Kittens and adult cat food?

Question

i'm feeding my kitten adult cat food, is that ok?

Answer 1

Don't worry... i have 2 cats and since the day i got them i have always gave them adult cat food my male weighs 9 lbs 13 oz and my female weighs 6 lbs 5 oz. the vet told me they are big for their age and are healthy for their age

Answer 2

It likely will not hurt the kitten, but adult food does not have all the nutrients kittens need.  I would switch foods.

Answer 3

Yes it's fine.  Kitten food is little more than marketing hype.

Want to know more?  Read on.

From my blog:

No, kittens do not need to eat "kitten" food. This is because most of the kitten foods on the market differ from adult food in very few, unimportant ways: The kibble bits are smaller (that's nice), they have a little more protein (but probably not meat-based protein), and they're higher in calories (that's nice, but.....)

Kittens do not need anything that adults don't, and vice versa. Kittens will not be harmed by eating adult foods, but they may not be getting their caloric requirements unless they're fed enough of it.

The best thing to feed a kitten, if you're willing to learn about it, is a raw meat diet. If you want to learn more, search for raw feeding at Yahoo Groups. There are several very good groups out there.

Or you can select a good commercial canned food and call it a day. The What to feed link offers many suggestions. Even though they don't market themselves as "kitten" foods, they are appropriate so long as you feed according to the guidelines.

http://www.maxshouse.com/feline_nutritio...

Energy Requirements for Kittens and Adult Cats  

Age  kcal/lb body wt  

Kittens: 10 weeks  113  

20 weeks  59  

30 weeks  45  

40 weeks  36  

Adult Cats: Inactive  18  

Active  20-30  

Pregnant  45  

Lactating*  56--145  

This site has another table showing the minimum protein allowances for cats v. kittens. It boils down to kittens needing 4% more protein than adults. There were other items in there, but it didn't vary widely at all.

One word of warning - if you're feeding an adult cat dry food from the grocery store, then I would probably stick with the kitten food for the kitten. Because the adult's food is inferior, I think it would be better for the kitten to get the questionable benefits from the kitten food. But of course a better idea would be to feed both of them a better food.

Answer 4

It won’t necessarily hurt the kitten but you’re not doing it any favors, either.  Adult food does not have the nutritional needs a kitten requires.  It also may be too hard and crunchy; kitten food is smaller bites and easier to chew.  Kitten food is also higher in calories to help the kitten gain the proper amount of weight as it grows, and adult food may not be enough for it's brain development either.  Please make the switch.

Answer 5

Yes, it's fine.

Kitten, senior, adult… it matters not, it’s just a marketing label that allows manufacturers to charge more for that particular food.

For example… you pick up a can of Wellness kitten (chicken) and a can of Wellness Chicken) adult. Compare the percentages. The kitten food has 1% more protein and 1% more fat, which is what all kitten food manufacturers tout that growing kittens need more of. Well then where is it, because 1% is certainly not worth noting any comparable difference? And it’s like that across the board. Dry cat food has even LESS of a difference.

The main objective when feeding kittens is to feed more of a high quality food, more times per day because they burn it so fast even when they are doing nothing because they are growing. Kittens pretty much need to eat as much as they want… whenever they want it.

Kittens don’t need “kitten” food. Mother Nature did not make “kitten” mice and “adult” mice and “senior” mice. It’s the same mouse. The only difference is how much each cat needs to eat daily to thrive.