Clark Animal Care Center / Feeding Puppies and Kittens

PUPPY AND KITTEN FEEDING RECOMMENDATIONS

One of the most frequently asked questions when a family gets a new puppy or kitten is "what should we feed it?".

Puppies - Clark Animal Care recommends feeding puppies a total of 1 cup of a good quality puppy food per 10 pounds of the puppy's body weight divided into three meals a day. For large breed puppies, those that will be over 50 pounds as adults, we recommend feeding specialized puppy food for "large breeds". These food have less calcium and calories to help large breed dogs grow more slowly and evenly to minimize joint problems.

Kittens - We recommend that kittens are fed a variety of canned and dry foods from the start. This can help prevent them from developing food preferences. Canned food is especially important because it contains higher amounts of protein (compared to dry food) which is needed for growth. Cats evolved eating small rodents which are comprised of mainly protein and fat. The average mouse consists of only about 3% carbohydrate. Dry food contains a huge amount of carbohydrate (usually over 50% carbohydrate). Ingesting all this carbohydrate can lead to obesity, diabetes, and intestinal disease. Protein (not carbohydrate) shuts off your cat's appetite center. If a diet has insufficient protein your cat will always feel hungry and constantly clamor for more food. Additionally, because canned food contains a lot of water, it may help prevent urinary tract diseases in cats. Provide mostly canned food, but also offer a small amout of dry food (especially dental dry foods to adult cats).

For both puppies and kittens - Once your pet is spayed or neutered, their caloric requirements will decrease by 25%. This is the time to decrease the calories your pet consumes! It is much harder to change their feeding habits 6 months later, when they are overweight.