There is a saying that goes, “In a cat’s eye all things belong to cats.” Nothing illustrates that better than having a kitten that likes to partake of everything.
A kitten may not be able to eat everything, but it will attempt to. This happens if your kitten is hungry, or when it is curious. If you leave something strange lying around, a kitten is likely to sniff at it and perhaps eat it to taste it. But if the taste is not right, it will spit it out.
This article looks at whether your kitten will eat anything that it comes across or not. And also, it will explore the impact that has on the little one’s health.
Reasons Why Kittens Nibble at Almost Everything
1. Your kitten is curious
Curiosity is an integral part of the feline character. Your kitten is born with innate and insatiable curiosity, wanting to know what everything is and, yes, how it tastes.
If you leave anything lying around in your kitten’s path, it will sniff and taste the item to rule out if its edibile.
This behavior is similar to that of a human infant who uses their tongue to taste everything in their path.
It is advisable to remove clutter from the floor and around the house if you have a young kitten.
Unfortunately, a kitten’s curiosity can lead it to ingest unsafe products or items that could choke it.
2. It is hungry
A hungry kitten will eat anything in its path as long as it assuages its hunger.
Medical experts recommend that your kitten should be on its mother’s milk for the first four weeks of its life. It will gradually transition to semi-solid food from the fifth week going forward. By the eighth week, the kitten is completely weaned off the milk and semi-solids to eat solid foods only.
When it begins to feed on solid food, ensure that your kitten eats three small meals in a day. That will guarantee it is full enough not to go scavenging for something to eat.
Make sure that the food is tailored to meet a kitten’s nutritional needs.
So, it is best only to feed food specifically formulated for kittens instead of food for mature cats.
Kitten formulated food is easier on your kitten’s stomach than adult food. You want to make sure your little one is full, not uncomfortable.
Feed your kitten in the morning, lunchtime, and the evening and stick to this schedule without fail.
That will minimize the chances of your little kitten eating anything it comes across.
3. It is Bored
Kittens are little balls of energy, needing plenty of stimulation to keep them busy. When bored, they will get up to mischief, which may include ingesting things they should not.
Unfortunately, that may range from drinking bleach or other cleaning products, lapping water from the toilet bowl, to eating leftovers from your bin.
To minimize boredom, buy your kitten some interactive toys like the FYNIGO Cat Interactive Toys With a Running Mice.
If you have multiple kittens in your home, it may be a good idea to get a cat sitter who has experience handling kittens.
4. Your kitten has a medical condition
In some cases, the things that your kitten eats are an indicator of a medical condition. For example, if your kitten eats its own poop, it could be an indicator of nutrient deficiency. This behavior is known as Coprophagia , and it is caused by mineral and vitamin deficiency, malnutrition, diabetes, parasites, and thyroid disease.
Your kitten may also be mimicking their mother’s behavior if the queen eats its own poop due to coprophagia.
To prevent this behavior, it is a good idea to pick up your kitten’s poop and dispose of it immediately after.
5. Your kitten may not like the food you give it
If your kitten doesn’t like the food you feed it, it will not eat it and will instead forage for something to eat in the house.
It is essential for the well-being of your kitten to choose the right food for your little one.
How to Choose the Best Food for your Kitten
· Choose wet food
Wet food is better for younger kittens because they have small teeth that cannot chew dry food. Without eating the right food, your kitten will not be healthy and energetic.
When you feed your little one wet (canned) food, you should ensure it eats four times a day. Wet food is also better for kittens than dry food because the latter tends to have a higher concentration of carbohydrates that can cause weight issues.
· Consider mixing it up
If your kitten loves dry food at eight weeks, it may be a good idea to mix wet and dry foods. Besides, this is an excellent way to help your kitten transition from wet to dry food as it grows older.
However, it is always a good idea to feed both dry and wet food that is formulated for kittens.
· Make sure there is enough protein
Protein is essential for your kitten, which has growing muscles. Protein is useful in the body to build and repair muscles as your kitten grows and uses more of its musculature as it becomes an adult.
Felines are more carnivorous compared to canines meaning they eat more protein. So the sooner you introduce your little one to healthy, lean protein, the better and healthier their muscles will grow.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that you rush the process.
Only introduce meat when your kitten is ready to chew and digest that type of food.
· Ensure the food is nutritious
In addition to protein, the food should also contain vitamins, fat, extra protein, and minerals.
The vitamins help your kitten’s immune system to build up and grow stronger. Minerals like calcium are essential for your little one’s teeth and bones.
Lean protein helps your kitten grow its muscles while carbohydrates give it energy. But limit the carbohydrates and increase fatty acids, which allow your kitten to have enough energy for its activities.
Also, make sure the food is tasty so that your kitten likes eating it. Boring food is not enticing food.
Conclusion
Having a kitten is a fun process. You can enjoy these little ones better when they are healthy and happy; eating random items can be detrimental to their health and even fatal.
Your little one is adventurous, curious, and very hungry a lot of the time. Your job as a kitten-parent is to identify which reason your kitten exhibits for eating anything and everything it comes across.
Kittens are helpless when they come into the world. And they know no better. Cut them some slack when they keep nibbling on everything, but of course, also ensure they can’t eat anything unsafe. With training, your little kitten will learn what they can or cannot eat.
It’s a process so take your kitten slow.
Writer: Mercy Nandika Amatieku
