Need a little help feeding varying ages...

Blue is 14, Chloe is 1.5, Rex is 1 yr, and Juno is about 3.5 monhts.

I currently feed the indoor cats Authority Dry, Hairball Control (because Chloe has to have hairball control formula! and it doesn't hurt Rex or Blue either). Blue nibbles on the Authority but mostly eats canned food because of his teeth (he has very few). That was all working just fine and I always split what Blue doesn't eat of the canned food with Rex and Chloe.

Well, with the addition of Juno, I am not sure what to do. My cats graze all day long on dry. Juno still needs kitten food and she really isn't interested in the older cat food (I guess hers smells better?) but the older cats feel the same way! They love her food and won't eat their own!!

So...what do you recommend? I can't NOT leave out food for the cats to graze on because of Blue (he won't get enough food if he doesn't eat small meals all day long). Rex and Chloe are both BIG cats - 12 pounds or so. I do feed canned in portions and I can control that...but what should I do about the dry?

Here are my options as I see them:

1. Switch everyone to kitten food until Juno is 1 yr old. Rex and Chloe will get FAT...Blue and Juno could stand to add the weight. No hairball control.

2. Switch everyone to Adult food and supplement Juno with kitten canned food twice a day.

3. Keep doing what I am doing and put out both kitten and adult food and let them have at it.

4. Other ideas...

How about switch everyone to an all life stages food and supplement Juno with two kitten canned feedings?

That is one was considering. What are some good "All Life Stages" foods out there? Not sure Authority makes one and we were really enjoying that food.

Personally I use Taste of The Wild, its all life stages, but no hairball control.

I had thought Avoderm was all life stage, but it isn't, too bad, the prices aren't bad, but they are really fish happy in their ingredients.

You might want to just take a trip to Petsmart or a feed store (I seem to recall you're rural?) and see what your choices are.

I buy my dry feeds at a feed store, can't beat the prices.

Yep...I am wayyyy rural! But I don't mind to drive in to town (about an hour away).

I use Taste of the Wild with my cocker spaniel. That is worth looking into. I have read that Omega 3 is what really helps with hairball control. I could always supplement Chloe with Omega 3. She is just really long coated and her hair is as soft as angora. She has to have something.

I looked at Wellness Indoor and i love it...but I can't swing the price for 6 cats!...Unless they just eat it REALLY slowly. LOL

I feed my dog Taste of the Wild, that's actually what prompted me to look at the cat food.

We are both unemployed, so cost is a huge issue for us, but at least I can feed my animals something affordable without compromising too much on quality.

My oldest is a 17 year old NFC so I know all about long coats, I supplement her (actually all of them get it now, helps with dandruff is this dry climate).

Is spaz your 17 yr old? If so, she looks almost identical to my Chloe in the pic in your siggy...even down to the orange on the nose.

yup she's my old lady

She is beautiful! Of course, I am not biased at all. LOL

Contrary to what you believe, putting your cats on kitten food will not make them fat.

Kitten food is higher in protein (and sometimes higher in fat), but that does not mean it will fatten your kitties. What fattens kitties is: leaving food out 24/7, and carbs (grains, fruits, veggies, etc). This is one of the reason why you see that foods like Innova and Evo's food are labeled for cats And kittens.

If it were me, I might not worry about buying separate kitten food, but instead feed the kitten and Blue separate to make sure they get enough nutrition.

Put Blue's food in a closet or other area with an electronic cat door on it that only he can open, so he can eat his wet in peace and graze if needed to keep on weight.

Switch everyone else to scheduled feeding.

And I agree, I don't believe there is anything wrong with feeding a "rich" food to kittens and elderly cats alike. Simply adjust the amount fed for the required calories.

I ended up ordering Wellness Indoor last night. It says for "all life stages," so I am going to leave that out as their graze food (all 4 cats). I am going to continue the wet feedings as I was - Blue eats first both times taking as much as he wants in a peaceful feeding with the door closed. When he is finished and has walked away from the food (I usually give him 15-20 minutes incase he wants to go back to it), I take what is left and divide it between the other kitties. So far, that has worked well with my crew.

Thanks for all of the advice. Wellness is pricy, but it sounds like Wellness Indoor takes care of the age issue, the hairball issue, and even the weight issues. None of my indoor cats are all that active.

Momma and Percy can eat really whatever they want. They are both so active, it probably doesn't matter! Right now, they are eating Authority Brand.

Originally Posted by BlueRexBear

Blue is 14, Chloe is 1.5, Rex is 1 yr, and Juno is about 3.5 monhts.

<snip for space?

Here are my options as I see them:

1. Switch everyone to kitten food until Juno is 1 yr old. Rex and Chloe will get FAT...Blue and Juno could stand to add the weight. No hairball control.

2. Switch everyone to Adult food and supplement Juno with kitten canned food twice a day.

3. Keep doing what I am doing and put out both kitten and adult food and let them have at it.

4. Other ideas...

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Hi Blue I have had the same experience. First off I feed a mixed diet. I free feed kibble and feed wet 2x daily. Their main food is Nutro Max Roasted Chicken Indoor dry formula and Nutro Natural Choice wet. Your post indicated you do not free feed but I think that's the only difference I can see in our situations. I finally got so frustrated feeding kitten, adult and senior I called my vet. The older cats wanted the kitten food and the kitten wanted the older cats food and keeping them separate was a nightmare. My vet recommended putting them all on adult formula, both the wet and dry. I did and have not looked back. The kitten thrived and the older cats maintained their svelte waistline My kitten, the sweet Swiffer, was a bit older than yours at the time. She was about 6 months old I think.

I was worried my kitten would not get what she needed from adult but I need not have worried

So what was wrong with leaving the Authority out if you are going with an adult food?

Originally Posted by Minka

So what was wrong with leaving the Authority out if you are going with an adult food?

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The Authority I am using is ages 1-6 years. The Wellness is "all life stages - kitten through senior."

Originally Posted by NutroMike

Your post indicated you do not free feed but I think that's the only difference I can see in our situations.

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Uh oh...I mis-spoke then. We DO free feed. I always have...my poor Blue wouldn't know what to do if I stopped.

Originally Posted by BlueRexBear

The Authority I am using is ages 1-6 years. The Wellness is "all life stages - kitten through senior."

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Kitten, senior, weight management, etc labels are mostly for marketing purposes, but in the case of wanting a food that is high enough protein to be alright for your cats and your kitten, Authority is better. 32% protein vs 30% in Wellness.

Originally Posted by Minka

Kitten, senior, weight management, etc labels are mostly for marketing purposes, but in the case of wanting a food that is high enough protein to be alright for your cats and your kitten, Authority is better. 32% protein vs 30% in Wellness.

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Oh wow...and more affordable! Thanks for pointing that out. I may send that bag of wellness back or just mix a little in with the Authority until it is gone. The price difference is nuts!

Originally Posted by BlueRexBear

Oh wow...and more affordable! Thanks for pointing that out.

I may send that bag of wellness back or just mix a little in with the Authority until it is gone. The price difference is nuts!

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Indeed. Brand sometimes dictates the price more than what's inside the food.