Not sure which food?

Hi there,
I currently have a 10 year old female cat who eats purina cat chow indoor. I tried changing her food when we first got her with no luck. I'm wanting to try again and am looking for suggestions. Also, we are getting a new kitten soon so will need kitten food as well. I know the kitten can't have adult food, but can the adult have kitten food? If not how do I keep them from each other's dishes?
The food needs to be budget friendly. Some brands I was looking at are:
Good Natured
Pure Balance
Performatrin

Thanks!

Hello and welcome!!  

Do you feed any canned food at all or just dry? Most dry foods are for adults only unless the bag specifies that it is for all life stages then it is fine for both of them to eat it. Kittens need to have access to food at all times as they are growing and need the extra nutrition. How does your adult cat eat? Is she a grazer or does she have set meal times?

You want to look for a food that has real meat as the first ingredient that is as high in protein and low in carbs as possible. 

Good Natured has a grain free option: http://www.petsmart.com/cat/food-an...tural-chicken-and-peas-30639.html?cgid=200028

This is a Petsmart brand and is $12.99 for a 6 pound bag

Petsmart also carries Simply Nourish which is also grain free. http://www.petsmart.com/cat/food-an...tein-chicken-and-turkey-2556.html?cgid=200028

This one is more expensive at $15.99 for a 6 pound bag

There is also Authority grain free http://www.petsmart.com/cat/food-an...d---chicken-and-potato-23723.html?cgid=200028

This is $14.99 for 8 pounds

If you have a Tractor Supply Company near you, they have their house brand- 4Health. It is all stages and is $7.99 for a 5 pound bag

http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/4health-all-life-stages-cat-formula-5-lb-bag

Hi,

I feed my 2 cats cheaply by buying raw food from a reputable company here in the UK and then supplementing as per Lisa Pierson's guidelines at http://catinfo.org/. It cost me less than £5 (~$6) per week. A kitten will probably take to raw straight away, but an older cat will probably be more difficult to persuade.

I would never feed a cat a dry-only diet. Lisa Pierson explains why here: http://catinfo.org/#My_Cat_is_Doing_Just_Fine_on_Dry_Food. 

If you don't like the thought of a raw diet, you could look for the highest quality cost-effective wet food and occasionally supplement their diets with a higher quality wet food occasionally.

All the best.

A bit of cat food won't harm your kitten and vice versa. kitten food is just richer than adult food. 

You might try sold gold Indigo moon for the adult cat. It isn't quite as healthy as some other grain free foods, but it is the only grain free food that may be more "kitty crack" flavored than even some of the grain packed store brands (so you might have better luck transitioning to it than some other premium foods).  It is also an all life stages food, so it is fine for both cat and kitten.

As to raw vs canned vs dry, it is a pretty controversial topic, but I will note that one of your cats is of an age where you will want to be sure that her kidney function is good, and that she's getting enough water, so if you choose to feed dry (or if your cat won't eat anything else), I'd suggest making sure her kidneys are still good, and that she's drinking well (a stainless steel or ceramic fountain helps a lot with this.)  another way to get more water into your older cat is to replace your current treats (if you give any) with broth type treats.

I have a 9 month old kitten and I've never fed him any kitten specific foods. He just eats all he wants of the adult food. I feed him about 1/2 of a 5.5 oz can usually 3-4x per day and he's growing well. I don't feed dry food, though, so I'm sure what the pros and cons of kitten specific versus adult dry food are. 

I feed her only dry cat food. I've tried several types of wet cat food as well as different treats and she won't touch any of it. She is free fed, we fill her dish in the morning and she just grazes as she wants.

So grain free is better? Out of the 3 I was looking at which would be the best? I don't drive and the pet store near me doesn't carry indigo moon.
Also, what food would be cat and kitten safe? Should I be feeding my 10 year old a senior food or is adult food ok?

Indigo Moon is Solid Gold and it's at Petco.
My only experience with kittens were when they were 3 weeks old. I couldn't get them on KMR formula so we used cans of Avoderm until their teeth got bigger and then I had them on Natural Balance kibble. They were so small I used Carefresh small animal bedding in a carrier as their litter box. They could walk right in and wouldn't be inhaling anything. You may need to switch your litter depending on how young this cat is going to be. I had my other cats Yue and Tommy on a pine bedding until they were bigger(6 mo?) and then switched them to scoopable like Fresh Step or Tidy cats. They can breathe the dust in on clay or try to eat it out of curiosity. It can also stick to their bums.

Everything I feed my cats now is Nature's Variety. They eat the Instinct canned duck, or the Instinct chicken with raw boost kibble, or the Instinct chicken raw medallions (also Petco). 
I make home made raw for the boys though now from catinfo.org because Tommy had three urinary blockages( switched to raw after blockage #1) and still needed PU surgery.

I'm in Canada, there are no Petcos near me. Walmart and Petsmart are the only stores within walking distance which is why I was looking at foods that could be found in either of those stores.

Grain-free is definitely better, since cats have trouble digesting grains.  My 9 month old cat eats Canidae Pure Elements chicken flavor that I'd recommend...unless your older cat is overweight (it's pretty high in calories) It would be perfect for both a kitten and normal sized adult though, as it is an all-life stages food with healthy ingredients. Not sure if it's sold in Canada though, since in the U.S. it's sold at Petco and independent pet stores, but it could be worth looking into.

We don't have that brand at either store here unfortunately.

She's not overweight and has always been healthy. Shoukd she be on senior food or just regular?

As long as she's healthy, a grain free all life stages food should work for her.