Cat & Kitten Food - who eats what?

I have a 1 year old cat and a new 2 month old kitten! I'm worried about them eating each other's food, but I read that it's better for an adult cat to eat kitten food than a kitten eating adult food. Can I switch my 1 year old back to kitten food until it's time to move my kitten to adult food?

Also, I've heard a kitten only has to be on kitten food until at least 6 months. Is this true?

My vet said it really didnt matter too much if our kittens got into the adult cat food and vice versa. Im keeping kitten food in a homemade kennel that the kittens can fit in and the adult cats cant. My adult kitties are piggies. We made a kennel for our dog out of our childs crib and she is so stuck in her ways that she wont use it. The kittens can fit through the rails for now.

I think kitten food just has more calories than adult food. Kittens need all of the added nutrition. Your older cat might gain weight on kitten food. If you leave it out 24/7 there's probably no escaping that they will get into eachother's food so you'll have to think of something to at least try and limit them from getting into eachothers food.

Just keep in mind that "in the wild" there is no one mouse labeled "kitten" and others labeled for "adults". But that doesn't take away the fact that most kitten foods are higher in calories.

Thanks for the replies!

Elfilou said:

 
I think kitten food just has more calories than adult food. Kittens need all of the added nutrition. Your older cat might gain weight on kitten food. If you leave it out 24/7 there's probably no escaping that they will get into eachother's food so you'll have to think of something to at least try and limit them from getting into eachothers food.

Just keep in mind that "in the wild" there is no one mouse labeled "kitten" and others labeled for "adults". But that doesn't take away the fact that most kitten foods are higher in calories.

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Yes,that's true.  An adult cat free feeding on kitten food will likely get a pudge!   But my understanding is that kitten food is not only more caloric, but also contains more nutrition than adult food.  Just like human babies need more milk and whatever is in either mother's milk and/or formula, there probably something added to kitten food.  In the wold, the mom may let the kits eat the more nutritious parts of the animals until they get large enough to fend for themselves

@Elfilou "...in the wild" there is no one mouse labeled kitten and others labeled for adults."

LOL

my 5 month old kitten does not like kitten food.  he goes crazy for wild calling and weruva cats in the kitchen.  I was told these were also fine for kittens, just to feed double the amount of kitten food.  Has anyone else heard this?

I'm going to play devil's advocate and say that various vets I've seen have said that it's important to give kittens kitten food. Commercial food is processed and cooked so nutrients are lost, manufacturers boost fat and protein, calcium and phosphorus because kittens need more of it but then if you feed them adult food they need to eat more of it so I suppose the nutrients would be boosted anyway?  Because protein and fat is boosted in kitten food adult cats may become overweight eating a lot of kitten food.  

cat55 said:

 
my 5 month old kitten does not like kitten food.  he goes crazy for wild calling and weruva cats in the kitchen.  I was told these were also fine for kittens, just to feed double the amount of kitten food.  Has anyone else heard this?

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Many adult foods in the US and maybe other countries are labeled for "all life stages" (read the tiny print on the label) so they are perfecftly fine to feed to kittens. You do just feed more of the food to a kitten. Kittens in the wild, whether stray and ferals or the housecat's much larger cousins like lions, don't have specific kitten food. They nurse from Mom until they are weaned onto whatever else the adults are eating.

One of my cats has been eating a commerical "for all life stages" raw food since he was weaned. He's 6 years old now and in perfect heatlh. He did eat a lot as a kitten, mostly because he was growing like a weed as most kittens are. I did not supplement with any kitten food or nutritional supplement.  Feeding adult food to a kitten does not stunt their growth or harm them in any way, IMO.

If it makes you feel better, feed kitten specific food to a kitten. But don't feel bad if a kitten prefers to eat adult food instead.

I wouldn't worry about it, as long as he is eating well there shouldn't be a problem. If you are worried you could always give a vitamin supplement, they have many in the form of treats that are easy to give. I have kitten chow for my almost 16 year old, he needs it since he is so thin. I took him and his two housemates in for a vet check and my Casper who  is 8, weighs 15 lbs! guess who is eating most of it?   And there I thought he was just beefing up for winter! 

TheGreyStalker said:

 
@Elfilou "...in the wild" there is no one mouse labeled kitten and others labeled for adults."

LOL

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HAHA!!  You are SO right!  Don't fret it!  I feed my foster kittens primarily Daves Turkey mixed with Fancy Feast kitten.  I'm not worried that the Daves adult food will hurt them at all.

Just as an aside, kitten food was a way to get senior cats some extra calories that they might need if they are not eating much. Just as an FYI, I notice that sometimes manufacturers add fish to kitten food. So if that's an issue for you, just be aware.