Mother's Milk To Kitten Chow

Your kitten received all of his nutrition from his mother for the first few weeks of his life. At about 4 to 6 weeks of age, the breeder probably began supplementing the mother cat's milk with canned kitten food, or with hard kitten chow moistened with water.

At 8 weeks of age, the kitten was probably weaned and eating a diet of kitten food. Normally, your breeder will give you a small supply of the food your kitten has been eating, or at least tell you the name of the kitten chow and where to buy it.

Change Food Brands Gradually

If you want to give your kitten a different brand of food, you'll still want a small bag of the brand he is currently eating. This allows you to mix the old food with the new, so that your kitten gradually becomes adjusted to the new food.

Feed Kittens 4 Times A Day

Kittens are growing incredibly fast from the age of 2 to 6 months. They eat a surprising amount of food to fuel that growth, therefore your cat needs to be fed more than once a day. Kittens under 6 months of age do best with 4 small meals a day, since they have small stomachs, but need lots of fuel. You'll want to make sure your kitten always has an unlimited water supply. 

At 6 months of age, your kitten's rate of growth will slow down considerably, and he'll become somewhat less active. At this point you can cut his feedings back to 2 or 3 meals a day. Don't change his food from kitten chow to adult food yet, though. He is still a growing cat.

Adult Food At 1 Year

The right time to introduce your cat to adult food is when he is a year old. Since adult cats usually eat whenever they are hungry, you can simply keep his dish filled with dry food. However, if he overeats and starts becoming overweight, you will need to limit his feeding to twice a day. If you feed your cat canned food, you'll still need to offer dry food as well, since canned food should not be left out for your cat to eat all day.

How To Shop For Cat Food

To buy a nutritional cat food, look for products that list the protein source in the first few ingredients. If your cat has health problems, such as hairballs or urinary tract infections, look for cat foods that help control these problems.

Although many cats prefer soft food, dry food can help them maintain better dental health. In fact, some vets advise owners never to feed their cats canned food, so that they will always enjoy dry food. If your cat refuses to eat dry food, you may want to have your dentist check his teeth every year to remove tartar and prevent gum diseases.