My kitten eats like crazy. Is this normal and how should I feed him?

Hello. This could be a behavioral issue, or possibly a medical one. There are some intestinal disturbances that can cause extreme appetite in cats. If this is behavioral, sometimes using the anti-anxiety medication amitryptiline, can quiet some of these extreme urges. But before getting into tests & possible medications, you might try switching your cat to a canned diet. It has been shown that some cats have a longer satiety response with wet diets. You can still offer hard food, but possibly offering this in puzzles can help. Kitty Kongs & treat balls slowly release food as a cat interacts with the toy. Homemade options like milk cartons & carboard rolls with taped ends & holes punched out to retrieve treats can keep your kitties mind busy. Give this a try & then talk to your veterinarian about other options at your next visit. Thanks for contacting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! So cute! Koa maybe trying to make up for lost time! I would bring her in to the Vet for an exam and deworming. Intestinal parasites may be competing with her nutritional needs. At 5 weeks I do not think you need to use the formula any more. I would feed her 3-4 times per day and leave some dry food down. Be sure you are feeding kitten food. I wish you and Koa the very best!

Hello. It is difficult to regulate how much a growing young kitten will eat, generally we recommend just to free feed. Perhaps once the wormer has kicked in, he will do better. It is natural for kittens to catch *& eat bugs as this is part of their instinct to hunt. Instructions of bags of food are just suggestions so you can definitely adjust the amounts based on how much Ginger wants to eat. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach.

The amount that you should feed Kuzco will vary widely depending upon the type of kitten food that you choose. Every food has a different calorie density to kibble or canned food. As she grows, the best thing you can do is to read the bag for her age and body weight, and follow the chart on the food. If you are feeding a canned diet (or a mix of canned and dry foods), reputable food companies have feeding guides on their websites for a kitten's age and body weight. Kuzco should eat a food formulated for kittens for the first year of life and then be transitioned over to an adult cat food, but anytime you make a change in diet, be sure to do so by gradually mixing the foods over 5-7 days. If you have more specific questions regrading her precise brand and flavor of food, feel free to post another question or request a consultation. I hope this helps and that all goes well!

This is about normal for a kitten this age. However, different cat food brands have different nutrient profiles, so it's best to feed according to the manufacturer's directions. Each food will have a recommended daily feeding amount on the packaging. You can check this as a good guide to see if she is eating more or less than she should. I hope that helps and all is well with Anika.

Kittens will try to sniff food to see if it is appetizing to them, and will try to eat it if it smells good. You may not be feeding her enough, and I would check the instructions on her food to make sure that she is getting the recommended daily allowance. It is not advisable to feed her human food, as there are many that are toxic to cats. I would try to keep her from eating your food, and increase her food as needed.

Hi, thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I do recommend using the food chart that comes with the food. It is hard to make growing puppies and kittens overweight. If they are finishing the food and are not overweight then the volume of food is correct. If they are too skinny feed more but spread the meals out so it is less food per meal. If you think they are overweight cut back. Growing babies need more calories. I wish you the best!