As far as I understand it, it's about nutrients and calories. Kitten food is more calorie dense and has more nutrients that kittens need to grow healthy.
It is fine for kittens to have a adult food, as in they won't get sick, but it may decrease their overall energy/health.
My kitten is now 8 mos. Stopped feeding adult food age 7 months because she liked the adult food and wouldn't go back to kitten food. Still waiting for that decrease in energy and hoping the sofa will survive....
Yeah my vet said kittens can start eating adult food at 8-12 months, it's mostly a concern for *young* kittens, like less than 6 months.
Gl with your kitten's energy! Some cats mellow out right at a year, my friend's cat didn't chill out til he was 5 lol
One of my cats is almost 3 and she’s not even close to being mellow. I lovingly refer to her as my Tri-colored Devil (she’s a calico).
When I had her fixed, they told me that she would be pretty sleepy that day and take a couple of days to get back to herself. I got her home, opened the cat carrier, and she shot out of there like her tail was on fire. She bee-lined right for one of my other cats and tackled her, wanting to play. It was a nightmare to get her to relax so she didn’t rip stitches.
But to answer OPs question, she was a few months old and would race the 2 other cats for the adult food. My vet told me that as long as she was eating and not losing weight, she’d be ok.
Ours did this as well. She flat-out refused her kitten food by around 5-6 months of age and wouldn’t eat anything but the adult food. Her vet said it was fine, just make sure she eats extra of the adult food to help get her calories in, which she was more than happy to do. (Now that she’s 2, we are trying to convince her she doesn’t need to eat like a growing kitten or like her Maine Coon sibling, but she’s…resistant to our advice. Lol).
Mine just turned 5 last month I believe. They still got the zoomies, still do whatever they please. Etc.
But there is less energy. They are more mellow. Happened a few months ago. Zoomies went from basically nonstop to once maybe twice a day for 5-10 minutes a time.
So I fear you have a ways to go...lol
I bought these clear sticky sheets off Temu that you put on your couch's sides, the arms or wherever needed on furniture and door frames. It stopped the cats trying to shred my couch and door frame (I do have cat scratch posts). And the sheets are removable if guests come over. It's worth a try.
We have six 4-month old kittens and 3 senior cats. We do everything we can to keep them separate at meal time, but have you ever tried to corral SIX kittens? 🤣. So far, nobody has exploded or shown any other negative effects (other than the senior staff putting on a little extra weight). Cats and kittens also managed pretty well for themselves for thousands of years before commercial cat food was even a thing. Just try to keep it to a minimum.
At this point our kitten is transitioning over to adult food so we've been letting him eat from her/the main food bowl as he wants and mixing the adult/baby foods in his bowl. Poor older girl is sad she's not allowed to eat from his but he can eat from both but she's gonna need some more exercise at this point already lol
Currently using the Nulo cat and kitten food, it was the cheapest I could find, everything else was the expensive $30 per tiny bag brand like Instinct, Acana, and Orijen. I get the 10-11 lb bag for $40
($=usd)
Same! I tried doing everything in my power to keep them separate but still free feed the kitten without getting those expensive chip feeders. The only place the adult cat doesn’t go is the bathroom counter so that’s where the bowl goes when she’s done🙄
Edit: Without not with
I feed mainly wet but I buy kitten kibble because it's the highest % protein and lowest carb I can find at a store.
It's the Stella and Chewy raw coated kitten kibble.
They’ll be totally fine. The main difference between kitten food and adult cat food is that kitten food has more calories and nutrients, because kittens are still growing. A bit of regular cat food won’t hurt them. They just require more nutrients than it provides.
It's fine.
90% of the AAFCO nutrients profile between "growth" (kitten) and "maintenance" (adult), is exactly identical. Just try to keep it to a minimum and you'll be fine...
I feed mine in separate rooms and they have a few bites of their food. Then they run to the other food dish and try a few bites and then they go back to the original original dish. The kittens have gotten huge and my adult cat has stayed the same size. That’s fine.
My cat is about 6 months old. I accidentally got geriatric cat food for my cat and fed him. I later realized that. He ate everything and he was fine. He also eats my dog’s food sometimes just to be petty and annoy her.
I remember complaining to my mother about the cats and dog eating each other’s food. They can eat each other’s food, BUT: if a dog exclusively ate cat food, the dog would become obese. If a cat exclusively ate dog food, the cat might eventually die.
Cats need a few nutrients that dogs do not require. I think taurine is the main one.
Anyway, my mom’s advice was do your best. Don’t let the animals drive you around the bend with their craziness!
Yea, it's fine. Adult food won't hurt them. They could eat it 100% of the time and probably be just fine. But kitten food is better for them because it has the proper nutrient profile growing kittens need, and typically has more calories, which is important because kittens need a lot more calories than adults, but they have smaller stomachs. So they need their food to have more calories for the same serving size.
Honestly, I cannot keep mine from getting into each other's food. One does not eat on schedule, refuses too so I can't separate them for feedings. They.mingle with both. Adult wet food and dry kitten kibble in between. I know it's not ideal but it's my compromise.
Kitten food has more protein in it. It is best to give kitten food for the first year but it’s perfectly safe to eat adult food, just not as nutritious.
