When to switch to adult cat food

So Rascal Teddy is still on kitten food - he's just 6.5mths - he's getting huge - obviously the kitten food is about giving them all the right nutrition etc while he's growing but heck he'll be the size of a panther if we carry on

Thoughts ?

Most vets I have talked to say 1 yr which is also what most cat food s put ... but if getting chubby a switch as early as 6 months .... I have a 3 yr old on kitten

Most vets round here seem to think kittens should be kept on it till they're around a year old, as they need the extra nutrients/calories.

thanks - I am really worried about his weight gain he is already getting a 'sway' and I only feed twice a day due to work commitments, which if you look at some of the advice they mention 3-4 times a day feed

He's a real scavenger - I have even caught him in the cat food cupboard with his head in the tinned food - how on earth he opened the door is just freaky I dare'nt leave the lid off the cat biscuits cos he has been caught with his head in that too - I feel bad cos he cries for food, of course I dont give in as I dont want him to get fat - help !!

Thanks - Vexed of Spain

I would watch him. Ideally, Teddy should be on kitten food until he's 1 year old. Many cats develop the "spay sway" even though they are not fat. I've seen spay sway on a starved stray kitty before....but her ribs still showed.

hmmm...what is spay sway please?

I think if he's showing signs of gaining too much weight I'd put him onto adult food. I put Mosi onto adult food at about 9 months and he won't be fully grown until he's about 2. He was getting a bit chubby at about 7 months so I used up what I'd already bought then put him onto adult. Kitten food is good when they're very young and growing quickly but I don't think it's particularly necessary once they're past that early stage. Kitten food is a fairly new invention and cats grew up fine before it existed. After all, there's not a special kitten mouse in the wild is there?!

I have a cat that is overweight for being so young. She is almost a year old and she is still on kitten food (mostly because we have a 5 month old kitty too) but I took her to the vet and he said that she needed to loose weight but that some cats just naturally have a bigger "spay sway" and not to base their weight on it.

Originally Posted by tekgrl

hmmm...what is spay sway please?

Click to expand...

its a floppy bit of skin/fat by the tummy near the back legs

Originally Posted by urbantigers

Kitten food is a fairly new invention and cats grew up fine before it existed. After all, there's not a special kitten mouse in the wild is there?!

Click to expand...

good point !!!

thanks for all your comments, I will just have to keep an eye on him - he has nicely filled out so I may change sooner

Hehehe, I have been thinking the same with my 6.5 month old! He has two pouches a day that I feed 1/2pouch im orning then other 1/2 midday, another 1/2 afternoon and last one before bed. Yet he still wants more! He has the dry food out that he will eat reluctantly, so I don't give in and I just think 'you may like the wet more, but this is what you've got!'. Otherwise he would keep stuffing down the wet food. Bless him, I don't want him to get fat either!!! I feed the Royal Canin kitten dry and it is good. He doesn't eat a lot of it though but if he is hungry between meals then he nibbles on it! Alan is a real fluff ball too, so he looks a little bigger

Some vets say 1 year with kitten food and some say switch them after they get fixed because their activity level goes down.

I switched mine around 6 or 7 months after they got fixed. Both of my males looked full grown and were putting on weight. I'm glad I switched them early they are both a year old now and look very healthy!

Depends on the type of cat. If they are a large breed like a maine coon or ragdoll, you would keep them on kitten food longer. If they are small like an oriental/rex type, you would stop sooner.

For my rexes I did not give them kitten food after 4 1/2 - 5 months old - cause they would gain weight really fast if allowed to eat kitten food - it depended on their overall size as to when I stopped.

Charlie was on kitten food up till 5 - 5 1/2 months old (when I ran out of the RC Kitten) - so he was put on adult RC after that and he's fine - growing big naturally.

If some of the breeds (like a rex who only weighs 6-7 lbs tops) was on kitten food for the "recommended" 1 yr as on the package, he would weigh 15 lbs! And be a barrel - not a greyhound.....

Originally Posted by mooficat

So Rascal Teddy is still on kitten food - he's just 6.5mths - he's getting huge - obviously the kitten food is about giving them all the right nutrition etc while he's growing but heck he'll be the size of a panther if we carry on

Thoughts ?

Click to expand...

I am switching Persi right now to adult food, he will be one year old Monday. This is also what my vet told me.

Usually I do a year of kitten food and then switch. Molly and Polly are getting switched this month or next because they are turning a year. It varies when kittens are ready to switch, as already stated.