Adult cat food

[avni]

Hello! I have a 10mo old kitten and I'm wondering if I can feed him adult cat food now? I ran out of kitten food this morning and have 35Lbs of adult food bc I had to switch my 3yo to a different food to help with her hairballs

 

[Kieka]

You should keep your kitten on kitten food until he has stopped growing. If your kitten hasn't gotten any taller/longer in a few weeks, they are probably done growing. It usually is between 10 months and 18 months depending on the size of your cat (with larger cats taking longer). The reason why you feed a kitten food is that any adult labeled foods won't have enough protein or fat to fuel growth which can cause development issues. If you don't have food on hand, it won't hurt your kitten to have a few days of adult food but it really is better to stick with the kitten food.

Speaking of food, most problem target foods like Hairball food are not great options. They usually are filled with fillers and their prices are high for what you are getting. Instead of using a Hairball control food you can add a teaspoon of pumpkin puree (not pie filling) to your cats food once a week for a similar benefit. Most Hairball foods will just have higher fiber content which pumpkin does with a lower cost. You can make your own pumpkin puree and freeze it into cube to last a long time for just a few dollar. Also if you are feeding all dry the reduced moisture could be part of your problem. A wet diet or even just a little wet food a day can also help.

 

[avni]

You should keep your kitten on kitten food until he has stopped growing. If your kitten hasn't gotten any taller/longer in a few weeks, they are probably done growing. It usually is between 10 months and 18 months depending on the size of your cat (with larger cats taking longer). The reason why you feed a kitten food is that any adult labeled foods won't have enough protein or fat to fuel growth which can cause development issues. If you don't have food on hand, it won't hurt your kitten to have a few days of adult food but it really is better to stick with the kitten food.

Speaking of food, most problem target foods like Hairball food are not great options. They usually are filled with fillers and their prices are high for what you are getting. Instead of using a Hairball control food you can add a teaspoon of pumpkin puree (not pie filling) to your cats food once a week for a similar benefit. Most Hairball foods will just have higher fiber content which pumpkin does with a lower cost. You can make your own pumpkin puree and freeze it into cube to last a long time for just a few dollar. Also if you are feeding all dry the reduced moisture could be part of your problem. A wet diet or even just a little wet food a day can also help.

Thank you! The older cat is on the dry food per the vet because she refused any and all wet food. She drinks plenty of water though

 

[Juniper_Junebug]

I am in the process of transitioning my 10 month old from kitten to adult food. According to the nutritional info on Chewy, the adult kibble I bought (Dr. Elseys) has roughly the same amount of fat and more protein than the kitten kibble I've been using (Purina One). And similar calories. I'm not convinced adult and kitten labels mean all that much, provided you're reading the rest of the label. Plus at 10 months, my kitty seems mostly grown. The only direction left for her to grow seems to be out....

 

[Kieka]

I am in the process of transitioning my 10 month old from kitten to adult food. According to the nutritional info on Chewy, the adult kibble I bought (Dr. Elseys) has roughly the same amount of fat and more protein than the kitten kibble I've been using (Purina One). And similar calories. I'm not convinced adult and kitten labels mean all that much, provided you're reading the rest of the label. Plus at 10 months, my kitty seems mostly grown. The only direction left for her to grow seems to be out....

Dr Elsey's is an all stages food. Meaning it has the same, or better, protein as kitten labeled foods. There won't be a huge difference between all stages and kitten food. Adult only labeled food meets a specific minimum requirement that will keep an adult cat alive but isn't enough for a growing kitten (or pregnant or nursing mom). The official statement from the FDA is as follows:

"Regardless of the method used, the nutritional adequacy statement will also state for which life stage(s) the product is suitable, such as "for maintenance," or "for growth." A product intended "for all life stages" meets the more stringent nutritional needs for growth and reproduction. A maintenance ration will meet the needs of an adult, non-reproducing dog or cat of normal activity, but may not be sufficient for a growing, reproducing, or hard-working animal. On the other hand, an all life stages ration can be fed for maintenance. Although the higher levels of nutrients would not be harmful to the healthy adult animal, they are not really necessary. Occasionally a product may be labeled for a more specific use or life stage, such as "senior" or for a specific size or breed. However, there is little information as to the true dietary needs of these more specific uses, and no rules governing these types of statements have been established. Thus, a "senior" diet must meet the requirements for adult maintenance, but no more. A product that does not meet either of the methods for substantiation of nutritional adequacy must state that "this product is intended for intermittent or supplemental feeding only," unless the product is conspicuously identified as a “snack,” “treat.” or “supplement.”"

Some cat foods really do push the limit and make adult labeled food just enough for survival. The levels were made in response to foods having too little nutrition to keep animals alive. There are adult labeled foods that are really close to kitten as well as the ones that aren't enough for a kitten. Nutrition matters.

 

[maggie101]

I am in the process of transitioning my 10 month old from kitten to adult food. According to the nutritional info on Chewy, the adult kibble I bought (Dr. Elseys) has roughly the same amount of fat and more protein than the kitten kibble I've been using (Purina One). And similar calories. I'm not convinced adult and kitten labels mean all that much, provided you're reading the rest of the label. Plus at 10 months, my kitty seems mostly grown. The only direction left for her to grow seems to be out....

Lots of cat food is like that. My 7 yr old cat eats kitten food. Nutrition is no different.
What is different is that kittens eat more so I don't worry about it

 

[Flybynight]

Farmina has complete wet foods with pumpkin and Applaws has non complete food with pumpkin. Malt paste you can get in a tube or a pot of cat grass can help with hairballs.