Why is my kitten eating adult cat food?

Deandrea

New kitten prefers my adult cats food over kitten food (same brand - Nutro). Ive tried re-directing him and Ive heard that kitten food is supposed to taste better - so why is he doing this? Will it stunt his growth if he skips the kitten food phase and jumps straight to adult?



Darryl

I just checked the information at Pet Food Direct on Nutro cat foods. Chicken meal is the first ingredient in both (the ingredients are the same for both cat and kitten food). Thats very good for a first ingredient. The next two ingredients are grains - which means that about 2/3 of the food is grain. Cats and kittens need MEAT protein and there are many foods that have meat protein as the first TWO ingredients which means that 2/3 of the food is meat protein. A 4lb bag of kitten food prices out at $2.82 a lb! $2.66 for the 8lb bag. The adult food is $1.99 per lb for the 9 lb bag. The kitten food has 35% protein (corn counts as protein too) and the adult food is 33% protein. Anyone who thinks that 2% more protein is going to make any difference in the kittens life is not thinking clearly. Nutro is a decent food and there are others with two meat protein sources as the first ingredients for around the same price. Eagle Pack, Natural Balance, Solid Gold, Chicken Soup.



Alfonzo

Ask your vet. mix kitten food with a little bit of adult food, then keep increasing kitten food quantity and reducing adult cat food quantity. how old is the kitten, if it is closer to the age specified on the adult cat food then it should be okay.



Lita

He doesnt eat it because he cant read...he just knows that he wants to eat and hell eat what appeals to him. But no worries. Kitten food is little more than marketing hype. The truth is, so long as youre feeding a good quality food, your kitten will be just fine. In fact, it will be better if you do feed good food, rather than a supermarket brand kitten food. From my blog:Do kittens need to eat "kitten" food? No, kittens do not need to eat "kitten" food. This is because most of the kitten foods on the market differ from adult food in very few, unimportant ways: The kibble bits are smaller (thats nice), they have a little more protein (but probably not meat-based protein), and theyre higher in calories (thats nice, but.....)Kittens do not need anything that adults dont, and vice versa. Kittens will not be harmed by eating adult foods, but they may not be getting their caloric requirements unless theyre fed enough of it. The best thing to feed a kitten, if youre willing to learn about it, is a raw meat diet. If you want to learn more, search for raw feeding at Yahoo Groups. There are several very good groups out there. Or you can select a good commercial canned food and call it a day. The What to feed link offers many suggestions. Even though they dont market themselves as "kitten" foods, they are appropriate so long as you feed according to the guidelines. http://www. maxshouse. com/feline_nutritio…Energy Requirements for Kittens and Adult Cats Age kcal/lb body wt Kittens: 10 weeks 113 20 weeks 59 30 weeks 45 40 weeks 36 Adult Cats: Inactive 18 Active 20-30 Pregnant 45 Lactating* 56--145 This site has another table showing the minimum protein allowances for cats v. kittens. It boils down to kittens needing 4% more protein than adults. There were other items in there, but it didnt vary widely at all.



Lillia

Hell be fine...loads and loads of kittens grew up to be healthy adult cats long before they specialized cat food brands into life stages...



Clara

Maybe try to separate your kitten from the cat when you feed them..like putting them in a different food..You could also try to buy some good wet food and mix it with the dry kitten food...It will probably taste better to your kitten and he will be getting the nuetrition that he needs..Also, kittens DONT have to eat special brands of kitten food, but most people do it because of the nutrition it has and it will help the kitten with its growing problems and fight off viruses and infections...But if you dont give it kitten food, its not going to dye or fall over with illness...Lots of people dont feed their kittens...kitten food...and their kittens turn out just fine..Goodluck! Also, if you do mix wet food with dry food, warm up the wet food a little bit because this will make it smell ten times better to the kitten.



Janelle

Im not sure why your kitten is eating the other cats food - it could just be a sense of wanting to eat at the "big cats table"! I have two cats, and the older one refuses to eat his own food (on the counter) and insists on eating the kittens food (on the floor to be more accessible). It drives me nuts, because I have to fill up one bowl twice as often while the other bowl of food just sits and gets stale! Thankfully, though, the older cat is still only 6 months old, so hes still on kitten formula. How old is the new kitten, and how well can he jump/climb? You could always put the adult food up somewhere high where the kitten cant reach (generally even a high counter is high enough for a young kitten) and the kittens food on the floor or low table. Its very important the kitten eats its own food - the same way we give kids whole milk instead of skim because they need the extra cals. It needs the extra protein and nutrition because its still growing. If the kitten keeps turning his nose up at his own food, you could get some wet food, "pet food sauce" or something like A/D (prescription wet food) and mash a very small amount up with his food. You can also try just mixing in a tiny amount of water and microwaving the food to make it more appealing (the stronger something smells, the more interested a cat is).Good luck!



