Food Sharing

Hi all. I've been busy posting lately as I'm integrating a new kitten into our lives... everything's going well, but there are a few kinks to iron out.

Currently my older cat is being fed Hills Prescription d/d (wet) and Royal Canin Sensitivity (dry) (vet brands for a sensitive tummy) - but he's been nibbling away on the kitten food and hasn't been getting sick, so i think he may have grown out of his food allergies...

and my kitten has been started on Eukanuba (wet) and royal canin babycat (dry)... and he's been eating the older cats food and is fine with that too

So.... I would really like to find a situation where I'm feeding them both the same thing!!! SO MUCH EASIER!

I'm thinking of switching to Nutro (max, pouches, natural dry).

My question is, can't I feed the kitten the adult food?? As long as I find out what the calorie counts are and as long as I make sure each cat is getting the right calories for their age/weight - isn't that all that matters??

Thanks!

You really should keep the kitten on kitten food until the kitten is at least 9 months old. The kittens needs nutrients and other things that kitten food typically has. Switching over to adult food can cause digestive upset and other health issues.

If you want to keep your older cat from getting the kittens food, you should try putting it in a place the adult can't reach, such as a box with a small hole that the kitty can pass through

The same goes viceversa, put the adults food in a high place or something like that so the kitty can't get it

When I read the ingredient list for natural choice kitten vs. adult they are practically identical... they have all the same vitamins and minerals listed. They use the same exact sources of protein and fat. They have the same percentages/doses of tauring, vitamin E, linoleic acid, zinc, and DHA.

The only difference I can see is that the adult has 33% protein (versus 35% in the kitten) and the adult has only 19% fat (versus 21% in the kitten). (and the adults is 1% higher in fiber, but I'm guessing that's due to the fact it's lower in fat and protein and therefore a bit higher in rice, etc.)

To me, this only adds up to a difference in calories per gram of food.

So can't I feed my kitten the adult food as long as I make sure he has an extra snack at some point to ensure the calories/fat are met??

Also, sorry for posting this in behaviour - I meant it to go into nutrition.