What should I feed a kitten, and how much?
Quick answer
What a kitten should eat depends entirely on its age: only kitten milk replacer for the first month, then a gradual switch to canned and dry kitten food, and growth-formula food until about 12 months old.
The full answer
From birth to 4 weeks, the only correct food is a commercial kitten milk replacer, mixed fresh and warmed to about body temperature. Feed by bottle or syringe every two to three hours, including overnight. Cow's milk, goat's milk, and human baby formula are not substitutes and commonly cause diarrhea and dehydration.
At 3 to 4 weeks, begin weaning. Mix kitten milk replacer with a little canned kitten food or moistened dry food to make a soupy gruel, and offer it in a shallow saucer four to six times a day. Let the kitten lick it off your finger at first. Over the next month, gradually reduce the liquid and increase the solid food. By 8 weeks most kittens are fully weaned and eating canned and dry food on their own.
From 8 weeks to 6 months, feed three to four small meals a day. From 6 to 12 months, two to three meals a day is fine. Choose food labeled complete and balanced for growth, which meets AAFCO nutrient profiles for kittens, and keep feeding kitten formula until the cat is about a year old, not adult food at six months. Dry food left out all day works for some kittens, but measured meals make it easier to notice a lost appetite. Always provide fresh water. Avoid dog food, tuna as a staple, bones, chocolate, onion, garlic, raw egg white, and alcohol. Treats should stay under 10 percent of daily calories.