| Paw Colors | Points |
|---|---|
| Grey | 0-49 |
| Red | 50-149 |
| Orange | 150-299 |
| Green | 300-599 |
| Magenta | 600-1499 |
| Purple | 1500-4999 |
| Blue | 5000-9999 |
| Brown | 10000-24999 |
| Black | 25000+ |
Is it okay to feed my 8 week old kitten adult catfood, is he old enough yet?
My kitten, Saphire, is 8 weeks and i always thought it was fine fer him to eat adult catfood…but i think its too risky..maybe he’s too young?
Keywords: Adult catfood for 8 weeks old kitten.
Answers to this question
26 Answers
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Kitten, senior, adult… it matters not, it’s just a marketing label that allows manufacturers to charge more for that particular food.
For example… you pick up a can of Wellness kitten (chicken) and a can of Wellness Chicken) adult. Compare the percentages. The kitten food has 1% more protein and 1% more fat, which is what all kitten food manufacturers tout that growing kittens need more of. Well then where is it, because 1% is certainly not worth noting any comparable difference? And it’s like that across the board. Dry cat food has even LESS of a difference.
The main objective when feeding kittens is to feed more of a high quality food, more times per day because they burn it so fast even when they are doing nothing because they are growing. Kittens pretty much need to eat as much as they want… whenever they want it.
Kittens don’t need “kitten” food. Mother Nature did not make “kitten” mice and “adult” mice and “senior” mice. It’s the same mouse. The only difference is how much each cat needs to eat daily to thrive.
Cats were never meant to eat dry food, also known as cereals or kibble. We, humans, make them eat it for convenience to us. It has nothing to do with them or their nutritional needs. It’s completely species inappropriate.
All small domestic cats descended from desert cats. In the wild, desert cats derive their entire liquid intake from their prey. They do not have a thirst mechanism because they don’t need it when eating a species appropriate diet. They get all they need from what they eat. Additionally water was usually not available to them in their desert climate. So they do not often drink water. Regular ol’ house cats have descended from those same wild desert cats.
So in a home environment, your kitty does not get the moisture it needs from dry food and it’s almost always in a constant state of dehydration. Water fountains are encouraged to TRY to get your cat to drink more and your kitty may even enjoy it, but it will never meet its water intake needs drinking from a bowl.
Deadly feline illnesses such as diabetes, kidney failure, obesity, allergies, Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD), bladder stones, kidney stones, urinary tract blockages and Urinary Tract Infections (FLUTD), with and without deadly crystals run rampant these days. Cats are not taking in enough water to stave them off. Proper water intake through a species appropriate diet alone can prevent most of these conditions.
Overall, wet is all around better for any cats diet, be it canned or Raw and they should never be fed dry cereal kibble if we wish to most closely match their wild nutritional and dietary needs. Kibble meets our needs… not our cats.
Comments to Answer
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Cats do have a thirst mechanism, I don't know where you found that particular bit of "information" or if you simply made it up, but it is quite false. If they could not feel thirsty, they would not drink water, ever, period. Many animal species that live in extreme desert environments can and do derive their water needs from their diet (though will still drink water if they find it) but this is wholesale untrue for both the domestic cat and its predecessor Felis sylvestris (the Wildcat). Domestic cats produce dilute urine and require fresh water, even on a "moist" or raw diet. I don't care if you feed your cat daily live mice and birds, depriving your pet of fresh water is what will lead to dehydration. The quality of both kibble foods and wet foods varies vastly and both can run the gamut from total garbage to excellent. It is up to the cat owner to READ THE INGREDIENTS AND NUTRITION LABEL to determine if a particular brand of cat food is adequate. There are some foods both dry and wet that will meet a cat's needs, and a great many of both that are worthless. To the original poster: your cat should be on a kitten food diet until the age of one year, typically the time around which he or she will be finished growing. Adult cats however should not be fed kitten food as it tends to make them put on excessive weight, so be sure to gradually switch your pet's diet near the one year mark.
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OMG, stop minusing Kat!! This is an awesome answer!! The only reason you guys don't want to feed your cat good quality food is because you guys can't admit that you are too lazy. You guys are so lazy because you don't want to actually spend the time searching for a good cat food. Telegramsam, some dry foods are better than other dry foods, but what Kat said is totally correct!
