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Bengal Cat Forums • View topic - Nutrition advice req. for my new Bengal kitty 10 wks
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PostPosted: Wed May 10, 2017 12:37 am 
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Bengal Kitten

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I've had my little Bengal kitten (10 weeks old) now for a bit over 2 weeks. He's very settled, and gets along great with my other 1.5 yr old house cat. Seems very happy and plays a lot. But what I'm worried about is his feeding. I definitely don't feel he's eating enough. Since I got him home, he really wasn't into the breeders recommended wet food at all, so I swtiched to Nature's Menu kitten wet food (chicken), which he really liked for a while. He had a few days of the runs, which I expected, but at least he was eating something (and a healthy amount too) as opposed to very little or nothing with the recommended stuff (Sheba by the way). Occasionally I'm also giving him a little raw chicken mince, the stuff that you can buy in frozen blocks, which he always goes crazy for. Unfortunately a few days ago he started turning his nose up at the Nature's Menu, he'll still eat some, but not enough.

Had him at the vets today for his first vacc's, while there we weighed him and he's a little under 800g, which is a bit underweight for 10 weeks I believe (the vet concurred), but didn't seem dehydrated.

I'm worried about his weight, and feel like he's always going to be playing catch up at this point unless I can get his nutrition under control.

He also wont touch any dry food AT ALL, I have a few bags of the breeders recommended dry (Royal Cannin kitten) and he wont even attempt to eat those, seems like he doesn't even know how to eat them if I'm honest. I've been trying to introduce him to dry by using little bits of Dreamy biscuits broken up so they are small enough for him and he really likes the smell and taste (he licks them), I think he's eaten maybe half of one at most this way.

Some brands of wet food don't seem to sell the kitten variety in separate pouches/tins, but rather in multipacks, which gets expensive when trying to find a brand the kitty will really enjoy, so any recommendations are appreciated. So far he's tried Sheba chicken, Purely's (hated this), and Nature's (liked at first)..I'm tempted to try Royal Cannin wet for kittens, but that is yet another that I have to buy in a multipack. So annoying!

Appreciated any advice.


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PostPosted: Wed May 10, 2017 10:34 pm 
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Asian Leopard Cat

Joined: Thu May 23, 2013 2:21 pm
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Welcome to our forum and congratulations on your kitty. Wish the breeder had held on to this baby another few weeks. Usually one continues feeding what the breeder fed the kitty. However, the kitty was probably not on solid food for very long.

I suggest you head to the pet food store and gather up several cans of different brands of high-quality wet kitten food. See what your baby will eat. At his age, he needs to be eating about 6 times a day and as much as he can eat until he's full. You may throw some food away the he doesn't like, but perhaps you will hit on something that he does. Please do not let him go hungry. Very serious for a small kitten and you don't want to lose him.


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PostPosted: Thu May 11, 2017 2:58 am 
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Bengal Kitten

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If he likes the raw, I would say continue with that. My bengal, Oskar, who is just over a year now, only eats raw. That's what the breeder fed him, and even though I tried to transition him to wet, he won't touch it. So it's only raw for him. Of course, I add vitamins and calcium, but he gobbles it up, and is very healthy on a mostly raw diet. Occasionally he will eat a little dry food, but not often.


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PostPosted: Thu May 11, 2017 7:11 am 
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Asian Leopard Cat
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Have you tried left over roast chicken or some other kind of cooked chicken? Haven't met a kitten that won't eat chicken (I'm sure they exist though).
It's no good as a long term diet since there isn't enough essential nutrients but it could be the ticket for at least one kitty meal a day until you find what he likes.


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PostPosted: Thu May 11, 2017 2:48 pm 
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Bengal Kitten

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Thanks for the replies so far. Yes I realise how important it is that he's eating well, that's why I'm so worried and frustrated at the moment. I seem to be down my local pet store every other day lately, buying a few different brands and flavours..actually I think I've pretty much exhausted their range now.

Yesterday I bought some Applaws for kittens, chicken flavour is all they have. He likes that, but yet again he's not crazy for it, but he ate a good amount, but upon reading the tin it doesn't list taurine which I thought is a bit odd as they're a good brand. Later when I put down his raw chicken mince he went NUTS as usual, I mean the little guy goes crazy when he knows his mince is coming. It's a pity he's not as enthusiastic for his complete wet food, as I can't give him mince only.

I've fed him fresh cooked chicken too, he absolutely loves it and I've just ordered another whole chicken, which he'll be getting plenty of the leftovers from.

He's just a very particular little guy and as I say, I'm running out of brands to try. I'll start shopping online now I think and try to pick up a few others.

If only I could get him interested in eating his dry food as well. I mixed a few of the kibble into his mince, and heard a couple of crunches while he was eating, so that's something at least.

And yes I agree 8 weeks is a little too early for him to be let go, on the other hand, had the breeder continued with the recommended wet and dry which he really wasn't enjoying, he may have been even further underweight by the time I took him on.

(PS I just checked online, apparently Applaws chicken for kittens isn't a complete food *sigh*)

So I'm back to the only wet food he 'kinda' likes but isn't crazy for, which is the Nature's Menu kitten pouches.


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PostPosted: Thu May 11, 2017 5:33 pm 
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Asian Leopard Cat

Joined: Thu May 23, 2013 2:21 pm
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You can purchase supplements at the pet store (or order online) so that your baby gets all the nutrients, including taurine. I find it odd that a manufactured cat food would not contain taurine. Since your baby loves raw, this may be the way to go. You can mix up (or grind up) an entire chicken and divide into daily portions and freeze the rest. Taurine is found in the heart and liver and calcium is in the bones (or crushed egg shells), if you don't want to go with a supplement. You feed your little one what it likes to eat.


