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Feeding Kittens in Multicat Household???

post #1 of 6
7/20/10 at 1:05pm
Thread Starter 
I just recently added another kitten (he's 7 almost 8 weeks) to the family. I have adult cats already. (all are indoor). I have been finding it very difficult to feed the kitten. Obviously he needs access to food at his will..........I've been trying to leave a few different bowls of his food out but of course the others scarf it up. What do most people do in this situation??? For now I have been keeping him in a separate room while I am at work so he has a bowl of kibble available....at night he stays in our bedroom (as well as litter box and water). But I feel terrible doing that to him. He wants to be out playing in the house annoying the others lol. I have read that some people feed all the cats an all life stages food. The problem with that is that I think the others will eat it all anyway. I don't free feed my adults mainly because a few of them are porkers. One of them will eat until the food is gone no matter how full she is.........she was my dumpster cat so I tend to think that is why she is the way she is. I don't suppose a kitten can be fed twice a day like an adult cat??? I know they are growing and have smaller tummies so I dont see that working for them. Are my only options to separate him as I've been doing??? I've thought about making a feeding station out of a cardboard box that would have a hole only big enough for him.........but other cats are very resourceful........I'm sure they would find a way to get at it........

Any ideas????

Also....how long does a kitten need to be fed freely???? Is it all the way up to a year???

Thanks!
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post #2 of 6
7/20/10 at 1:08pm
IMHO I feed a high end all stage or kitten till at least 18 months..... What are you feeding ? I ask as shockingly some cats loose wt on what would be ideal for a kitten... Yes separate rooms sound like what you need
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post #3 of 6
7/20/10 at 1:18pm
Thread Starter 
He's currently on Royal Canin kitten (I feed kibble and wet) as that was what he was being fed by the lady I got him from. He's doing well on it so far. He is going to the vet Saturday for his first checkup and shots etc.
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post #4 of 6
7/20/10 at 1:22pm
I would continue to do as your doing till he was capable of eating meals of his food. I have had many cats and to be honest I dont keep them on kitten food all that long usually by time they start running around house freely its over. Have yet to see any negative affects and vet says mine all look good/bloodwork on cats have come out fine with 1 exception. An adult who ate kitten chow at wills triglycerides was higher then normal. I would take it as it comes and see how things pan out cause its easier in general to intro a younger kitten and he can grow up then throw a older kitten into the mix.
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post #5 of 6
7/24/10 at 1:31am
Kitten food is essentially just a con, there is no difference between it and adult, apart from the extra calories and size. Decent companies sell all life stages food as you say. No you don't need to free feed any cat, regardless of age.
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post #6 of 6
7/24/10 at 2:05am
Back when I got dEUS and Flynn as kittens I still fed dry food and I made them a feeding box. The idea of a feeding box is some kind of container (wooden chest, bench, even a cardboard box, whatever suits you) with a hole big enough for the kitten to access but too small for the adult cats.

I used a bench, I narrowed the opening with some metal wire (covered in weatherstrip, the white things on the left). This way I could always leave food out for the kittens where the adult cats could not get at it. I put their food in a high place where the kittens couldn't jump yet.

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