Chi

It is best for your kitten to eat kitten food just like it is best for adult cats to eat adult cat food and senior cats to eat senior cat food. Each type of cat food has the required vitamins and nutriens for the life style of each cat. Your kitten would need kitten food because it would have the nutrients for their active lifestyle. I had the same problem as you. I wasnt keeping the five kittens so while they were at my house with my cat I would feed them all kitten formula. It was only for a few weeks so it was okay for my cat. The kitten formula also has smaller pieces so it would also be better for the kittens digestion. You may need to feed them in seperate rooms.



Alvaro

You dont mention how old the kitten is. If he is younger than six months and you have to put out just one food because the cats will eat whatever is out, I would give them both kitten food. After six months, it would be okay to give adult food to the kitten if it is a high quality food. But, please, give him kitten food at least though six months.



Ilda

Have you ever heard of "kitten mice?" I didnt think so. Me neither. Kittens eat the same kind of mice that their mother and father do. In cat food, both kittens and cats need a diet similar to a mouse - - very low carb, moderate fat, high protein (ANIMAL protein, not soy etc.) moist food ( dry food is too high in carbs and is dehydrating). Many people feed their kittens adult cat foods and they are perfectly fine. If the food is good to begin with. The only reason (besides marketing) that there are special "Kitten foods" is that a lot of the adult cat food is SO CRUMMY that they make a kitten version with higher protein etc (which the adult cat food SHOULD have but doesnt.). If youd like to learn a lot about cat nutrition, go to the link I will put that is the web site of a veterinarian, Dr. Lisa Pierson, who is a feline nutitrition expert. I learned SO much from there that has helped me feed my cat a healthier diet. I finally became informed about this stuff belatedly when my cat became diabetic after years of eating high carb dry food. He was on a high dose of insulin, but putting him on a low carb canned diet helped him get off of it. Her site also has a link to food charts that show detailed nutrition info for hundreds of varieties of cat foods so you can compare. You can feed kittens a premium canned food like Wellness, or a supermarket brand like Friskies or Fancy Feast, either would be OK.(and I admit I stole the line about "Kitten mice" from Dr. Pierson from another forum!)Added:1. Chicken meal as the first ingredient - - You should know that pet food manufacturers weigh the chickens BEFORE processing - - when it is much heavier than after they process it and dehydrate it and turn it into "chicken meal" They do that so they can list an ingredient starting with "chicken" higher up on the label. Also, all that processing reduces the nutrition. They cook it at a very high temp to get it dry. which lowers the value of the protein 2. Vegetable protein "counts" as protein when you eat it - - or when your dog eats it - - but it DOESN"T count the same when your cat eats it! Cats do not have the metabolic enzyme pathways they would need to be able to utilize plant proteins as well as they can use animal proteins. Sorry yall, I know I sound like a nut on this subject. But I just felt so terrible when I learned that for years Id ignorantly fed my cats food that was bad for them and even in one case caused diabetes. And may have led to kidney disease in 2 others. I dont expect people to believe me but I just hope they will do some learning sooner than I did.



Kelli

Try different flavour kitten food, but my past xperience with cats and their young didnt stop them from eating adult food and they were all fine. just make sure they gain healthy weight and are all wormed etc. maybe mix a little of adult and more kitten bisc in same bowl. you can also get kitten milk.



Contessa

This is perfectly natural. The kitten might be sending you the message that he or she is ready for the adult food. It will not stunt his growth any, but you might want to mix a bit of the kitten food in with the adult food so that he gets plenty of protein, at least for a week or so. Good luck, and have fun with your kitten!



Valencia

Its important your kitten eats kitten food. The protien levels are completly different. Keep the adult food away from the kitten. I would try a different flavor if he doesnt like the kitten food flavor.



Kyoko

Your kitten is doing this because like all babies kittens learn by imitating adult cats. The kitten is curious about what the other cat is eating and so would rather have the adult food. If anything I would feed them separately which I know isnt always possible. And if not possible I would suggest feeding them both kitten food as opposed to feeding them both adult food. It is very important the kitten gets proper nutrients that are only in kitten food. But be sure to watch your adult cats weight because kitten food is much more nutrient rich which will make them gain weight!



Galen

He is eating it because your feeding it to him



Raye

The biggest difference in "kitten" food and "cat" food is the way it is marketed. Hell be just fine on cat food, provided that it is a high quality (low-carb) food. I used to feed my cats Nutro, until one became diabetic, then I switched to a grain-free wet food—much healthier. Please see the following links on cat nutrition.