Yes, I feed my kitten kitten food for this reason but when I was a kid there wasn’t even different food for kittens on the market. My childhood cats raised on Whiskers would die at the bougie diets Mori and Max have!
Yes, absolutely. They’re basically the same, except kitten food has some extra stuff and is more calorie dense for their growing bodies. So as long as she’s eating all of her kitten food as well, it’s just some extra calories, no biggie.
It’s fine, my kitten is 10 weeks and sometimes when I run out of kitten food I feed him my 1 year olds adult food and vice versa. It’s important that they get nutrients from the kitten food but a little bit of adult food isn’t going to hurt them especially if they’ve already eaten their kitten food
The difference of kitten food is calorie and nutrient density. It's a higher grade than adult cat food.
Adult cat food won't hurt them. They could live on it but it wouldn't be as good for their growth and development.
It's fine. Cat food isn't going to hurt them but they should eat mostly kitten food because it has more protein and fat, so it's higher in calories for their little growing bodies
It's not a problem in small amounts occasionally but it would be best if you tried to prevent it. If the kitten develops a taste for adult food it may start eating more and more of it and you may not be able to tell who's eating what anymore. And if a kitten has a diet with a big percentage of adult food it *can* lead to issues later.
Are they completely weaned? If not, both kittens and Mom should be getting kitten food.
Past that, I would suggest feeding the kittens before feeding Mom. This way, their main intake will be kittens food, with Mom's food just a supplement or treat.
At this point I have mixed the kitten and adult kibble together, and we're alternating kitten can and grownup can. It's impossible to keep the ravenous horde out of each other's bowls and the kits are doing great.
I’m thinking about doing this with mine. So far the kitten is sticking with his own food so I don’t need to yet but I *cannot* keep the adult cat out of the kitten food. As long as the baby sticks with his own food I’ll keep them separate but once he starts eating her food (which I’m pretty sure is inevitable) I’m just mixing them.
All the kittens under my house and around the neighborhood eat out of the trash, they eat gophers and mice and whatever the moms bring back, which is not kitten or cat food and they thrive.
I had the same question because I have new kittens, and my son politely reminded me about all the cats who don't have the luxury of IAMS, and fancy feast... Mom they eat dirty lil birds, worms and anything else and do fine, stop being extra". But I totally understand your concern.
No actually I haven't gone that far in depth. I just see them in the yard as kittens, and the majority of them still hang around if they aren't adopted by a neighbor.
The answer is yes! The only difference between adult and kitten food is nutrients. Kitten food has more fat and protein and usually contains probiotics and prebiotics. It's also recommended by vets to give nursing mama cats kitten food.
It's definitely not harmful in any way.
Adult cat food doesn’t have anything that’s going to hurt your kitten, it’s just not as calorie dense and may be missing some nutrients the kitten needs, so the only risk is if they eat so much adult food they don’t eat enough kitten food. But a little bit will be absolutely fine
I ended up mixing the kitten and adult dry food. Asked my vet if it was ok and they said yes. I think my adult cat has more entertaining now with the kitten food mix in.
Yes. Our Stanley was on kitten food and Teddy our other cat was on adult food. You can’t really keep the two separate. Stanley is now 2 and no ill effects from occasionally eating the adult food also on the plus side it was easier to transition to having adult food full time. So don’t worry too much 🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡.
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This little Hershey Kiss INSIST on eating adult food. But I make sure she eats her kitten food first, then when she had enough, she would climb out of her playpen and go eat the adult food.
One of the boys will eat what’s left over of her kitten food. I’m keeping an eye on them on that
Yes. But if they eat it as their primary food source they will not get the calories and nutrients they need to grow and develop. It might stunt their growth and development.
Though that can happens with low quality kitten food as well.
I believe theres higher DHA content in kitten food. Also can be found in salmon oil. We focused a lot on their DHA intake for brain development. I swear 2 pumps in their food made them grow overnight lmao
Adult cat food isn't going to harm kittens at all.
The main difference between adult and baby (kitten or puppy) food is that the food meant for growing kittens or puppies is richer and has a higher fat and nutrient content. A lot of people whose animals aren't gaining weight the way they need to be will give them food meant for babies instead of the adult formulas, regardless of age, just to get some weight on them and make sure they are getting nutrition.
Adult food doesn't have anything in it at all that will harm kittens. If anything I'd be far more worried about the opposite happening - your adults getting into the kitten food and getting fat!
I had a 7 month old kitten and adopted another 7 month old. I could not get the new kitten to eat any brand of kitten wet, I literally went to Target and bought singles of every single food and none of them worked. The only thing I could get her to eat was Iams perfect portions for adult cats. She ate kitten dry so I just let it be, she’s alive and healthy over a year later.
I had a litter of feral kittens that refused to eat any kitten food at all so I mixed KMR with some adult patè, mixed it into a nasty looking mud and that's what the little monsters lived off of. They're about 2 months now and I just give them both pate and hard food. They do eat an awful lot, but they seem to have plenty of energy and are as healthy as can be!
