Transitioning cat from kitten food to adult cat food?

Coral

My kitten turns one the first week of August, and I figured I need to start feeding him adult cat food. (He is eating Purina Kitten Chow now, and I plan on feeding him an indoor Purina Cat Chow Complete Formula.)I was wondering how I should go about transitioning him to the adult food. Do I just completely switch the food one day or do it gradually so it wont upset his stomach?



Amanda

Remember your Kitten is still classed as a Kitten until 18 months!! And therefore should be kept on its kitten diet until then. A misconception between people is that the Adult food contains more nutrients and minerals for your Cat than Kitten food. This is wrong!!Kitten food contains more calcium, fatty acids, amino acids, calories etc etc than regular adult food becuase your Kitten is growing constantly and therefore there is a high demand for allot of energy for your kitten. This is also why you are told to feed your Cat kitten food when she is pregnant regardless of age, so that her body can meet the demands of the energy being used up. When after 18 months you do change your kitten diet to adult food, do it over a period of no more than 3/4days just adding 1 quarter of adult food and 3 quarters of kitten for first day, 1 and half quarter adult and 2.5 quarters adult..etc etc and build it up like that...this is a suitable timescaleHope this helps :)



Cara

I would mix a little bit in the first day and gradually put more in each day until it is completely full of adult food. So your cat is used to it.



Diane

Mix the two then gradually take away more of the kitten food untill it starts eating the adult



Loida

Do it gradually, perhaps 10% per day so he gets used to the different size kibble. Since it is the same brand, the taste may be the same, so it may go very smoothly. If you see he is selectively eating one over the other, that will give you a clue as to how he will accept the adult food. My kitten will soon be going to adult only food, but if I dont feed her enough, she eats the adult food, and my adults will try and sneak the kitten chow. (She is fed kitten kibble separately, but often seems to want just a few kibble pieces at a time, so I dont always wait on her.)



Bret

Take about a week transitioning him from the kitten food to the adult food, each day adding a little more of the adult food until, on the 7th day, he is eating all adult cat food. youll find similar instructions on many brands of cat food for changing a cats diet.



Dominic

Gradually introduce it to him id say over about a week say so you dont upset his stomach. Good luck!



Cassi

I kept my girls on kitten food until they were 18 months. The transition to adult food was easy enough. I just mixed a bag of each and the next time I purchased food I just bought adult.