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PostPosted: Thu May 11, 2017 6:55 pm 
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Asian Leopard Cat

Joined: Tue Sep 15, 2015 6:48 pm
Posts: 276
FWIW I have a domestic cat that really had trouble with adult dry food until she turned 2. I got her at about a year and a half and didn't realize she was hungry all the time because of that. Her prior family told me she really liked her dry food. Until one day she went face first into a bowl of milk, then I realized.

So, definitely try the kitten varieties, canned foods, milk, cooked egg, cheese, see what your little one likes. I think eventually he will go for dry food if you buy a good quality one.


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PostPosted: Thu May 11, 2017 8:06 pm 
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Bengal Kitten

Joined: Tue May 09, 2017 11:57 pm
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@Sherry Thanks for your advice. I had forgotten about supplements, I'll try to pick some up tomorrow, that would at least be a really good option for the time being. Yeah that Applaws for kittens is a supplemental food only, so it's lacking in the important stuff, seems kinda silly but there you go.

@LadyKay I have Royal Cannin kitten dry and Applaws kitten dry, both really good, and he does love the smell and taste of them, but he refuses to crunch them in his mouth. It's clear to me, the breeder just hadn't fully introduced him onto dry food at all. I'll continue to work on that with him.

I've ordered a bunch of wet variety kitten packs online (all complete foods, high meat content with taurine etc) for delivery on Sat. Royal Cannin, Hill's Science and Animonda Carny. Fingers crossed we'll find something among that lot he really likes!


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PostPosted: Sun May 14, 2017 5:30 pm 
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Bengal Kitten

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Posts: 7
Finally, some success!

A couple of days ago I bought some supplement paste which I've been mixing into his raw mince, and he's been eating all that no problem, getting his daily allowance. Since then his appetite has grown and he's even eating much more, about 2 pouches a day of his Nature's Menu. Plus he's had a decent amount of cooked chicken once a day, which he gobbles up.

Yesterday I received my Hill's Science, Royal Cannin kitten and Animonda wet foods..he didn't like Hill's or RC, but tried him on Animonda today and he loved it!

So at this point, I'm not sure wether I should stop his supplemental paste or not, obviously I shouldn't overdo it on his vitamins and I think Animonda has everything he needs. If he continues to eat enough of it I'll stop.

He still needs to catch up on his weight though, so I figure I'll continue to buy a whole chicken every 3 days and give him a good portion of that once a day or alternate with his raw mince.

Thanks again for the advice everyone.


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PostPosted: Mon May 15, 2017 7:24 am 
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Asian Leopard Cat
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Great news. Glad you've hit on some winners. My boys hate Royal Canin wet food, but love the RC dry. They both used to love a mixture of chicken and turkey mince with chicken hearts that I cooked for them, but now turn their nose up. Will only eat raw mixture of the same (with added necks for calcium) now,which is ok, but they pick around the raw heart pieces. I'm now waiting on supplements to arrive since they won't be getting enough nutrients from just the mince with chicken necks.....ah the trial and error?


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PostPosted: Mon May 15, 2017 3:42 pm 
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Bengal Kitten

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Thanks Tracey. I wish my little guy would eat his RC dry, I have several bags of it and I'm sure he would like it because he definitely likes the smell. He just isn't familiar with eating dry at all, I started to introduce it to him, but now think I better wait until his weight is good before I try again.


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PostPosted: Mon May 15, 2017 4:50 pm 
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Asian Leopard Cat

Joined: Thu May 23, 2013 2:21 pm
Posts: 9217
You would not need to supplement any manufactured cat food. If you are feeding him raw or cooked chicken exclusively, then you would have to add the paste. With some of the fat-based vitamins - D, K and some other ones, too much can do more harm than good. If you are feeding him chicken at just one meal, then I'd skip the paste. If you are feeding him the raw or cooked chicken for more than 1/2 of the meals, then add some. Happy to hear the appetite is doing well. There are always some foods that a cat just won't eat. Mine is venison!


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PostPosted: Tue May 16, 2017 7:09 pm 
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Bengal Kitten

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Thanks for the advice on the supplements Sherry, I appreciate it!


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PostPosted: Wed May 17, 2017 1:50 pm 
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Bengal Cat
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Hi, my two fellas are 10 months old and it has taken us months to settle down their diet with regards loose, smelly stools

I've dropped all dry food as don't like what I'd read about long term effects

Currently MIX two thirds raw pre-prepared food (from Natural Instinct, delivered frozen) to one third Bozita chicken kitten chunks in jelly. Feeding twice a day. I like that the Bozita is grain free, good value and has high moisture content plus a few essentials added like Taurine, and helping their transition to just raw food, if indeed we do go just raw as mixing is currently working well

Great results, bowls emptied and glossy fur, healthy extremely active cats. But more importantly poops are solid and less frequent so their food is passing through slower and fully digested. Max was always slightly smaller than his brother Gus, but I'm certain he's been putting on weight and is more muscular since this change to raw food mix

Our experience fully supports others experience of raw feeding


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PostPosted: Wed May 17, 2017 9:56 pm 
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Bengal Kitten

Joined: Tue May 09, 2017 11:57 pm
Posts: 7
Hi Fen100

Thanks for the advice. I'm certainly keeping in mind Bozita for when he's older as I've heard good things about the food!


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