A newborn kitten is a virtual muscle, bone, hair and teeth-making machine. One of her main jobs in life (besides playing) is eating. She has to consume a lot of nutrition if she's going to increase in size by 2,000 percent in just five months, which is typical. Naturally, the better her quality of nutrition, the more likely she is to reach that goal.

Mother's milk is her ideal first food. Although she won't be ready for weaning until six to eight weeks, she will start to nibble solid foods at three to four weeks. That's the time to offer small portions of a high-quality, high-protein kitten food like Purina ONE Healthy Kitten Formula, moistened according to package directions. Unlike adult cat food, it will provide the extra calories and nutrients your kitten needs for bursts of energy and rapid growth.