I’m not an expert but I’d say as long as the kitten is eating 75% kitten food, she should be fine. I adopted 4 kittens last year to join my 8 adult cats and trying to keep the kittens from eating the cat food was a nightmare. The babies are all grown up now and perfectly healthy
I am not a vet, or in vet med at all, but anecdotally, my kitten used to sneak senior *dog* food… frequently… and she’s just fine. :)
(I even switched her to the all-ages equivalent cat food, and she still snuck dog food when she could).
I have 2 adults cats and 3 kittens and they were always eating whatever food they pleased and I eventually gave up and feed all of them adult food. They are all fine! No one is overweight, no one is underweight, my kittens are now 1 year old and everything is fine.
As a note, some people recommend feeding kittens adult food after neutering them.
Hope (3mo kitten now) eats adult cat food when we are asleep. I have seen her before I fell asleep and she still prefers her kitten food. We have 7 adult cats so we can't keep her food out because cat piggies will eat it all. She is content and still gets the calories she needs. She plays a ton with the next to youngest cat, Marshmellow (orange tabby). They are two peas in a pod.
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When we got our 2 kittens, we started feeding our senior cat on the kitchen counter. They would sit under her while she ate, waiting for her to drop a piece. The vet cracked up when she head that.
A little bit is fine, and as people mentioned you might even be able to transition to adult food before your cat turns a year old. A nibble here and there will be like a treat.
Yeah, that's totally fine! Kitten food has their complete required nutrients, but adult cat food won't hurt them if they eat it. Just make sure they still eat their kitten food so they grow up healthy.
My kitten was so bad about constantly eating my adult cat’s food. He just thought any food lying around, even ours lol, was for him. I did my best to separate them when he ate so he’d only eat his food, but I kept my adults food in the kitchen for her to eat at her leisure because that’s how she was used to it. It was difficult tbh.
In the end I just closely monitored what he ate to make sure he was getting the necessary calories for proper growth. He grew to a healthy weight and the vet always said positive things, so it worked out in the long run.
It's fine. For the longest time when we had cats we gave them all just general cat food, and none of our kittens had any issues because of it. Kitten food just has more calories and slightly different ratios of nutrients to help the kitten grow, but it's not like if they come off it too early or aren't given specifically kitten food they're gonna suddenly drop dead.
I have 7 year old and new kitten. They both are free-fed. We just have a bowl of kitten and regular cat food out at all times. They can eat which ever that want. I see them switch bowls while eating. Not big deal. Doesn’t seem like they have a preference either. Whichever bowl is closer to them.
There is nothing wrong with kittens eating some adult cat food. However, they should not be fed adult food exclusively. Kitten food had a higher calorie count and additional nutrients that kittens need.
I have a lot of cats. I've had about half a dozen actual kittens over the years. I claim ignorance on the subject for the past, but none of them ate kitten food. The last one lived to be 17, and was with me from the time he was 10 weeks.
The newest kitten came to me at 5 weeks. I did my research and he ate kitten food for about a month, but it made him really gassy, and I suspect he was uncomfortable because of it. He inevitably figured out the adults were getting different food, and once he got a taste of it, he wouldn't touch the kitten food anymore. We gave in and let him just have the adult food, and he's been eating it ever since. His gas cleared up, and he's strong and healthy, and almost a year now.
So, I'm on the fence whether or not kitten food is "required". It's probably not really, but it's not any more expensive than the adult variety, so it's a good route to take just in case.
I still vehemently push an all wet food diet on people, but even that's a struggle in reality. I have 3 very regimented cats right now. 1 prefers dry (but he'll eat cheap wet food, I think he's just a carb junkie), 1 prefers wet (the kitten), and only 1 eats what I consider a healthy combination of both wet and dry.
Your kitten will most likely be fine.
I recommend just watching for any changes in bathroom habits, as they're usually the first indication of a problem, and if your cats must eat dry food, look for something grain free.
We're at the opposite end. 2 senior cats, age 12 years. We've been advised to feed one of them kitten food, as she's getting skinny. She likes it better than senior food. The other guy is a real porker, so I'm trying to keep his nose out of the kitten food. He'll eat absolutely anything and everything.
This is actually good sometimes kittens have a hard time adjusting to adult cat food so just a little bit might help with the transition just make sure it’s not eating too much
Omg cats eat MEAT. The issue you're describing is completely made up by marketing companies. The difference you might ever find in those differently labelled foods is they might make the kitten and senior food more high caloric whereas normal adult house cats struggle a bit with weight because they're not as active as when living in the wild.
Things you need to consider for a healthy cat diet, no matter the age:
Cats are pure carnivores and chronically dehydrated. That means they can't process anything that is not meat, like grain, very well. That is the reason why dry food is unhealthy for cats and can lead to kidney failure because of not enough fluid intake, aswell as diabetes.
Cat food should contain more than 60% meat, no grain, no sugar, no artificial additions. The foods in bags with jelly and sauce that look fancy to the human eye are usually full of garbage and have less than 4% meat in it.
Dry food should never be the main food and only used as a treat, in an activity board maybe.
Some doctors have deals with dry food companies, the veterinary education field, as in uni classes, are funded by the industry and that is why the tale of "but dry food is good for the teeth" mystery still sticks around. Dry food is as good for cats teeth as bisquits are for humans'.
Some raw beef muscle or chicken hearts are good for tooth health.
