Adult Cat & Kitten

[Thunder]

I have a cat and he is 2 years old.

Recently, I've gotten a kitten and he is about 2 to 3 months old.

Both of them is eating adult cat food.

The vet says it is better to have one to eat the kitten food until the other grows old enough instead of the kitten eating the adult cat food.

Anyone have knowledge and/or experience in this?

[Karried]

He is right.. Kittens need special nutrients and the adult cat won't be harmed by kitten food.

"Kitten or growth formulas are rich in protein as well as calories and provide the kittens with a balanced diet suited for their special needs. Investing in quality kitten food will give the kittens a healthy start in life and will help protect them from disease."

There is no need to supplement such food with vitamins or any other additive. Only in cases of special medical conditions, and under veterinary instructions, should you supplement quality kitten food. Adding unnecessary vitamins and minerals to an already balanced diet can actually harm the kitten.

Kittens usually eat several small meals a day. Their stomach is too small to contain all the food they need divided into just two portions. It is best to free-feed kittens and let them nibble throughout the day.

However, if you feed kittens with canned cat food, do not leave it sitting out for long, as it might get spoiled. Instead, divide the daily amount into three or four portions and feed at equal intervals throughout the day.

In between meals, keep the food refrigerated and heat to room temperature before serving.

During their first months, kittens develop the food preferences that will stay with them for life. To avoid finicky eating habits later, you should feed various flavors of foods during this time. Remember that, if you switch between food types, you must always do so gradually by mixing the original food with increasing quantities of the new food.


Keep feeding the kittens with kitten/growth cat food until they are one year old. At that stage, gradually change their diet into regular maintenance cat food.


Although many cats keep on growing after they are a year old, the accelerated growth of kittenhood is usually complete and the cats can adjust to food and regular eating habits.

[FritterGirl]

I agree with Karrie completely. I have two cats, both ten years old, that I've had since they were about 3 months old. We also have 3 dogs.

In general "kitten" food is much more nutritionally dense so it is much, much better to feed the cat the kitten food, than to feed the kitten any food manufactured for an adult cat, since it is lacking in specific nutrients needed to help the kitten grow.

The same is true for puppy/dog food.

[Thunder]

Okay. As much this would hurt Fuzzy, he is gonna have to learn to chow down on kitten food, since Smokey needs them.

I'll give Fuzzy canned food more often in a closed room, away from Smokey.

[FritterGirl]

Fuzzy, I'm sure, won't notice the change...especially if you give him yummy canned food. Or, if you are trying to switch from canned food to a kibble, you can mix it "half and half" at first, then eventually start cutting back on the amount of canned until you are only feeding the kibble. It's a slow process, but it works.

Dogs can tolerate a "quick change" in their food much more quickly than cats can.

[Thunder]

They are now eating the Kitten Chow.