Kitten eating older cat's food

piper & roo

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Hello,


I'm new to this forum and forums in general, but glad I found it since I could use some advice! Two weeks ago my husband and I adopted a sweet female kitten, Piper (6 weeks old). Our 1.5 year old girl, Roo, atttached to her immediately-she cleans, plays, and has even begun to sleep beside Piper within the past couple of days. The only problem we seem to be having is that Piper always wants to eat Roo's food. She will completely snub her special kitten kibble and go for the other.
I have attempted to mix the Iams kitten kibble with a bit of matching wet food. It made her sick to her stomach. The vet thinks it was to rich for her since everything else checked out healthy. So we tried a different food, Purina Pro Plan. She ate it well, then went back to Roo's food. So, the vet said try to get the kibble in her with a bit of milk replacer mixed in. This seems to be okay, she eats, but only with the milk mixed in, otherwise its back to the adult cat food.

I'm worried she is not going to get enough nutrients in her. Do I try yet another food or maybe mix the adult with the kitten food?

Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!!
 

dodo

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Hi

I have got the same problem; Yumosh doesn't eat her kitten food but wants to eat Minnosh's adult food, & Minnosh wants to eat Yumosh's kitten food instead of hers...So, I mixed their dry food & put it in just one bowl. I also put canned food in another bowl, in another place for Yumosh...But your kitty is only 6 weeks old; she is still a baby. They mostly seem to prefer the wet food to dry food when they are this small. Did you try kitten wet foods ??

If you gave the kitten a completely different food all at once, that might have caused her to throw up. You should introduce the new food in small amounts at first & increase it day by day & then completely change to the new food so that the kitty's stomach will adopt to this new diet.

:flash:
 
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piper & roo

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Thanks for the info:


I think I will combine the two foods into one bowl. It seems the most logical thing to do-only one concern, did Minnosh have any problems with the kitten food? I have been warned that a change in diet for a cat of any age can cause problems. Just wondering so I won't flip out of something does happen.
The wet food we gave Piper was Iams Kitten Chicken and Rice formula, the same we gave Roo at this age. And it was only enough to just cover the kibble pieces. The plan was to introduce it and them gradually expand on the portion-like you mentioned. Maybe it was this particular brand. I have thought about trying with a different one, but would hate to see her get sick again-the vet made it seem like wet food was going to be to rich for her-period.
Thanks again-Roo and Piper say hello to Yumosh and Minnosh!
 

dodo

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I have also read that everywhere, but having a Turkish feral mother must have made Minnosh not so sensitive unlike most other cats; her stomach never gets upset whatever she eats ! So don't count on my words
She likes milk & cheese for example & didn't have any problems with them ! She is 3 & never had any diseaes; even the mildest flu... & no dental problems (she's been recently checked for her teeth for the 1 st time in her life & although I 've started brushing her teeth this year, she didn't have anything at all). I think she's got one strong immune system.

Yumosh is 6 months old. I don't know why but she never liked IAMS canned kitten food that much ! She really likes Fancy Feast chicken feast gourmet & turkey feast gourmet; but the sliced ones only ! (I tasted them, they smell & taste great
Most canned fooods smell disgusting
) ( & I know they are actually not for kittens )

Minnosh & Yumosh are saying hello to Piper & Roo, too
 

donna

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Everytime I've gotten a new kitten, they've always preferred the grown-up food to their kitten food and vice-versa. So I just gave them all the same stuff, Science Diet Adult. Never hurt any of them. I've got 7 healthy cats.
 

swalker

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How about a kitten eating adult wet food? Is there anything to worry about there? Just wondering because my kitten just recently learned to jump up on the kitchen counters. Lily's food is up there and now I know Molly will be eating Lily's adult food.

Thanks~
 

donna

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Shannon,

I doubt it. I've given my cats regular canned food as babies as well and it never hurt them. I didn't give them alot, just a teaspoonful.

Donna
 

deb25

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I had the same problem when Joey was a kitten. Squirt also wanted to eat the kitten food, and he most certainly didn't need the extra calories! I finally gave up and let them both eat the adult dry food. Then I fed Joey some canned kitten food as a supplement in the morning and the evening.
 
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