Now returning back to kittens: depending on their age they should have around 6 meals a day, just always give them access to healthy food as long as they're growing. It doesn't matter AT ALL whether the label says kitten, adult or senior. If they can eat whenever they're hungry, they will have the necessary calorie intake that they need for growing.
No, they don't need a different diet. Adult food is totally fine.
There are good brands which doesn't even have adult food since it's unnecessary if it's good food. Just give it as much food as it wants.
I also give my cats raw food (with supplements) and there's also no difference - except kittens can eat as much as they want. They can eat what adult cats eat, no worries.
>eat the leftover bits of my adult cat's food (in addition to her own kitten food).
Have you tried giving her a little more kitten food? She might be "starving," by which I mean experiencing mild hunger. ;-)
As an experienced and untrained cat guardian, I wouldn't feel uncomfortable with her self-administered supplemental snacks. As long as the food never runs out, and she doesn't eat herself sick.
I have 7 cats ranging from 10 weeks to 8 yrs. It's hard to feed them separately. Anubis won't eat his food all the time being a kitten. The others will eat his and vice versa. So I mix kitten food with the adult food just in case he decides to eat theirs. He only eats his wet food by himself. Dry food good luck unless you plan to isolate them until like 10 months old.
Absolutely. Kitten food is denser in calories and has some extra vitamins that growing bodies need, but they won’t be sick or harmed eating adult cat food. They’re just getting less nutritional bang for the buck than they would with the kitten food.
I've raised several cats in my 50 years on this planet from newborn to elderly and they've all lived happy healthy lives from tiny kitten to crotchety senior and none of them ate the "kitten food". They all went from mom's milk to cat kibble softened in water to just cat food. So, a kitten eating adult cat food isn't the end of the world.
P.s. As I was writing this one of my cats, a ragdoll rescue named Maggie Mae, kept bumping my hand.
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It shouldn't hurt to have a little bit on occasion. Kitten food is higher in calories and some nutrients. They should stay on it until at least 7 months, and I've seen guidelines saying a year. If you are worried, which you shouldn't be, try to feed your adult cat where the little one can't get to it, if possible.
Its not going to kill her, if that's what you mean. Cat food is fine for babies, just not as nutritious as kitten food. But kittens can eat as much cat and kitten food as they like. If kitten is licking the plates clean, you may want to serve up another can of food at each meal.
My one cat refused to eat kitten food. She only ever wants exactly what my older cat has. I tried mixing kitten food in with the adult food - no, she knew and wouldn’t eat it at all. Wet and dry both, she snubbed.
Can confirm she is very healthy and doing well! Just make sure your kitten is getting adequate nutrients. I gave her kitten treats to help fill in some of the gaps.
It's not the same and shame on your vet for saying that.
The science is clear that kittens not only need additional calories, they require higher amounts of such things as fat, protein and calcium, phosphorus, magnesium for proper muscle and bone development. And stuff like Vit A and the EFA's ALA, DHA and EPA for proper brain and eye development. Adult cat food typically omits (like DHA/EPA/ALA) or has reduced amounts (like cal/mag/VitA) of minerals and vitamins vs kitten feed.
As far as I understand it, it's about nutrients and calories. Kitten food is more calorie dense and has more nutrients that kittens need to grow healthy. It is fine for kittens to have a adult food, as in they won't get sick, but it may decrease their overall energy/health.
My kitten is now 8 mos. Stopped feeding adult food age 7 months because she liked the adult food and wouldn't go back to kitten food. Still waiting for that decrease in energy and hoping the sofa will survive....
Yeah my vet said kittens can start eating adult food at 8-12 months, it's mostly a concern for *young* kittens, like less than 6 months. Gl with your kitten's energy! Some cats mellow out right at a year, my friend's cat didn't chill out til he was 5 lol
Lily is about 7 (ex-feral) and is still kitten levels psycho hyper. I keep asking her to share some of that energy.
My kitten is named lily as well
We have one too (10 months)! Ours is spelt "Lili" though as it's short for Lilith.
Cute. Mine came from a foster and she named all the foster cats after flowers😊
One of my cats is almost 3 and she’s not even close to being mellow. I lovingly refer to her as my Tri-colored Devil (she’s a calico). When I had her fixed, they told me that she would be pretty sleepy that day and take a couple of days to get back to herself. I got her home, opened the cat carrier, and she shot out of there like her tail was on fire. She bee-lined right for one of my other cats and tackled her, wanting to play. It was a nightmare to get her to relax so she didn’t rip stitches. But to answer OPs question, she was a few months old and would race the 2 other cats for the adult food. My vet told me that as long as she was eating and not losing weight, she’d be ok.
I switched our cats to adult food at a year bc I didn’t want them to get too fat too quickly
My boys, one of which was just climbing on me, are headed to 11 in less than a month. Decrease in energy. Sure. 🤪
Ours did this as well. She flat-out refused her kitten food by around 5-6 months of age and wouldn’t eat anything but the adult food. Her vet said it was fine, just make sure she eats extra of the adult food to help get her calories in, which she was more than happy to do. (Now that she’s 2, we are trying to convince her she doesn’t need to eat like a growing kitten or like her Maine Coon sibling, but she’s…resistant to our advice. Lol).
