We are looking at getting a kitten and it has been forever since I had one, back then I fed my cats Cat and Kitten chow, and never wet food...now they get merrick canned and some good quilaity dry to snack on(I rotate brands for dry) Could a kitten eat merrick canned and the same dry food I feed my adult cats or should I buy special food?
-
Too many ads? Join our community of cat lovers now to reduce ads by 90%! Click here to join for free!
Do kittens need special food?
- Thread starter tanjkn3
- Start Date
It is recommended that kittens stay on kitten formula till one year. My kitten is 10 months and is eating EVO dry and Felidae Chicken and Rice wet. I was having issues with her eating my adult's cat food and the older cat eating her kitten food. So I put them on the same regime once she hit 8 months. Everyone's opinion is different on the matter. They have cat and kitten formulas but alot of people arent fans per say.... Im sure you will get some great tips on your thread. How old is the prospective kitten?
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
I just started feeding my Charlotte Merrick and it says on the can that is is a cat and kitten formula, I think that is standard for Merrick...
Edit: I forgot to mention that Charlotte is still a kitten and is about 3 months old...
Edit: I forgot to mention that Charlotte is still a kitten and is about 3 months old...
- Joined
- Jan 30, 2005
- Messages
- 27,231
- Purraise
- 38
I would suggest reading the labels .. the AFFCO ones.. and finding a all stage( to me it is just adult but it is okayed for kittens).. or finding a kitten food that says for growth and maintence... for dry...
Merrick wet I do believe is all stage
My 3.5 yr old still eats kitten ...
Merrick wet I do believe is all stage
My 3.5 yr old still eats kitten ...
[font= "Comic Sans MS"]I believe you should keep your kitten on kitten formula. They are smaller and are growing, therefore need more nutrition than the average adult cat. I think kitten is a better quality for that age.
[/font]
I would go with a good quality all life stages dry food. For wet, Merrick is good and is all life stages but I think I would opt for something a little higher in fat and calories. If it was me, Wellness and EVO wet would be a couple of my top choices.
Unless the adult cat has any special dietary/health concerns that would prohibit it, I wouldn't hesitate to feed wet kitten food to him/her too.
Unless the adult cat has any special dietary/health concerns that would prohibit it, I wouldn't hesitate to feed wet kitten food to him/her too.
Innova Evo Is good for both cats and Kittens, I hae a 1 year old and a 15 year old on it and both are thriving.
I would at least give the kitten a few bags of special kitten food for the best health. Yes they can survive on adult food, but the kitten is a lot better the first few months.
I personally do NOT believe in feeding kittens kitten food for an entire year. Most will gain far too much weight if left on it after 5-6 months old (especially if neutered).
And adults seem to go for the kitten food, so you have to be careful they don't help themselves. I never went past the 4-5 months old in kitten food - they were gradually switched to adult food around that age with no problems
I personally do NOT believe in feeding kittens kitten food for an entire year. Most will gain far too much weight if left on it after 5-6 months old (especially if neutered).
And adults seem to go for the kitten food, so you have to be careful they don't help themselves. I never went past the 4-5 months old in kitten food - they were gradually switched to adult food around that age with no problems
I feed and ALS food (All Life Stages), Felidae Cat and Kitten. I think for the best nutrition and growth he needs to be on kitten or ALS food, it would be safe to put the adult on kitten food (although you would have to be careful of weight gain). Now my kitten Willie was on adult food from the time he was weaned and when we got him he was pretty tiny and was growing very slowly, almost not at all. Now he is on the Felidae and having a growth spurt. Whether that has to do with his food or just his own make up I don't really know.
It seems that over the time what to and what not to feed cats has changed somewhat. In my younger day I just fed dry food, no special kitten formula and never had any problems its the same with milk all my cats were raised with cow milk, Dusty wouldn't let me have the first bite of my ice cream, he had to have his share first, but now your not supposed to.
Now I have Diego and Neko, Neko gets regular cat food (he's 8mths) and Diego gets kitten formula (he's 5mths)
I stick with what I know so I always feed dry and the only reason I give kitten formula to Diego is because he's a pure breed (shocking isn't it, but I did try give Neko some but he wouldn't eat it) if he wasnt then he would just get normal cat biscuits.
Disclaimer:
individual results may vary
Now I have Diego and Neko, Neko gets regular cat food (he's 8mths) and Diego gets kitten formula (he's 5mths)
I stick with what I know so I always feed dry and the only reason I give kitten formula to Diego is because he's a pure breed (shocking isn't it, but I did try give Neko some but he wouldn't eat it) if he wasnt then he would just get normal cat biscuits.
Disclaimer:
individual results may vary
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #13
Thanks for all the advice! We brought the kitten home today, I picked up a couple extra cans of merrick for him and a bag of pro plan kitten, it was the only thing they had in sample size and I was in a rush
I plan to get him some higher cal stuff like was suggested when I go do my major pet shopping next Friday I'll probably get him EVO
