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| There's a lot going on inside your growing kitten-muscles are strengthening, bones are forming, and social skills are developing. Take a closer look at the stages of growth your kitten experiences during her first year. |
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One of your kitten's main jobs: eating.
Your kitten is a muscle, bone, hair and teeth-making machine. One of her main jobs in life (besides playing) is eating. She has to consume a lot of good quality nutrients if she's going to increase in size by 2,000 percent in just five months, which is typical of a growing cat. Naturally, the better her quality of the nutrients she eats, the more likely she is to growth into a health adult cat.
Mother's milk is her ideal first food. Although she won't be ready for weaning until six to eight weeks, she will start to nibble solid foods at three to four weeks. That's the time to offer small portions of a high-quality, high-protein kitten food like PURINA ONE Growth & Development Formula, moistened according to package directions. Unlike adult cat food, it will provide the extra calories and nutrients your kitten needs for bursts of energy and rapid growth. |
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Rolling and tumbling, stalking and pouncing, your kitten is also relishing human contact.
By this time, your kitten is turning into a real social animal. After weaning at six to eight weeks of age, she'll typically eat dry or moistened food at will. So keep a bowl of dry PURINA ONE Growth & Development Formula within reach. It's a great way to make sure fresh food is always on hand.
Keep in mind, your kitten by nature requires higher levels of protein than a puppy. She also has a unique requirement for an amino acid called taurine. In fact, a lack of taurine could result in impaired vision. So don't ever substitute puppy food for kitten food.
Instead, it's a good idea to start with a good kitten food and stick with it. Consistency is important to a kitten's delicate digestive tract. Switching foods can cause tummy upsets and diarrhoea and create a finicky eater.
This is the time of your kittens life when events and experience will shape her personality, so introducing her to lots of news things in a positive way will increase her confidence and give her an excellent start to life. Experience should include meeting new people and some gentle animals as well as new surfaces, toys and noises. |
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This is an exciting time of exploration and curiosity.
This is an exciting time of exploration and curiosity as your kitten seeks to find her place in the world, or at least the household. Her permanent teeth are replacing her baby teeth and her eyes are changing from blue to her permanent color. In other words, she's growing up. But she's still a kitten.
Like most cats, she's probably an occasional eater, eating tiny portions several times a day. Don't be alarmed if she sniffs the food, eats a few bites, then scampers away. A healthy kitten will be back, again and again. |
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Your kitten may look full-grown but looks can be deceiving.
Although she may look grown-up on the outside, your kitten is still developing on the inside. Her bones are becoming stronger and her body is filling out. At this point, you'll be strongly tempted to switch to an adult food, but resist that temptation. She needs the extra nutrients found in PURINA ONE Growth & Development Formula now as much as ever, so keep it coming. |
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Time to make the transition to a high-quality adult food.
Congratulations, your kitten is officially an adult. Your tender loving care and PURINA ONE Growth & Development Formula have turned her into a strong, healthy cat. She no longer needs the extra calories and nutrients she required during her growing stages, so it's time to make the transition to a high-quality adult food like PURINA ONE Total Nutrition Salmon & Tuna Flavour or PURINA ONE Total Nutrition Chicken & Rice Formula.
Start by mixing the new food with the previous food, and gradually increase the proportion of the new food. The complete switch should take 7 to 10 days.
When your kitten becomes a cat
Your kitten may seem a long way from adulthood, but those first several months pass before you know it. Get a preview of what you can expect as your cat ages, and learn how you can meet her changing nutritional needs.
Cats up to 7 years old
The diet for a healthy, adult cat aged one to seven years old is called a maintenance diet. Unless your cat is pregnant or nursing, a high-quality, complete and balanced maintenance diet is just what the veterinarian ordered to maintain an ideal body condition (link to Six Signs of a Healthy Cat).
An ideal body condition is one in which the animal is well proportioned, with an observable waist behind the ribcage and ribs that can be felt with a slight fat covering over them.
Because cats tend to be grazers or "occasional eaters," they should have access to their food for several hours each day. Clean, fresh water is also important for virtually all body functions - digestion, absorption, circulation, transporting nutrients, building tissues and helping to regulate body temperature.
Cats require a higher level of dietary protein and a different nutrient balance than dogs. Optimal protein level helps your cat maintain muscle mobility and flexibility. Like kittens, mature cats require the addition of taurine to their diet while dogs do not. In fact, lack of taurine can result in impaired vision. So never substitute dog food for cat food.
Cats require a higher level of dietary protein and a different nutrient balance than dogs. Optimal protein level helps your cat maintain muscle mobility and flexibility. Like kittens, mature cats require the addition of taurine to their diet while dogs do not. In fact, lack of taurine can result in impaired vision. So never substitute dog food for cat food.
Cats 7 and older
At age seven, a cat's nutritional needs start to change. She may need fewer calories to compensate for a slower metabolism, but protein may become more crucial than ever, to help maintain lean muscle mass.
PURINA ONE Senior Protection Formula addresses the nutritional needs of the older adult cat. It provides antioxidant-rich nutrients to help fight the stresses of aging and help support joint health.
No Supplements Necessary
All PURINA ONE diets are formulated to provide complete and balanced nutrition. Additional vitamins, minerals or other supplements are not required unless specified by a veterinarian.
Pregnant and nursing cats
Like kittens, pregnant and nursing cats are virtual muscle, bone, hair and teeth-building machines. So PURINA ONE Growth & Development Formula turns out to be an ideal food for them, too. It has the extra calories and nutrients they need at a time when their bodies are under additional physical stress.
Keep in mind, food consumption may vary during pregnancy, so feed the amount needed to maintain good body condition.
Milk production is another one of the most nutritionally demanding tasks in a female's life. Food intake may double or even quadruple during lactation. Remember, a generous, ever-present supply of fresh, clean water is essential for milk production.
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