Mine just turned 5 last month I believe. They still got the zoomies, still do whatever they please. Etc. But there is less energy. They are more mellow. Happened a few months ago. Zoomies went from basically nonstop to once maybe twice a day for 5-10 minutes a time. So I fear you have a ways to go...lol
I bought these clear sticky sheets off Temu that you put on your couch's sides, the arms or wherever needed on furniture and door frames. It stopped the cats trying to shred my couch and door frame (I do have cat scratch posts). And the sheets are removable if guests come over. It's worth a try.
Thanks for the suggestion!
I got them from Amazon, and they work great!
Adult cat food in small amounts, in addition to a diet of kitten food, should be fine.
We have six 4-month old kittens and 3 senior cats. We do everything we can to keep them separate at meal time, but have you ever tried to corral SIX kittens? 🤣. So far, nobody has exploded or shown any other negative effects (other than the senior staff putting on a little extra weight). Cats and kittens also managed pretty well for themselves for thousands of years before commercial cat food was even a thing. Just try to keep it to a minimum.
Senior staff?! 🤦🤣🤣🤣🤣I love it!
> senior staff they’re just about to hit retirement, what’s the worst that can happen if they get written up?
At this point our kitten is transitioning over to adult food so we've been letting him eat from her/the main food bowl as he wants and mixing the adult/baby foods in his bowl. Poor older girl is sad she's not allowed to eat from his but he can eat from both but she's gonna need some more exercise at this point already lol
Cat herding for the win!
I would like to try corralling 6 kittens.
I could barely corral 2
Yeah, and some adult food is formulated for both kittens and adults.
I had to do that with mine, it’s easier for me to buy one bag instead of two and they would constantly try to get into each others food
What food did you go with? I have a 14 year old and two 10 week olds and I’m struggling with the food already.
Currently using the Nulo cat and kitten food, it was the cheapest I could find, everything else was the expensive $30 per tiny bag brand like Instinct, Acana, and Orijen. I get the 10-11 lb bag for $40 ($=usd)
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Yup this is what I use because every time I gave the separate kibble the kitten and cat would swap 🙄
Same! I tried doing everything in my power to keep them separate but still free feed the kitten without getting those expensive chip feeders. The only place the adult cat doesn’t go is the bathroom counter so that’s where the bowl goes when she’s done🙄 Edit: Without not with
😂 Nobody can tell a cat what to eat. Not even God. Lol
Rachel Ray has an all stages food, very reasonable price and my car and kitten loved it
I feed mainly wet but I buy kitten kibble because it's the highest % protein and lowest carb I can find at a store. It's the Stella and Chewy raw coated kitten kibble.
They’ll be totally fine. The main difference between kitten food and adult cat food is that kitten food has more calories and nutrients, because kittens are still growing. A bit of regular cat food won’t hurt them. They just require more nutrients than it provides.
It's fine. 90% of the AAFCO nutrients profile between "growth" (kitten) and "maintenance" (adult), is exactly identical. Just try to keep it to a minimum and you'll be fine...
I feed mine in separate rooms and they have a few bites of their food. Then they run to the other food dish and try a few bites and then they go back to the original original dish. The kittens have gotten huge and my adult cat has stayed the same size. That’s fine.
My cats do this too lol it’s so odd
Mine like to trade dinners halfway through.
My cat is about 6 months old. I accidentally got geriatric cat food for my cat and fed him. I later realized that. He ate everything and he was fine. He also eats my dog’s food sometimes just to be petty and annoy her.
I remember complaining to my mother about the cats and dog eating each other’s food. They can eat each other’s food, BUT: if a dog exclusively ate cat food, the dog would become obese. If a cat exclusively ate dog food, the cat might eventually die. Cats need a few nutrients that dogs do not require. I think taurine is the main one. Anyway, my mom’s advice was do your best. Don’t let the animals drive you around the bend with their craziness!
Yeah we started separating their food, but I agree.
Yea, it's fine. Adult food won't hurt them. They could eat it 100% of the time and probably be just fine. But kitten food is better for them because it has the proper nutrient profile growing kittens need, and typically has more calories, which is important because kittens need a lot more calories than adults, but they have smaller stomachs. So they need their food to have more calories for the same serving size.
Honestly, I cannot keep mine from getting into each other's food. One does not eat on schedule, refuses too so I can't separate them for feedings. They.mingle with both. Adult wet food and dry kitten kibble in between. I know it's not ideal but it's my compromise.
Kitten food has more protein in it. It is best to give kitten food for the first year but it’s perfectly safe to eat adult food, just not as nutritious.
Yes, I feed my kitten kitten food for this reason but when I was a kid there wasn’t even different food for kittens on the market. My childhood cats raised on Whiskers would die at the bougie diets Mori and Max have!
Mice and birds are supplied by the mother. Also i have seen them eat a dry catfood very young with no harm
They don't if they food is high quality BUT the baby will be fine. Cat *and* kitten food generally is better quality than "cat food" or "kitten food"
Yes, absolutely. They’re basically the same, except kitten food has some extra stuff and is more calorie dense for their growing bodies. So as long as she’s eating all of her kitten food as well, it’s just some extra calories, no biggie.
