I have two cats aged 7.5 mos and 2.5 mos. Both are on dry kitten food. All the kitten foods seem to say that cats should be on them till 12mos or so. What do i do when Lucky (the oldest) should be switched to adult food, but Rambo (youngest) will still be a kitten? They both eat of the same dishes and won't eat if they are put in separate rooms. Is it alright to keep Lucky on kitten food for longer, or switch Rambo sooner? Or am i worrying for nothing?
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Kitten to Adult food
- Thread starter renny
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Rosie ate hers until she was 12 months, but Sophie stopped eating hers when she was about 9 months old and would rather eat Rosies adult kibbles.
So!, what i did was mix in some kitten kibbles that she had left in with some adult kibbles and that way she still got them.
I would try and keep them on the kitten ones as long as possible though, which is why i mixed them.
So!, what i did was mix in some kitten kibbles that she had left in with some adult kibbles and that way she still got them.
I would try and keep them on the kitten ones as long as possible though, which is why i mixed them.
It depends on the cat ... you will need to take into consideration many factors before switching to an adult food. How much does the cat weigh? What is the acitivity level? If your now-adult cat is still quite active and kittenish, then it won't hurt for him to have the extra calories kitten food can provide. Males tend to need more calories in my experience, and cats can continue to grow well into the second year of life. Just observe your cats and let them be your guide.
~gf~
~gf~
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- #4
thanks for the advice.
The older cat is only about 6lbs right now, and the vet estimates she'll probably max out at about 8lbs (unless she gets overweight). She's pretty energetic...much more so since the kitten came into the picture. The little one is well on his way to being a bruiser...he'll eat anything and everything and even try stealing it from the older one. He would probably not be harmed by switching to the adult earlier.
The older cat is only about 6lbs right now, and the vet estimates she'll probably max out at about 8lbs (unless she gets overweight). She's pretty energetic...much more so since the kitten came into the picture. The little one is well on his way to being a bruiser...he'll eat anything and everything and even try stealing it from the older one. He would probably not be harmed by switching to the adult earlier.
If the little boy is that active, I would keep him on kitten food for a while longer - he needs the extra calories to keep his systems up and running normally.
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I was told kitten at age six months can go to adult food ... but on the same accord I was told that kitten food till age 2 is not a bad thing for most cats..the same vet said these things... since you have a younger one leave the older on kitten a few months longer
First, I am a little strange -- I stock up big time on regular supplies. I have sealed buckets and other storage containers. Right now I have about 50 lbs of dry cat food and 150 lbs of cat litter (all the same brands) just for a single cat (Nano). I buy in bulk and on sale with coupons for convenience.
As for your situation, I would wait until their average age is 12 months and then buy the first big bag of adult food. I would make a first mix of 2/3 kitten and 1/3 adult and a second mix of 1/3 kitten and 2/3 adult with whatever leftover kitten food was around the house. (Approximately) They would eat the first mix, the second mix and then you would switch them to 100% adult food. Doing it this way is fair to them and also economical to you.
But in reality, I just use the recommended age ranges for each formula as rough guidelines. Nano is borderline between adult and senior formula, but if I had a 3-4 year old cat in the household with her, I would try to keep her on adult formula for longer. As it is, maybe in a few months I will buy my first bag of senior food.
As for your situation, I would wait until their average age is 12 months and then buy the first big bag of adult food. I would make a first mix of 2/3 kitten and 1/3 adult and a second mix of 1/3 kitten and 2/3 adult with whatever leftover kitten food was around the house. (Approximately) They would eat the first mix, the second mix and then you would switch them to 100% adult food. Doing it this way is fair to them and also economical to you.
But in reality, I just use the recommended age ranges for each formula as rough guidelines. Nano is borderline between adult and senior formula, but if I had a 3-4 year old cat in the household with her, I would try to keep her on adult formula for longer. As it is, maybe in a few months I will buy my first bag of senior food.
I would not try to switch the youngest any sooner than 9 to 10 months, and do not think it will hurt your slightly older cat to be on kitten food a bit longer
Originally Posted by Nano
First, I am a little strange -- I stock up big time on regular supplies. I have sealed buckets and other storage containers. Right now I have about 50 lbs of dry cat food and 150 lbs of cat litter (all the same brands) just for a single cat (Nano). I buy in bulk and on sale with coupons for convenience.
I have to agree with the others - keep your older cat on kitten food a bit longer, provided she doesn't develop weight problems, so that the younger one can benefit from it for as long as possible.
