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What to Feed Your Cat
Good quality commercial cat food can be purchased at any pet supply store. Dry food is recommended unless otherwise directed by your veterinarian. Generic food does not typically provide a well balanced healthy diet. Table scraps and food intended for other animals, such as dogs, will not provide your feline with the proper nutrition it needs to stay healthy. Be sure your pet has plenty of cool, clean, fresh water. Adult cats do not need milk! Milk can make them fat and give them diarrhea.
A kitten can begin eating kitten chow, moistened with water, as early as three to six weeks of age. At 12 to 14 weeks kittens have developed sufficient teeth to begin eating dry kitten chow. Kittens should be fed three times a day until approximately six months old. After that, dry kitten chow twice a day is sufficient. Even though at six months your kitten looks more like an adult cat, it is still developing internally and for the entire first year will continue to need the extra nutrition that kitten chow provides.
Once your cat is a year old, you can begin introducing him to adult cat food. Unless accustomed to being overfed, most cats only eat the amount of food they need, so you can leave a bowl of dry food and water out for your cat to eat at will. However, if it is overweight, it's better to put your cat on a twice-a-day feeding schedule and regulate the amount of food given at each meal.