Understanding Kitten's Growth
What ingredients in the Home Prepared Diet Recipe before neutering
What is growth?
We talk about growth, but in fact we should talk about growth and development:
* growth includes weight, height and size
* development is related to the deposition of new tissue. Body composition changes as development does not follow the same rate for all tissues and organs.
Thus most of the development of the nervous system is set very early in life, that of the skeleton is intermediate, and that of the muscles is the lastest.
Adipose tissue is apart: at early stages, it starts with the multiplication of adipose cells, and later, each cell can blow (each adipose cell may store fat, up to 1000 times its size). Both mechanisms are still opened throughout life, which allows morbid obesity!
So the adult size (linked to the growth of the skeleton) is reached before the muscular system is fully developped: this allows the skeleton to withstand the force imposed by the muscles.
We can thus have the impression that growth is terminated once the adult size is reached. But in reality, it is only statural growth that is completed.
The weight nevertheless continues to increase slightly by the deposition of muscles (lean mass) in the latest stage of growth.
If we don't allow a good muscle development, then the body composition may not be optimal: the young gains weight, but more adipose tissue rather than proper muscle tissue...
Growth in kittens
The growth of the kitten of course begins at conception. The maximum growth rate (ie the moment when the kitten gains the most weight per day) is before birth. Then the growth of the kitten is quite linear, it takes almost the same weight and more every day for several weeks.
The end of growth, and muscle development…, appears around 40 weeks (10 months), and until then, the diet must be adapted to growth (with more proteins, essential fatty acids, vitamins…)… even in case of sterilization…
Puberty in cats
The puberty of the male cat occurs between 8 and 10 months. He begins to mark his territory with urine deposits (urinary marking) and to fight with other males.
The puberty of the cat occurs between 4 and 12 months, with the appearance of the first heat. It becomes capable of reproducing, to be avoided before the end of growth.
Preferences for ordering an adapted recipe?
Before sterilization the kitten has a high nutritional need for all the essential nutrients. It needs growing kitten food.
Neutered or not, the end of the growth (and the muscular development…) is approximately at 40 weeks (10 months) in cats, and until then, the food must be adapted to growth.
To accustom the kitten to a variety of possible food, it is interesting to accustom it to the variety from an early age.
However, we must maintain food for growing kittens.
Choosing the ingredients of its homemade recipe
- Starch: "a little" if he has been used to kibble, not at all if he has been weaned with barf/raw or without kibble
- Vegetables: a little at the beginning of growth, vary the vegetables to accustom the kitten... cook them well and mix them intimately with the rest of the recipe, for a better habit...
- Meat/Fish: the meat and fish offered are compatible with the characteristics of the kitten, to vary, make several recipes with different meat and fish
- Dairy and treats? Yogurt, real yogurt (milk + ferments) is a dairy well tolerated by all, a cheese is more caloric... in any case, you will have to choose the dairy and the quantity you want to give from a list of possible quantities.
There are no bad choices, there are many different possibilities, but also not mandatory. In revance, if you want to add either a dairy, a frandise, or nothing at all, make many different recipes so that the overall ration is well adapted.
The quantities of rapeseed oil and Vit'i5 will be indicated, as for all ingredients on the final recipe.
Choose a mixed industrial recipe
- With a little growth kibble, growth canned food, some diced zucchini to get him used to eating it (in Treats > fruits > zucchini: choose a small quantity)
Choose a half-and-half recipe
- With a part growth kibble and a homemade part without starch which will allow to cover all the needs and the appetite
In case of absence, it will be easy to replace the homemade diet part by Growth trays without starch, to keep a variety, and volume in the ration. To accustom the kitten to a variety of possible food, it is interesting to accustom it from an early age.
Ordering a homemade recipe for an INTACT kitten... What are the right choices?
Intact kitten : meat or fish?
Meat or fish (we speak of fish fillet) are the sources of animal protein and amino acids in the recipe.
In the case of a household or half and half recipe, all the meats or fish offered can be used to establish a recipe adapted to the kitten in question.
The recipe finally proposed and calculated must be able to be given every day. Certain foods (tuna, etc.) can be given once a week, but not every day. A small * indicates this when you choose meat or fish in the home ration or mixed diet (half and half) recipe. In this case, you will have to establish another recipe most of the time.
Intact kitten: starch or not?
Kittens begin to be able to digest a small amount of starch only at 6 weeks of age. Second, most kittens digest a small amount of cooked starch well.
All kibbles contain starch. Some trays/boxes contain some others do not. In a homemade diet, you have the choice to add some or not.
In case of a half and half recipe for kittens, the home made part is offered without starch. There will be starch provided by the kibbles and, possibly via the wet food, if the one chosen contains it.
In case of a totally home made recipe, it is possible to choose whether or not to add a starch. If your kitten does not tolerate kibble, you can choose a household ration without starch. In any case, the kitten manufactures glucose by gluconeogenesis from proteins.
Intact kitten : veggies or not?
The cat appreciates diced vegetables and tolerates them well if cooked, and in reasonable quantities.
In the kitten, vegetables can be brought because they contain water but ultimately quite little fiber.
As long as the kitten is not neutered, a little vegetable is chosen. Once sterilized, you can stay with "few vegetables" or "normal amount" depending on the appetite.
If the kitten is very young or does not like vegetables at all, it is possible to choose "No vegetables"... you will have to add wheat bran: it does not take up space, mixes with coza oil and Vit'i5 and allows you to provide fiber essential to digestive comfort while it accepts vegetables.
You can add to the ration some diced zucchini (> fruit > zucchini: small amount) to gradually accustom it
Intact kitten : what treats?
Available and chosen treats are taken into account in the final recipe. So if you want days with treats and days without, it's best to make multiple recipes, one with and one without, to provide the right amount of overall nutrition.
My favorite treats among their favourites: Olive (fruit category), plain yogurt (dairy > it's lactose-free), peeled shrimp tail (only one!)...
Once you have chosen the treat, you must choose the quantity you want to give from a list of quantities you can give, taking into account the characteristics of the kitten