Food Transition

[vince]

We had kittens when I was a youngster, but mom always took care of seeing they got fed right. Now, I have a nine month-old kitten. When should I start moving her from kitten food to adult cat food? She doesn't free-feed, and gets three meals a day with her "brothers." I already feed her some of the same wet food the others get.

Her appetite seems to have slowed just a little recently, which I take as approaching adulthood. Is this right?

If this belongs in the "pregnant cats and kitten care" forum, please move it there.

 

[Furballsmom]

Hi!
If you have or can obtain All Life Stages food she can eat that just fine.

She might be slowing prior to a growth spurt, or just slowing there's no real way to know. Most suggest that growth to maturity stops around a year or a year and a half, but if she has any large breed genes it could be a year or more beyond even that.

If she seems particularly hungry in the mornings maybe you could give her a little extra in the late evening to tide her over.

 

[vince]

Well, she seems to be pretty good-sized for her age. If the neighborhood cat I think is her daddy is in fact her daddy, she might grow up to be quite large. Maybe she's just showing her large cat genes.

She eats well in the morning, but not so much in the evening. She's one of those slow eaters and I have to sit with her every meal or the other two will shove her out of the way and will eat her food.

I was hoping I could go to a single food for all of them. The two guys are on weight management diets because they're little piglets. She probably still needs the kitten food for a bit longer, I guess. I even give her slightly more by volume and the kitten food has more calories per unit of volume, so I think she's getting enough to eat.

The dry food is for two meals a day. Their midday meal is canned food.

 

[Furballsmom]

She probably still needs the kitten food for a bit longer, I guess. I even give her slightly more by volume and the kitten food has more calories per unit of volume, so I think she's getting enough to eat.

Continuing as you are sounds like a good plan