Various kitten questions

[cinjoy]

We brought home a kitten. She's supposed to be almost 8 weeks, but I'm wondering if she's even younger than that. The vet said she only weighed 1.3 pounds. Isn't that small for 8 weeks?? She was from a local vet clinic/shelter.

Anyway, I've done tons of research on dog food for our new puppy, but not much for cats. Seems like all the same brands are mentioned (Innova, Eagle, Solid Gold, Wellness). Everyone say with better foods you won't have to feed as much. I'm assuming that holds true for cats as well??

Should I really only be feeding her about 1/4 cup a day like some of the foods recommend?? (We are transitioning off of Science Diet to Authority. We've ordered Innova for her, but it's not here yet.) She's only been here two days, but I'm guessing she's eaten more like 1/2-2/3 cup of dry/canned combined. Are we way off here??

Also, when is the earliest I can introduce raw bones to her? Like chicken parts with bones. How much is appropriate for a young cat? We're feeding her cat food so it would be in addition to that. Same question with organ/muscle. I at least want to have a clue what I'm doing.

[cinjoy]

Is anyone out there???

[coaster]

Yeah, we're here. Just a little slow in this heat, I guess.

I'd recommend waiting until all the adult teeth are in before feeding any raw meat with bones in. And then closely monitor at first to make sure the bones are being properly chewed.

I haven't had a kitten that young, but I think you'll be OK if you feed up to the point where she's leaving food in the bowl. Smaller, more frequent feedings are appropriate for a kitten. Four or five times a day. As long as she's gaining weight and healthy, you're doing fine.

[roseeden]

We brought home a kitten. She's supposed to be almost 8 weeks, but I'm wondering if she's even younger than that. The vet said she only weighed 1.3 pounds. Isn't that small for 8 weeks?? She was from a local vet clinic/shelter.

No....that seems perfectly normal for a 8 week old kitten.

Anyway, I've done tons of research on dog food for our new puppy, but not much for cats. Seems like all the same brands are mentioned (Innova, Eagle, Solid Gold, Wellness). Everyone say with better foods you won't have to feed as much. I'm assuming that holds true for cats as well??

People should always feed their kittens as much as they want to eat. If the kitten overeats we can put the kitten on a diet after it has passed one year of age. Anyhow, retricting a kitten's daily calorie intake is like putting a chubby baby on a diet.

I don't know if any of those brands you just mentioned has a kitten food. I personally like Nutro Roasted Chicken kitten food.

Should I really only be feeding her about 1/4 cup a day like some of the foods recommend?? (We are transitioning off of Science Diet to Authority. We've ordered Innova for her, but it's not here yet.) She's only been here two days, but I'm guessing she's eaten more like 1/2-2/3 cup of dry/canned combined. Are we way off here??

All I know is, whatever she wants to eat....she gets to eat (as far as cat food goes)

Spoil your baby and you really don't need to be too concerned...

What I really think about the pet food industry is: they really want to get your cat hooked on for life with their foods, so they will put their best food forward and use better quality ingredients for the kitten foods than for the adult foods. They also put in more research for the kitten foods than for the adult foods. As long as you are feeding her food specifically designed for kittens she would be just fine.

Also, when is the earliest I can introduce raw bones to her? Like chicken parts with bones. How much is appropriate for a young cat? We're feeding her cat food so it would be in addition to that. Same question with organ/muscle. I at least want to have a clue what I'm doing???

If it is something hard and solid like leg bones I would three or four months old. If it is something like rib bones...NEVER!!!

Don't them already have bone meal in the kitten food???

[MissVicky]

I've only heard this from other people, but can't raw meat carry diseases such as tapeworm? (see topic "Tapeworm (ick ick ick...)")
And I know it can carry salmonella. So I say don't give cats raw meat at all.

[emma_pen]

All raw meat should be gotten from a reputable source, and ALWAYS frozen before given to your pet. Freezing kills any nasties that cooking would for us. As long as these two precautions are taken, raw meat can be perfectly safe and even good for your cat. Mine get raw as a treat, and love it!

**NEVER give your cat COOKED bones of any kind!**

[coaster]

To kill trichinosis in pork:

Originally Posted by CDC

Freeze pork less than 6 inches thick for 20 days at 5 o F to kill any worms.

(U.S. government website)

Tapeworm is killed by freezing for only 24 hours. (several references)

Salmonella isn't killed by freezing:

Salmonella and other bacteria are not killed by freezing. Some of the cells present will indeed die, but quantities sufficient to cause infection will remain. This implies that after defrosting bacteria can continue growing. The growth of bacteria, however, will stop in the freezer; a possible risk will therefore not increase during freezing.

from here: http://www.food-info.net/uk/qa/qa-saf21.htm
However, animals are much less susceptible to salmonella than people. If you don't leave the raw meat law around for a long time at room temperature, I think you'll be OK.

And prions are not killed by either freezing or cooking. So I'd stay away from meat where that's a factor: raw lamb and venison, raw beef in some countries, etc.

There's always a risk, but judge the reputability of the source and the risk level against the health benefits, and with proper precautions, I wouldn't hesitate to feed raw meat. As a matter of fact, I do exactly that occasionally.