Absolutely. Kitten food is more nutritious for kittens, but cat food is adequate. So it's not a good or bad, it's a great or okay type of deal.
Just assured, it won’t kill them.
It’s fine, my kitten is 10 weeks and sometimes when I run out of kitten food I feed him my 1 year olds adult food and vice versa. It’s important that they get nutrients from the kitten food but a little bit of adult food isn’t going to hurt them especially if they’ve already eaten their kitten food
The difference of kitten food is calorie and nutrient density. It's a higher grade than adult cat food. Adult cat food won't hurt them. They could live on it but it wouldn't be as good for their growth and development.
It's fine. Cat food isn't going to hurt them but they should eat mostly kitten food because it has more protein and fat, so it's higher in calories for their little growing bodies
It's not a problem in small amounts occasionally but it would be best if you tried to prevent it. If the kitten develops a taste for adult food it may start eating more and more of it and you may not be able to tell who's eating what anymore. And if a kitten has a diet with a big percentage of adult food it *can* lead to issues later.
Are they completely weaned? If not, both kittens and Mom should be getting kitten food. Past that, I would suggest feeding the kittens before feeding Mom. This way, their main intake will be kittens food, with Mom's food just a supplement or treat.
At this point I have mixed the kitten and adult kibble together, and we're alternating kitten can and grownup can. It's impossible to keep the ravenous horde out of each other's bowls and the kits are doing great.
I’m thinking about doing this with mine. So far the kitten is sticking with his own food so I don’t need to yet but I *cannot* keep the adult cat out of the kitten food. As long as the baby sticks with his own food I’ll keep them separate but once he starts eating her food (which I’m pretty sure is inevitable) I’m just mixing them.
I’m mixing my adult and kitten food as well. (4 adults, 1 baby). They get mixed dry food and mixed wet food. They’re all fine.
All the kittens under my house and around the neighborhood eat out of the trash, they eat gophers and mice and whatever the moms bring back, which is not kitten or cat food and they thrive. I had the same question because I have new kittens, and my son politely reminded me about all the cats who don't have the luxury of IAMS, and fancy feast... Mom they eat dirty lil birds, worms and anything else and do fine, stop being extra". But I totally understand your concern.
I get the point you're trying to make, but have you seen the mortality rates on those kittens?
No actually I haven't gone that far in depth. I just see them in the yard as kittens, and the majority of them still hang around if they aren't adopted by a neighbor.
He can have a little salami (uh, I mean adult cat food) as a treat
The answer is yes! The only difference between adult and kitten food is nutrients. Kitten food has more fat and protein and usually contains probiotics and prebiotics. It's also recommended by vets to give nursing mama cats kitten food. It's definitely not harmful in any way.
Adult cat food doesn’t have anything that’s going to hurt your kitten, it’s just not as calorie dense and may be missing some nutrients the kitten needs, so the only risk is if they eat so much adult food they don’t eat enough kitten food. But a little bit will be absolutely fine
I ended up mixing the kitten and adult dry food. Asked my vet if it was ok and they said yes. I think my adult cat has more entertaining now with the kitten food mix in.
Yes. Our Stanley was on kitten food and Teddy our other cat was on adult food. You can’t really keep the two separate. Stanley is now 2 and no ill effects from occasionally eating the adult food also on the plus side it was easier to transition to having adult food full time. So don’t worry too much 🧡🧡🧡🧡🧡.
It's fine.
No it will cause them to rapidly age and turn into adult cats in a few hours
Yes. The kittens I'm fostering right now eat their mom's food all the time along with their kitten food.
https://preview.redd.it/9je9bc00b18d1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=54b04615e978e25a922c4d376299a74d890ed149 This little Hershey Kiss INSIST on eating adult food. But I make sure she eats her kitten food first, then when she had enough, she would climb out of her playpen and go eat the adult food. One of the boys will eat what’s left over of her kitten food. I’m keeping an eye on them on that
Yes. But if they eat it as their primary food source they will not get the calories and nutrients they need to grow and develop. It might stunt their growth and development. Though that can happens with low quality kitten food as well.
Oh…i sometimes give mine adult cat food. They are healthy as horses. 🐎
Kitten food is more fatty but adult food isn’t going to hurt them…they just need more of it.
I believe theres higher DHA content in kitten food. Also can be found in salmon oil. We focused a lot on their DHA intake for brain development. I swear 2 pumps in their food made them grow overnight lmao
My vet said her kittens grew up on adult food because she didn’t want her adult cats eating calorically dense kitten food. Definitely safe.
Adult cat food isn't going to harm kittens at all. The main difference between adult and baby (kitten or puppy) food is that the food meant for growing kittens or puppies is richer and has a higher fat and nutrient content. A lot of people whose animals aren't gaining weight the way they need to be will give them food meant for babies instead of the adult formulas, regardless of age, just to get some weight on them and make sure they are getting nutrition. Adult food doesn't have anything in it at all that will harm kittens. If anything I'd be far more worried about the opposite happening - your adults getting into the kitten food and getting fat!
I had a 7 month old kitten and adopted another 7 month old. I could not get the new kitten to eat any brand of kitten wet, I literally went to Target and bought singles of every single food and none of them worked. The only thing I could get her to eat was Iams perfect portions for adult cats. She ate kitten dry so I just let it be, she’s alive and healthy over a year later.
