Well, my now 7 week old kitten George and 14 mo. old cat Raven are finally seeming to get along. Since they are not separated, they have some access to each other's food. Georget gets Science Diet kitten and Raven gets Sheba or Special Kitty (I know it's not the best for her, but it's all she eats with wet food.) I also leave out some dry food to snack on while I'm gone at work. That's Cat Chow indoor formula which I've been mixing with the Science Diet Kitten dry food. Even though I feed them wet food both at the same time in separate areas, George will eat some of his food, wait until Raven is done with what she wants, then runs over to eat from her dish. Last night he finished almost all of it before I noticed! I'm concerned that if I let this continue, he may not get the nourishment he needs to grow up healthy. George just got over having a 2 day fever and I don't want him to get sick again. Thank for reading all my rambling....
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Kitten eating cat's food - Is this healthy?
- Thread starter blackraven514
- Start Date
separate them when feeding them wet food and leave lots of dry food during the day. It is ok if your adult cat eats some of the kitten chow/it wont hurt him. (will make him fat if he eats for an exended period of time but a coupel of months wont hurt) I started slowly switcing my cats from kitten food to adult food after 4 months. Mixed 1/2 and 1/2 for for an additional month and then completly over to adult food.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #3
Yeah, I guess I'm going to have to supervise their wet food eating time and not walk away. George can be very sneaky.
My kitten Kuri (we got him at 4-1/2 months, he's now 6 months) was eating his dry kitten kibble, as well as a 1/2 can of wet food for dinner, and I realized he was also sneaking into Geisha's adult cat food bowl during the day. (Geisha was also eating dry food from his bowl, so I couldn't really determine who had eaten what.) Kuri was having some major flatulence problems and occasional diarrhea and vomiting.
I thought it was worms and brought him in to the vet, but he said he didn't have worms and the cause of his problems might be the variety of foods he was getting. So I stopped giving him the wet food and kitten kibble (this was at 5 months) and let him share the Nutro adult dry food with Geisha, at the vet's request. Now he's doing a lot better.
I've read that it's not good to mix dry foods, though. Kitties are not like humans and do just fine on one type of food for a long time; it's better for their systems. An article I read said that it was a good idea to switch around the FLAVORS of a particular brand every so often, like one bag of original and next bag of lamb is what I do, but it's best to be consistent with one type of food for a long period.
I thought it was worms and brought him in to the vet, but he said he didn't have worms and the cause of his problems might be the variety of foods he was getting. So I stopped giving him the wet food and kitten kibble (this was at 5 months) and let him share the Nutro adult dry food with Geisha, at the vet's request. Now he's doing a lot better.
I've read that it's not good to mix dry foods, though. Kitties are not like humans and do just fine on one type of food for a long time; it's better for their systems. An article I read said that it was a good idea to switch around the FLAVORS of a particular brand every so often, like one bag of original and next bag of lamb is what I do, but it's best to be consistent with one type of food for a long period.
I have a furry family of 7 ranging from 9 weeks of age to 2 years of age. Needless to say, when it is feeding time, there are quite a few bowls lined-up and everyone does a switch-a-roo on me
To make sure my little ones are getting their kitten food and the adults don't hog it all...I do have to stand-by & supervise for a little bit. They still switch from bowl to bowl but the kittens are definitely getting the majority of the kitten food.
Yes, if the kittens are real young (before 4-5 months of age), they should be supervised so they are getting the kitten food and the right nutrients.
Wow, leesali, a family of 7! How do you keep track of them all?
Wow, leesali, a family of 7! How do you keep track of them all?
It would be best to switch to a premium food labeled for "all life stages" or "growth and maintenance". This way both cats can eat the same thing and it will not be a problem.
Purina "indoor cat" formula is not suitable for kittens and is really not a good food for any cat to eat! However, your kitten will certainly not be harmed by eating it once in a while. It's just not appropriate as his primary diet.
Purina "indoor cat" formula is not suitable for kittens and is really not a good food for any cat to eat! However, your kitten will certainly not be harmed by eating it once in a while. It's just not appropriate as his primary diet.
I don't...they keep track of me!!Originally Posted by sumosmom
Yes, if the kittens are real young (before 4-5 months of age), they should be supervised so they are getting the kitten food and the right nutrients.
Wow, leesali, a family of 7! How do you keep track of them all?
With five I have the same problem, especially as some are greedy and some are picky. I supervise the morning and evening feeds, leave some dry food during the day, and put the 5 month old boys, still recovering from their life on the street, in a separate bedroom overnight with a bowl of Royal Canin kitten food. That way at least I know they are getting some good stuff in them at least part of the day. ANd they always eat it all!
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #10
Well, my older cat prefers dry food over wet. So I just give them both the amount of wet food they eat at one sitting and pick up the bowls afterwords. The kitten doesn't eat too much of the dry food, but I do mix in a little Science diet Kitten just in case he gets hungry while I'm not home to feed him. So far it seems to work okay. Are there vitamin supplements I should be giving him as well?
