It is difficult to make a balance between the feeding time and the sleeping time of kittens. They need a lot of sleep and timely food for recovery and growth. So, when it sleeps, should I wake my kitten up to eat?
No. You should not wake your kitten if she is gaining weight properly. If your kitten grows well, it will never skip its meals. In that case, waking up will disturb its sleeping pattern. But if it is underweight and growth is retarded, then you can practice this process.
I have discussed the proper eating schedule and foods that you should follow in this article. Also, the technique of waking up a cat for feeding is given. Read on to learn more about kitten’s proper feeding approach.
Should I Wake My Kitten Up To Eat?
You should not wake your kitten up. But in some conditions, it is allowed. As a long-time cat owner, I had always tried to give my Muezza adequate sleep since I adopted her.
I never compromise with time. But feeding every 2 to 3 hours was a hard thing to practice.
During the day, I always followed her sleeping schedule. I used to feed her while she woke up and maintain a minimum gap of two hours between every feeding.
But problems used to arise at night. I was not able to follow the same rule. So, whenever I got up at night, I occasionally fed her if she was awake.
Mainly I poured an adequate amount of milk into a bowl and kept it beside her sleeping place. Whenever she woke up, if she needed food she could easily reach her destination. I had trained her to feed at a specific place. So it was easy for her to find food.
But if she needed more then she started crying. I always tried to keep myself alert to give her food whenever she needed it. You have to be careful about their sleep as well. They need sound sleep for more than 10 hours a day. Sleeping time can extend to more than 16 hours.
The sleeping time and feeding time should be coordinated. You have to feed them when she wakes up. You need not bother her while sleeping.
Growth is an important factor. If she gets enough food and sleep, she should grow and gain weight. But if she is not gaining weight then you need to wake her up and feed. I used to do so when Muezza stopped gaining weight.
Though it is not an ideal practice, at that time, it was mandatory. After a few days, it started gaining weight and I stopped feeding in that manner.
Measure your cat’s weight and growth. If the weight and growth are hampered, then for a few days, you can follow this process.
How Often And What Foods Should You Feed A Kitten?
The kittens remain in a vulnerable condition after birth. So they need to eat several times a day. From birth up to 3 months, most of the kittens die due to malnutrition or diseases. This is the most vulnerable period for them. Only proper care and regular check-ups can increase the chances of living.
A kitten aged 1 week needs food every 2 to 3 hours. The feeding time changes with their age. A kitten aged 2 weeks needs food every 3 to 4 hours. You have to repeat feeding every 4 to 6 hours if your kitten is 3 weeks old.
In this case of a 6-week-old cat, it needs at least three meals a day. For a 12-week-old kitten, feeding three times a day is enough.
Milk is the only food for 1 to 4-week-old kittens. You should not supply other food to them at this time. It has alternatives like kitten milk replacer or goat milk if mothers’ milk is not available. If your kitten is more than 4 weeks old, then you can add other foods.
Canned foods should not be given suddenly. It can cause improper digestion. So, first, give your cat formula foods for a few days. Then, after a few days, give a mixture of formula food and canned food. If your kitten adjusted to it then you can give it canned food only. You can give it freshly cooked fish and other wet and dry foods or cat foods at this time.
Do not give food to your cat anywhere. Find a specific place beside her sleeping place for feeding. Try to give food in a clean bowl. Cats often cry or go to the feeding place when they are hungry. So, always respond to your cat. It will improve bonding with you.
What To Do In Case Of An Underweight Kitten?
A cause of high mortality rates in kittens is low birth weight. They need more care for survival. If it is under consideration of its mother then you need only monitoring. But if not, then you will suffer a lot in bringing it up. You must follow a tight schedule of feeding.
- Refill the feeding bowel in a timely manner.
- If your cat eats less, then feed him a small amount. But increase the frequency. You can feed your cat every 1.5 hours. But divide the food into two equal amounts.
- Cats show interest in aromatic foods. So try to give it that type of food.
- Try to treat your cat with its favorite snakes. Cat treats like mashed tuna chicken, tuna shrimp, salmon shrimp, and cat chocolate can be given. Do not let your cat depend on these foods. Rather, treat it if it finishes its main course.
- Respond if it is crying for food.
- Make sure the foods are full of nutrients and meet their daily dietary requirements.
- Try to keep your cat stress-free.
- It will be best if you take your cat to the vet. If the vet suggests a diet chart, then follow it.
Never force or yell at your cat. Such behavior will create fear towards the owner. Appreciate your cat if it finishes a full bowl.
How To Wake Up A Kitten?
You have to follow a process while waking up your kitten. But if it is in deep sleep, try not to disturb it. In a deep sleep, the cats remain calm and motionless.
Also, they will not easily respond to you if you try to wake them up. Cats take light naps throughout the day. You can feed them at that time.
- Touch gently on your cat’s head, ear, or back. If it is on a light nap, it will quickly respond to your touch.
- Make small noises around her. You can just talk to her or call her name to get its attention.
- If it opens its eyes then immediately move her. Do not let her rest in that place as they will start sleeping again. The sleeping pattern of cats is such that they stay asleep unless they see danger around them.
- You can keep the food around your cat. Sometimes, they smell the food and wake up to eat.
You should not do this process regularly. Only when your cat is not eating enough or underweight then you should apply this process.
FAQs
These are some commonly asked questions by people about the sleeping and eating patterns of cats.
Should cats eat as soon as they wake up?
You can give food to your cats as soon as they wake up. There are no restrictions on feeding in this way. If they are sleeping for a long time then they will come to you for food.
How long can a kitten sleep without eating?
If you feed them all the meals of the day, your kitten can sleep without eating. But it is not a good practice. Also, give food to her bowel as whenever it wakes up, it will search for food.
What is the best time to feed cats?
There is no best and definite time for feeding. You can maintain timing like breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks between meals. Feed it more times if it is a kitten.
Conclusion
Sometimes, a regular or timely meal can be skipped by your kitten. But no worries. You need not bother your pet for feeding if he is in proper growth. It will eat after sleeping. But if it is underweight, then you can wake up.
You have to wake your pet gently. Make a small sound or touch it to wake up. It will respond in a light nap. Do not make loud noises and wake if it is in deep sleep. Try to make a proper balance of their feeding and sleeping. Stay safe, and take care!
Leave a Reply