I have an 8 month old male kitten who weighs about 3 1/2 kilos. Every morning, I put out a dish of about 80 ml. or 3 oz. of high-quality dry food, which he snacks on off and on; there is always a bit left when I feed him the next morning. In the morning and evening, he gets about 70 ml. or 2-3 oz. of good quality wet food mixed with a bit of his dry food which he eats like a demon. He is always interested in whatever human food is out but has never been allowed anything except his cat food. At his last visit in late September, the vet said both his weight and food volume seemed to be right. Because he always has a little dry left, i've felt like I was feeding him enough but would appreciate any comments. Thank you.

Most people recommend feeding as much wet as your kitten will eat really if you have dry down all day 2 wet meals are fine as he's over the 6 month mark. When he turns a year you could consider not free feeding the dry anymore and just giving him timed meals but that all depends on if he's gaining too much weight.

The bigger issue with bengals tends to be if people don't feed them any wet as they tend to have a big issue with their tummies and moisture especially later in life, they are also prone to IBD and kidney issues so just making sure they stay hydrated is a must.

I personally switch my two to raw feeding due to my boys allergies but as long as you are feeding high protein 75% minimum with cats, grain free, no filler (extra starch like potato or rice) food he should grow great.

As for the begging for human food yeah they do that lol, both my girls have been really bad for it (my boy only begs for treats) and they have never been given scraps. I think they just want whatever you have and if it's some tastey meat all the better. I've heard so many stories of people's bengals stealing the Sunday joint off the table of helping themselves to a few slices of beef if they can. You could try getting some freeze dried chicken chunks and giving him that if you want to give him something between meals.

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- Sarah
Arya 24/04/16 - Seal Lynx Point Rosetted Bengal
Griffith 16/04/16 - Silver Seal Lynx Point Rosetted Bengal
Mina (in my avatar)- 1999-2016 - Seal Mink Spotted Bengal (Snow) - run free at rainbow bridge

IMO:

Dry:
Pros:
1. The food can be left out for (relatively) long periods of time without spoiling
2. Good for cats who are "Grazers"

Cons:
1. Cats can get dehydrated if they are on exclusively dry. There is a big premium on providing palatable drinking water in a form acceptable for your kitty (like a drinking fountain).
2. Cats get a lot less useful nutrition per volume/weight than wet, because stuff like grains, fruits, and vegetables are used to give the food "bulk". This can lead to weight problems in cats.
3. Providing variety can be more difficult.
4. A lot of dry foods are just abysmal nutritionally. Literally grain with some meat by-products mixed in, plus an artificial flavoring.

Wet:
Pros:
1. Moisture is built in!
2. Little to no "filler", just what they need, a more "natural" diet
3. I think it's a lot easier to distinguish quality food from crap with wet. Your eyes and nose can tell you how good the food is pretty easily.
4. Easy to provide lots of variety on a daily basis. Also easier to "audition" new foods (just buy a small can or two rather than a whole bag).

Cons:
1. More expensive (for quality, sometimes MUCH more expensive).
2. Can cause dilemmas if you are going to be gone all day or have someone come in to feed once a day.
3. Sometimes can be "messy"

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The little monsters 3

Just to add. It's not recommended to mix dry and wet food. Dry food has a high surface area to harbour bacteria, not an issue in itself as dry food makes it harder for bacteria to grow. But mix it with wet food and you have the perfect breeding ground for bacteria. Just not worth the risk really.

There's also some theory that they get digested at different rates so can cause tummy issues. But I think it's probably more to do with the bacteria myself.

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Lollo