Kitten food from supermarket

[norfolkjmummy788]

Getting a 23 week kitten next week from rspca. Can anyone recommended brand of cat food (preferably not too expensive and easy to buy in supermarket) also cat biscuits ? Do they need alongside wet food? Also how many pouches a week do I need?

You should start with whatever food they are already eating. There aren't a lot of kitten food choices especially in the supermarket. Pets at home probably has more choice. I gave wet and dry when mine were kittens and still do now they are 7 years old

Thanks!

DKitten eats supermarket adult cat food and kitten kibble. He just pinches DKat's food so they both get the same. DKat isn't that much older than DKitten.

If the kitten is 23 weeks old start off with the same food. You can vary it gradually. Don't bulk buy as the buggers will either refuse it or go off it. Don't give 'kitten milk' or treats.

Old DCat (RIP) would eat 1 pouch a day + kibble, but the DKats eat loads.

So you think start off with what rspca giving it at the moment?

Also for the litter tray what does eveyone recommend?

We had a high sided litter tray. Again use the litter that they are currently used to. You can swap food and litter gradually after they've settled in

If you try to change the food quickly, that can lead to a dodgy tummy and serious poo issues.

Start with the one being used by the rescue while they settle in, same with litter. Then after they've got used to the change start to replace if you want e.g. if they have a pouch at night, give them 2/3 of the old and 1/3 of the new for a bit (opened pouches are fine for a couple of days in the fridge). Then slowly change right over during the next couple of weeks.

The thing to remember with cat food is if you feed a mix of wet and dry you can go a little cheaper on one as long as the other is good quality. My preference is moderate level wet (currently Gourmet Pearle, was Sheba before that), and a good quality kibble. They get 2 pouches a day between the 2 of them and dry ad lib, but both are adult cats who are indoor only. Plus Girlcat is a grazer whereas Tobias is a greedy bugger when it comes to wet food. Be guided by the RSPCA on the amount, but at under 6 months be prepared for a bottomless pit and err on the side of generosity.

You're unlikely to get the best quality food in a supermarket, and as a pp said Pets at Home is your best bet or a local pet shop while you transition and find out what they like. I do bulk buy mine on line using either PaH or Zooplus depending on what I need & which ones have the best deals on at that time.

Same with the litter, if you want to change that. Start with the original, then slowly mix the replacement in over time. But do remember that not all cats like the same litter - my friend with 3 cats has to have 1 tray with a different litter type as one cat will only poo in wood pellets, whereas that one's pee and everything for the other 2 cats has to be in a clumping litter. And yes one of the other cats is his litter brother so nothing to do with upbringing, he's just an awkward sod!

Good quality dry food will be more expensive per bag, but they should eat less of it than the cheaper brands. So make sure you check the feeding guides and measure the food out.
No all cats will eat both my young girls will only eat dry food so I make sure there is always plenty of fresh water at all times for them

Feed them on whatever food they're on at the moment and don't try and change it for a good month or so while they settle.

As PP said you won't get much choice in supermarkets - our local Tesco either has their own brand food or Whiskas for kittens.

Mine (much to the horror of MN I'm sure) is on Whiskas for now but he'll move on to another brand as he grows up.

Arden grange biscuits do a kitten version for small teeth, it’s cereal free and uses human grade meat. They use potato as a base for their biscuits.

The RSPCA should provide you with a printout of what your kitten is currently eating, how much and at what times (this will be different from an adult cat regime). As others have said, stick to what they’re used to and make changes gradually. They will also give you details of vaccinations/ worming and flea treatments.

Enjoy your kitten!

For a kitten I would buy a medium expensive food such as Hills or similar.

My last kitten kept limping on a leg and the vet recommended Hills Kitten because they have more vitamins that normal. I swapped to Hills until he was 1 year old, he had wet food every night as dinner. After I changed to Hills he didn't get sick again.

Cats and kittens also love the other sachet snacks.

Now that he's older I buy from Costco and it seems to be of good quality, I tried several cheaper brands and he would gain weight every time but not with Costco.