How much to feed teeny kitten in house sit?

[TheForgetfulCat]

Hi

I am doing a house sit in rather complicated circs which comes complete with delightful six month old kitten. She is being fed by neighbour in the back yard in afternoons, I'm feeding her in the morning. Owner hasn't been terribly specific about what/ how much she eats and has said I can feed her whenever she miaows for it. Both tins and kitten biscuits available.

Never fed a cat 'on demand' before not on purpose anyway and my home cat is almost literally ten times her size. How much would you feed a teeny tiny kitten normally? She doesn't seem to be getting through most of what I put down anyway at present but maybe this is due to me being the wrong sort of human. Is v friendly and gives the impression of being anyone's for half a Dreamie but she's probably still confused.

Eh? Who does the cat belong to, the neighbour or the person you are sitting for?

Is there a cat flap? Cats are pretty self regulating. I’d just put a full bowl of biscuits down so the kitten can help themselves as and when, you can top it up every day if you need to. Wet food wise, what does it say on the tin? There should be a feeding guide. Are they big tins or little ones?

Kittens are supposed to be fed as much they are happy to eat. How teeny are we talking? Why is it outside? Can someone not take it in and look after it properly?

If the owner isn't there and wont be for some time then I'd keep a very young cat indoors and not let it out. I'd leave dry food out all the time and then feed wet at least twice a day. Amount of wet will depend how much they eat really

What? Who does it belong to? Why is it outside? Kittens should be given as much as they will eat, but that's the least of it's problems by the sounds of it.

My cats were kept in until they were at least 6 months old because they weren’t neutered until then.

The kitten should be kept inside if it isn’t neutered. I’m a bit concerned for its welfare - is it an emergency house sir you’re doing? Or has this kitten just been bundled with the house? It needs proper care and attention, not just feeding but also love and socialisation.

In terms of food, it’s best to stick to one brand. I give my kittens (5 months old) around 1.5 wet sachet per day (spread between morning and evening) and a handful of kitten biscuits or some cat milk during the afternoon / when I’m home from work.

How long is your house sitting arrangement lasting and who will be taking care of the kitten long term?

My kittens are 6 months. They get a pouch and an eggcup full of dry food each, morning and night.

And my kittens are both fully vaccinated, microchipped and neutered at 6 months so it's not necessarily a disaster if they're out.

Sorry I think I've made it sound worse than it is! Owner is working away, I am house sitting for a month. Kitten 6 months and is neutered, chipped and I have vets numbers etc. She's allowed out of her cat flap but has full access to bed, toys, food etc indoors and is spending most of her time squeaking at me and trying to destroy my slippers.

The feeding on demand bit was puzzling me but as you say, self regulating at this age. My cat at home is a portly middle aged one who is not self regulating at all and has just been put on a diet!

Thanks for the advice everyone.

Ah - so that's all OK then :)

Yes, just feed on demand until they are fully grown.

Remember that kittens tend to need more food than you might think, as they are still growing and tend to be VERY active!

My 5 year olds are self regulating with their food, always leaving a few bits of their wet however much or little I feed them, and topping up on dry which is down all the time. Their weight (once they settled in) has only changed by a couple of ounces either way. They aren't skinny by any means, but they certainly aren't fat either.

They're quite big by 6 months. Mines that age now and he has half a sachet of wet food 3 times a day, and dry food always on offer.
If you're feeding him once a day I would give him one whole sachet (or equivalent tin). Any more than that will go off before he eats it.
He can top up on dry food if needed.