Sleeves is nearly 1...

(EDIT: sorry mods I meant to put this in Health and Nutrition oops)

...so I have a question about our food situation.
At the moment both the cats are on Whiskas Kitten Junior. It recommends the kitty eats this until the age of 1. So next month when Sleeves turns 1 we would ideally want to swap him onto adult food. However, Nismo is only 6 months old and it is going to be nigh on impossible to stop her from eating his food.
When we put the bowls down, they eat out of their own bowls for a minute or 2 then swap over...
There is also the dry food, which we also use Whiskas Kitten food.
I think it would be easier if we just continued to feed the kitten food until Nismo also turns 1 (October) but if this is not going to give Sleeves everything he needs as an adult cat, the other option is feed adult food to both of them, but will this be too much for Nismo?
We could also mix it up a bit by feeding some kitten food and some adult food?
I'm getting a little bit worried about it as mealtimes are just a bowl swapping event and the dry food is out all the time so there wouldn't be anyway to supervise.
Any help from anyone who's done this before would be much appreciated.

Also, we occasionally give a treat of Felix as good as it looks or a little pot of Sheba, which is adult food and they both absolutely love. Nismo does not get sick or anything with this which makes me think she may be ok on adult food full time.

All my cats have eaten adult food since they were 2-3 mos. old and are just fine. Six mos. is well into the time he can eat anything.

Could you compromise, meaning feed the kitten food for another 2 or 3 months, then mix them for a few weeks, and then do the switchover? If Sleeves doesn't have weight problems, it won't hurt him to eat kitten food just a bit longer.

Originally Posted by jcat

Could you compromise, meaning feed the kitten food for another 2 or 3 months, then mix them for a few weeks, and then do the switchover? If Sleeves doesn't have weight problems, it won't hurt him to eat kitten food just a bit longer.

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He doesn't have weight problems, infact he's still quite small, only 6 or 7 lbs I think. I like this idea though. We could wait until July or August and then swap over, that way Nismo is a bit older too.

I know this bowl switching game quite well! I have to watch Sierra and Serenity like a hawk because they still think this is fun! Serenity will be making her big girl switch when she turns one in May, and this should make meal times much easier around here!

The one year old rule is not set in stone any more than the seven year old rule for switching to senior food. It would be better for Sleeves to have a few extra months of kitten food than for Nismo to switch to adult food during this important stage of her life. She's a growing girl and still needs the extra protein and energy provided by her kitten food. So long as Nismo is at a normal weight with normal kidney function, this should be perfectly ok for him and may simplify life for the three of you!

Yeah, that!
Kitten food has more calories and vitamins and everything, so really your adult cat would be getting more, rather than "missing out" on adult food. If you watch Sleeves to make sure he doesn't get fat it should be fine to feed them both kitten food. Or you could try a food that's for all life stages and then it won't matter how old they are!

Check to make sure your kitten food doesnt say in small print for growth and matience... if it does it is a all stage and can be used till you comfortable.... I agree with Stephanie it is not a hard rule....

Interestingly enough, I was visiting another forum today where a couple of people were discussing how their vets had told them to put their overweight adult cats on canned kitten food, which is higher in protein, and lower in carbohydrates, than adult food. That's something I'd like to hear more about.

This makes me nuts! When Cookie and Suzie were smaller, they were secluded most of the time, so the food separation thing was no problem. If the others cats visited they could take a nibble at the food. Well, then I tried to give them different bowls after everyone was living together and what would happen was that Rocky (slightly overweight) would pig out on their food, and the kittens would eat whatever- usually the adult food. After watching Rocky eat their food constantly, I had pretty much given up. Meanwhile, I still had 3 huge bags of kitten food. So what I have done is mix the food 2 parts grown up, 1 part kitten food, which all have been eating since the kittens were about 4-5 months. I have about one more bag which I think will take us through the next month or two, and by that time they will be almost one anyway. The wet food I feed is usually an "all stages" kind. I think Rocky may have gained a bit of weight since this started but he has slimmed back down a bit. He seems to have a higher activity level since he has two new friends anyway. Zakk hasn't seemed to gain or lose, but he seems to eat the most wet out of the bunch.
I think I switched Rocky over to grown up food when he was about 6 months or so- Zakk was about ten months old at his adoption so both were on kitten for while, then I think I had the SAME problem.

aaww happy birthday to Sleeves.

I have this EXACT same problem with kittens pinching Missys adult and Missy eating there kitten food,

I realised that all it was is the kittens wanted a taste of what Missy had and wondered why she had different food.

So, I put kitten in the bottom of there bowl and adult on the top, so they think they have what Missys got!! works like a charm and they mainly have kitten food in there bowls.

Missys not that bothered about going after theres, she'd only do it becuase Simba and Star would be arguing over her bowl!

I'd give them both, half kitten and half adult to get Sleeves used to the adult, and show Nismo shes having the same, then slowly give Sleeves only adult, and just put a small spoonful of adult on top of Nismos so tey think they have the same. it might work!!

I am in a similar situation and need advice...

Charlie will be 1 next month and Casey is ~6 months. However that is where the similarity ends. Charlie is a BIG boy (16 pounds) and really needs to lose some weight. Casey is about 7 pounds and is fine weight wise.

I had originally intended to keep them on kitten food until Casey was ~1 year but now I am rethinking this plan. Charlie is getting quite fat and really needs to go on a different kind of food soon. They both eat out of the same dish and there is no way to give them seperate foods.

Could I switch both to an adult food (hopefully something "multi cat" or weight control for Charlie) but still have Casey get everything he needs to keep growing up? Or would it be better to mix foods (an adult and a kitten) for a while so that they get the best of both worlds?

Any advice/help is appreciated!!!


P.S. they are currently eating Iams kitten dry

Originally Posted by Charlie'sMommie

I am in a similar situation and need advice...

Charlie will be 1 next month and Casey is ~6 months. However that is where the similarity ends. Charlie is a BIG boy (16 pounds) and really needs to lose some weight. Casey is about 7 pounds and is fine weight wise.

I had originally intended to keep them on kitten food until Casey was ~1 year but now I am rethinking this plan. Charlie is getting quite fat and really needs to go on a different kind of food soon. They both eat out of the same dish and there is no way to give them seperate foods.

Could I switch both to an adult food (hopefully something "multi cat" or weight control for Charlie) but still have Casey get everything he needs to keep growing up? Or would it be better to mix foods (an adult and a kitten) for a while so that they get the best of both worlds?

Any advice/help is appreciated!!!


P.S. they are currently eating Iams kitten dry

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I think you'd do best to switch them to an all stages food if seperating them at feeding time is not doable.