fine. Some cats just prefer dry over wet food and this should not cause any health issues. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck.