12 Year Old Cat And 3 Mo Old Kitten- What To Feed Both?

zak&rocky

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Can anyone suggest a dry food that might work for both of them? The 12 year old is constantly eating the kitten's food. I have been feeding her Purina one hairball formula for years since she is prone to hairballs being very fluffy. She is slightly overweight. The kitten came eating Blue buffalo kitten formula. They are both eating some wet food too. Kitten seems to do well with what he is eating.
 

mrsgreenjeens

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Well, if your cat is now eating some kitten food, she will probably gain more weight, which isn't good if she's already slightly overweight. Is there any way you can just feed them each more of the wet food and omit dry food altogether? That should help with the hairballs, and that way if you feed timed meals, the older one should not be able to steal the younger ones food. Not sure if your schedule will allow this though, since the kitten would need several meals per day right now.

Otherwise are you willing to take the adult off of hairball food? If so, then you could transition them to an "all stages" dry food vs "adult" and "kitten". Then they could both eat it.
 

FeebysOwner

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Hi. If you take mrsgreenjeens mrsgreenjeens suggestions about the food, you could try giving your 12 yo other hairball remedies. In the past I have used Vaseline (only my first cat would eat this, he actually liked it), or a gel type version with flavoring that likely contains something like Vaseline (my second cat would eat this), and now Temptations Hairball treats. I haven't checked the calorie count, but Feeby loves them and I give her around 8-10 of them a day (per recommended dose). She has always been on them as a preventative measure, so I am assuming they work - although she is a fairly short-haired cat.
 
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zak&rocky

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Otherwise are you willing to take the adult off of hairball food? If so, then you could transition them to an "all stages" dry food vs "adult" and "kitten". Then they could both eat it.
Any suggestions for a "all stages" food?
 

FeebysOwner

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Kflowers

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Since kitten needs high calorie kitten food and other cat doesn't you'll need to separate them to eat. What can be done to feed the kitten often enough and let them play, is to make a kitten dining house.

Take a sturdy cardboard box - if you don't have one you can buy one on Amazon or at the UPS store. You will leave the back flap where it opens and closes so you can put food in the box.

Cut a kitten door in the front of the box. A plump 11 pound cat can get through a 5 inch door, if she really wants in she can squeeze through 4 inches, so make it as small as possible. You may need to increase the size as the kitten grows, which they do rather fast.

Put the food in the box, shove the open flap up against the wall and brace the box in place with something heavy - an upholstered chair, a stack of hardback books -- whatever your adult cat can't move.
 
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