Why do Kittens need kitten food?

I'm kind of frustrated..One of my coworkers has a 10 year old cat and an 8 month old kitten. She feeds them BOTH adult food.

Can you guys give me the main reasons why kittens NEED kitten food, so that I can give her some strong enough points that she'll listen to me?

(I get so aggravated when people just think their pets are animals and not part of the family, and don't care enough to find out what's best for them all the time)

for that family I recommend all stage food if they want to feed them together..

Kitten food is higher in protein and fat as well as some viatamins and minerals ..

All stage food basically meets AAFFCO s criteria for all stages of life .... Most adult foods are all stage ...

example
brand a kitten has 35% protein and 21% fat
brand a adult has 33% protein and 19% fat
not a huge difference but it would amount to about 5% total calories

brand b all stage has 34% protein and 18% fat

this family really should have one on kitten and one on senior if there not on an all stage

Is a 10 year old cat a senior?

7+ is a senior

Yes ... Imho it starts between 7-8 yrs old... as the insides are starting to age...

pets ARE animals

But humans are a species of animal as well


Anyway, I would assume kittens need kitten food because maybe their teeth aren't yet strong enough to handle the dry food for adult cats.

Or perhaps kitten food contains more vitamins and nutrients that kittens need, that are not as abundant in adult cat food.

If those aren't the reasons, then there really is no reason for kitten food

Most "adult" foods really are suitable for kittens. In the US, the label always says whether a food is suitable for kittens or if it is only for adults. I'm not sure how it works in Canada but probably there is something similar. In general, "regular" adult cat foods are fine for kittens but "lite" or "senior" foods are not.

Kittens need more protein and fat and more calories relative to their body size than adults. But their needs are not that much greater and there is enough overlap between the appropriate levels for kittens and adults that most foods have nutrient levels that fall in the range that is acceptable for both.

I know kittens and soon to be moms need the amount of protein and fat that is not in cat food. Kittens need more of it.

Ok well, thanks for all the advice..I'm glad the kitten will be fine if she eats adult food.

For some reason I thought it was important that they all ate food for their own age group.

My vet said that after 8-10 months it's ok to feed adult food. Isabelle hated kitten food for some reason, but Annabelle loved it! I started feeding Isabelle Annabelle's adult food when she was around 9 months old and eventually started feeding them an 'all life stages' food.

I agree, it's the protein levels.

Rocky (Rockette) won't eat any kitten food anymore, hasn't for months. But I was told that she'd be fine on adult food.

Cats survived for thousands of years without Purina or any other company. lol

If someone was concerned, they could always supplement the adult food with a bit of extra protein, chicken or something, each day. But especially at 6 mos, I think it will be fine.

What I was also told though, is that even though it's okay for the kitten to eat adult food, the adults shouldn't be kept on a diet of kitten food (unless pregnant or nursing) because the extra high protein level is not good for their urinary system.

What other brands besides friskies makes food for all stages.

At 8 months old, the "kitten" is considered an adult. Any time after 5-6 months you can feed a kitten adult food.

My rexes were eating adult food at 5-6 months with no problems at all. In fact, kitten food is higher calories and some breeds who need to watch their weight would become fat in no time if feeding kitten food for a year.

Your friend is not doing anything wrong or harmful for the 8 month old cat.

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

At 8 months old, the "kitten" is considered an adult. Any time after 5-6 months you can feed a kitten adult food.

My rexes were eating adult food at 5-6 months with no problems at all. In fact, kitten food is higher calories and some breeds who need to watch their weight would become fat in no time if feeding kitten food for a year.

Your friend is not doing anything wrong or harmful for the 8 month old cat.

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Okay that's good, I'll let her know..I made her buy kitten food yesterday Ooops!
I just wanted to be sure as I worry about little furries

Originally Posted by Trouts mom

Okay that's good, I'll let her know..I made her buy kitten food yesterday

Ooops!
I just wanted to be sure as I worry about little furries

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Most folks will recommend you feed kitten food until at least 10 months but preferably 1 year. This is the period of fastest growth in your cat and giving them the extra goodness of kitten food is best for them.

I would do a year because they say kittnes grow for a year.

Wheile fostering, some of the kittens I fostered kept a good weight on kitten food, while others started getting way too fat after a few months. I switched the fatties over to adult chow early, and it did not hinder their growth (in my opinion. they all turned out to be huge cats), as they were growing outward more than anything at that point. Personally, I'd aim for a year, but if they start looking like 4-legged barrels, switching them to adult food won't hurt. (Ask your vet their opinion before the cold-turkey switch,though)

Originally Posted by momof3rugratz

What other brands besides friskies makes food for all stages.

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Many preium foods are all statge..just off the top of my head

Natures Variety
Solid Gold

ect.

i know you can feed cats and kittens...Life's Abundance which is mail order and the innova evo.