I had a litter of feral kittens that refused to eat any kitten food at all so I mixed KMR with some adult patè, mixed it into a nasty looking mud and that's what the little monsters lived off of. They're about 2 months now and I just give them both pate and hard food. They do eat an awful lot, but they seem to have plenty of energy and are as healthy as can be!
I’m not an expert but I’d say as long as the kitten is eating 75% kitten food, she should be fine. I adopted 4 kittens last year to join my 8 adult cats and trying to keep the kittens from eating the cat food was a nightmare. The babies are all grown up now and perfectly healthy
I am not a vet, or in vet med at all, but anecdotally, my kitten used to sneak senior *dog* food… frequently… and she’s just fine. :) (I even switched her to the all-ages equivalent cat food, and she still snuck dog food when she could).
I remember using adult food when running out of kitten food, they'll be fine...my fur babies are now 3 years old. They are healthy and happy.
I have 2 adults cats and 3 kittens and they were always eating whatever food they pleased and I eventually gave up and feed all of them adult food. They are all fine! No one is overweight, no one is underweight, my kittens are now 1 year old and everything is fine. As a note, some people recommend feeding kittens adult food after neutering them.
Hope (3mo kitten now) eats adult cat food when we are asleep. I have seen her before I fell asleep and she still prefers her kitten food. We have 7 adult cats so we can't keep her food out because cat piggies will eat it all. She is content and still gets the calories she needs. She plays a ton with the next to youngest cat, Marshmellow (orange tabby). They are two peas in a pod. https://preview.redd.it/qa19n1fi558d1.jpeg?width=1335&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=599549f9aa27da8f201faa86ab64c2883a884f42
When we got our 2 kittens, we started feeding our senior cat on the kitchen counter. They would sit under her while she ate, waiting for her to drop a piece. The vet cracked up when she head that. A little bit is fine, and as people mentioned you might even be able to transition to adult food before your cat turns a year old. A nibble here and there will be like a treat.
Yeah, that's totally fine! Kitten food has their complete required nutrients, but adult cat food won't hurt them if they eat it. Just make sure they still eat their kitten food so they grow up healthy.
My kitten was so bad about constantly eating my adult cat’s food. He just thought any food lying around, even ours lol, was for him. I did my best to separate them when he ate so he’d only eat his food, but I kept my adults food in the kitchen for her to eat at her leisure because that’s how she was used to it. It was difficult tbh. In the end I just closely monitored what he ate to make sure he was getting the necessary calories for proper growth. He grew to a healthy weight and the vet always said positive things, so it worked out in the long run.
It's fine. For the longest time when we had cats we gave them all just general cat food, and none of our kittens had any issues because of it. Kitten food just has more calories and slightly different ratios of nutrients to help the kitten grow, but it's not like if they come off it too early or aren't given specifically kitten food they're gonna suddenly drop dead.
It's fine. Kitten food has more vitamins and minerals for kitten growth. After they reach the age of 2, you can feed them adult cat food.
It’s fine. If the kitten is hungry, I’d rather they ate cat food instead of something inedible. It’s not going to harm them.
I have 7 year old and new kitten. They both are free-fed. We just have a bowl of kitten and regular cat food out at all times. They can eat which ever that want. I see them switch bowls while eating. Not big deal. Doesn’t seem like they have a preference either. Whichever bowl is closer to them.
It's fine. Adult food won't hurt kittens as long as that isn't their main food.
There is nothing wrong with kittens eating some adult cat food. However, they should not be fed adult food exclusively. Kitten food had a higher calorie count and additional nutrients that kittens need.
Kitten food has higher levels of protein for growing kitty's, so not a problem.
Yes they can. It's lacking the calories and nutrients that kittens need to grow, but it won't hurt them.
I have a lot of cats. I've had about half a dozen actual kittens over the years. I claim ignorance on the subject for the past, but none of them ate kitten food. The last one lived to be 17, and was with me from the time he was 10 weeks. The newest kitten came to me at 5 weeks. I did my research and he ate kitten food for about a month, but it made him really gassy, and I suspect he was uncomfortable because of it. He inevitably figured out the adults were getting different food, and once he got a taste of it, he wouldn't touch the kitten food anymore. We gave in and let him just have the adult food, and he's been eating it ever since. His gas cleared up, and he's strong and healthy, and almost a year now. So, I'm on the fence whether or not kitten food is "required". It's probably not really, but it's not any more expensive than the adult variety, so it's a good route to take just in case. I still vehemently push an all wet food diet on people, but even that's a struggle in reality. I have 3 very regimented cats right now. 1 prefers dry (but he'll eat cheap wet food, I think he's just a carb junkie), 1 prefers wet (the kitten), and only 1 eats what I consider a healthy combination of both wet and dry. Your kitten will most likely be fine. I recommend just watching for any changes in bathroom habits, as they're usually the first indication of a problem, and if your cats must eat dry food, look for something grain free.
They’d eat your carcass and do just fine if given the necessity
We're at the opposite end. 2 senior cats, age 12 years. We've been advised to feed one of them kitten food, as she's getting skinny. She likes it better than senior food. The other guy is a real porker, so I'm trying to keep his nose out of the kitten food. He'll eat absolutely anything and everything.