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Thanks for the blanket judgement there, johnisgood2. Oh gosh, I disagreed with the person you worship, I must be so stupid and LAZY. Oh no! Give me break, you don't know what I have and have not researched. I have in fact looked at many different cat foods and decided for myself, it's called thinking for yourself instead of just blindly believing what you are told.
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The answer is typically yes. There is nothing unique about a kitten’s nutritional requirements. The only difference between a kitten and an adult is that the kitten needs to take in more calories than an adult. So long as the kitten’s caloric requirements for the day are being met, everything else tends to fall into place.
From: http://www.maxshouse.com/feline_nutrition.htm.
Energy Requirements for Kittens and Adult Cats
Age kcal/lb body wt
Kittens: 10 weeks 113
20 weeks 59
30 weeks 45
40 weeks 36
Adult Cats: Inactive 18
Active 20-30
Pregnant 45
Lactating* 56–145
This site has another table showing the minimum protein allowances for cats v. kittens. It boils down to kittens needing 4% more protein than adults. There were other items in there, but it didn’t vary widely at all.
“Kitten” food is not much more than clever marketing and smaller bits of kibble.
I do recommend feeding a very good quality food, though, rather than the stuff from the grocery store.
If you’d like to learn more, see the following links.
Source Link: My blog on kitten food
Comments to Answer
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Someday, people will stop believeing marketing ploys and start believing nutritional values that are printed right there for them to see. Perfect answer, as always Beastmaster.
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We listen to our vets....they all say kittens should have kitten food.
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The kitten should have kitten food. It is labeled for kittens because of the ingredients and it’s ablility to eat. It also depends on the cat. But I’ve heard that you should wait at least a year before feeding adlut food, also, you need to think the cat is ready also.
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You can feed it adult food, but it’s healthier for the kitten to stay on kitten food untill it is about a year old.
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Many kittens take time to learn that they have to chew their food. Usually kittens swallow the small pieces whole. I’d keep her on kitten food for some time longer. My kitten is 7 weeks and nowhere near ready for adult food. Watch for chewing of food, then consider switching.
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I am not a cat food expert but I don’t think you should be feeding your kitten cat food because there is a reason there is kitten food. I think kitten food has all the nutrients a kitten needs to grow. By the time kittens are 3 to 4 weeks old they can be started on kitten food. Go to,
http://www.catchannel.com/kittens/feeding/article_22380.aspx
for more info.
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since your cat is young dont use adult cat food. kitten food is made special for kittens. you should bring your cat to the vet if anythings out of the ordinary with your kitten.
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I tink you you should wait until he is about 1 year old before you change to adult food
Source Link: Answer
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Kitten food is for KITTENS…………………………….And adult cat food is for ADULTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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no do not feed ur kitten adult cat food it can get sick plz just feed it kittenfood!
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if you kitty is 8 months old, dont feed him ADULT CAT food. he is no old enoguht
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give it a little more time to have kitty food and belive me you want them to have plenty of that because the adult one fattens them up ,a little and belive ME i have a fat cat because i didnt lison to some ones advide and did it my way please give your cat kitty food until it is compleatly 1 year old and take my advise please do
Source Link: food :p
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Greetings everyone!. Well, but what exactly is the risk of feeding adult/\\\”normal\\\” cat food to a, let\\\’s say, 2 months old kitten? I\\\’ve just rescued this baby kitten from the streets, and the vet said to feed him with a mixture blend of chicken liver, an egg, milk, and a tablespoon of sugar and salt each -kitty was abandoned and in a pretty bad shape-, and I have a 1yr old cat. The baby kitten \\\”found\\\” the other cat\\\’s bowl and started chewing on his food too, seems to like it a lot as well. I\\\’ve been putting two small bowls for the little kitten, one with the liver preparation, and another with a small portion of the other cat\\\’s kibble. In a few days (we don\\\’t have a complete week with the new baby yet) he seems almost completely recovered and quite happy to play/explore anywhere in the house. Still, we have the concern about this food thing…
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no wait till 6 months or she will get sick!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Ah NOOOOOO! Kittens do have different nutricial needs! you want it to grow up ilnurished?!
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you better not feed it too him im sure he would like it but its not good for there growing body
Source Link: bast
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You can feed it adult food,the only thing is that,adult food dosn’t have all the nutrition that a kitten needs,the best is to feed a kitten kitten food
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