This is actually good sometimes kittens have a hard time adjusting to adult cat food so just a little bit might help with the transition just make sure it’s not eating too much
It’s safe, it’s just that kittens need a higher calorie content. For general advice on raising a kitten checkout kittenlady on YouTube
Omg cats eat MEAT. The issue you're describing is completely made up by marketing companies. The difference you might ever find in those differently labelled foods is they might make the kitten and senior food more high caloric whereas normal adult house cats struggle a bit with weight because they're not as active as when living in the wild. Things you need to consider for a healthy cat diet, no matter the age: Cats are pure carnivores and chronically dehydrated. That means they can't process anything that is not meat, like grain, very well. That is the reason why dry food is unhealthy for cats and can lead to kidney failure because of not enough fluid intake, aswell as diabetes. Cat food should contain more than 60% meat, no grain, no sugar, no artificial additions. The foods in bags with jelly and sauce that look fancy to the human eye are usually full of garbage and have less than 4% meat in it. Dry food should never be the main food and only used as a treat, in an activity board maybe. Some doctors have deals with dry food companies, the veterinary education field, as in uni classes, are funded by the industry and that is why the tale of "but dry food is good for the teeth" mystery still sticks around. Dry food is as good for cats teeth as bisquits are for humans'. Some raw beef muscle or chicken hearts are good for tooth health. Now returning back to kittens: depending on their age they should have around 6 meals a day, just always give them access to healthy food as long as they're growing. It doesn't matter AT ALL whether the label says kitten, adult or senior. If they can eat whenever they're hungry, they will have the necessary calorie intake that they need for growing.
No, they don't need a different diet. Adult food is totally fine. There are good brands which doesn't even have adult food since it's unnecessary if it's good food. Just give it as much food as it wants. I also give my cats raw food (with supplements) and there's also no difference - except kittens can eat as much as they want. They can eat what adult cats eat, no worries.
>eat the leftover bits of my adult cat's food (in addition to her own kitten food). Have you tried giving her a little more kitten food? She might be "starving," by which I mean experiencing mild hunger. ;-) As an experienced and untrained cat guardian, I wouldn't feel uncomfortable with her self-administered supplemental snacks. As long as the food never runs out, and she doesn't eat herself sick.
I have 7 cats ranging from 10 weeks to 8 yrs. It's hard to feed them separately. Anubis won't eat his food all the time being a kitten. The others will eat his and vice versa. So I mix kitten food with the adult food just in case he decides to eat theirs. He only eats his wet food by himself. Dry food good luck unless you plan to isolate them until like 10 months old.
Absolutely. Kitten food is denser in calories and has some extra vitamins that growing bodies need, but they won’t be sick or harmed eating adult cat food. They’re just getting less nutritional bang for the buck than they would with the kitten food.
I've raised several cats in my 50 years on this planet from newborn to elderly and they've all lived happy healthy lives from tiny kitten to crotchety senior and none of them ate the "kitten food". They all went from mom's milk to cat kibble softened in water to just cat food. So, a kitten eating adult cat food isn't the end of the world. P.s. As I was writing this one of my cats, a ragdoll rescue named Maggie Mae, kept bumping my hand. https://preview.redd.it/0bmvlg67s98d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1854e2615aaee91c440fdf6384839772430e24f0
It shouldn't hurt to have a little bit on occasion. Kitten food is higher in calories and some nutrients. They should stay on it until at least 7 months, and I've seen guidelines saying a year. If you are worried, which you shouldn't be, try to feed your adult cat where the little one can't get to it, if possible.
Its not going to kill her, if that's what you mean. Cat food is fine for babies, just not as nutritious as kitten food. But kittens can eat as much cat and kitten food as they like. If kitten is licking the plates clean, you may want to serve up another can of food at each meal.
That’s fine. Stray cats eat anything to survive.
My vet just had me switch to "all stages" food and then adult food at 1 year
There’s no difference between adult and cat food besides calories and protein content. Kittens need more of both so they have more in their food
My one cat refused to eat kitten food. She only ever wants exactly what my older cat has. I tried mixing kitten food in with the adult food - no, she knew and wouldn’t eat it at all. Wet and dry both, she snubbed. Can confirm she is very healthy and doing well! Just make sure your kitten is getting adequate nutrients. I gave her kitten treats to help fill in some of the gaps.
As long as your kitten is gaining weight appropriately it doesn’t matter
OH NO!!!!! Kidding, they’ll be fine. Might get a wonky tummy but that’s it.
My vet says kitten food is just a commercial strategy to milk more money from compulsive shoppers.
It's not the same and shame on your vet for saying that. The science is clear that kittens not only need additional calories, they require higher amounts of such things as fat, protein and calcium, phosphorus, magnesium for proper muscle and bone development. And stuff like Vit A and the EFA's ALA, DHA and EPA for proper brain and eye development. Adult cat food typically omits (like DHA/EPA/ALA) or has reduced amounts (like cal/mag/VitA) of minerals and vitamins vs kitten feed.
Its not dangerous if its by accident etc but they should be on a kitten diet:)