Since I was in kindergarten, my dream is to live in a world full of kittens and sleep in a bed made of marshmallows! Well, I got my first kitten when I was seven as a Christmas gift, but the marshmallow bed didn't happen yet.
But you can’t have it all, can you?
However, now I am in my late twenties and currently living with several cats, kittens, and one spouse! As most of my friends and family know me as an expert cat mom, they always come to me for solutions to their pet problems.
And one of the most frequently asked questions is, can kittens eat adult cat food?
If you are also looking for an answer to this question, you’ve clicked the perfect article. You will find answers to all of your queries here just in a few minutes!
Can kittens eat adult cat food?
Raising a kitten is quite overwhelming and different from having an adult cat around. Human or cats, every baby creature requires a dissimilar diet than the adult ones. So, you can’t really feed adult food to your kittens.
Kittens require foods that contain higher calories. These babies are two times more active than adult ones. And the source of their energy comes from their protein intake. So it's essential to make sure they are getting a proper diet.
That's why kitten foods need to be different from the adult formula to support their growth. Moreover, they need particular vitamins and nutrients to grow up that is not added in adult cat foods.
Therefore, you need to get foods that are specially formulated for kittens only.
So, can kittens eat adult cat food? The answer is, "NO."
If you keep feeding adult cat foods to kittens, you may deprive them of getting vital minerals and vitamins required for their healthy metabolism. You can quickly get store brought kitten foods for your babies and give them a proper diet routine to grow up.
When can kittens eat adult cat food?
The kittens need exceptional nursing and diet to support their rapid growth till they are 12-month old. A one-year-old kitten is considered an adult, and you can start feeding adult foods to them.
However, please transit from kitten to adult food gradually. You should take at least seven days to change their diet rather than switching instantly.
If you try to feed them adult food and suddenly stop feeding the kitten ones, they can go through digestive complications.
The proper way of transitioning to adult cat foods:
Fill your cat bowls with 75% adult and 25% kitten food.
Mix 50-50 adult and kitten food and serve
Add 75% adult cat food and 25% kitten food.
If your kittens didn't have any problem with this routine, you can switch to adult cat food at this point. Otherwise, you can continue this ratio for a while before you switch permanently.
What kinds of foods are best for kittens?
Besides feeding high-quality kitten food, you can provide them some home-made meals too. So what human foods can kitten eat?
Here is a list of homemade kitten food that you can serve.
You can also offer them some salad greens. They don't really love it, but these veggies will provide some vitamins to their body.
But some human foods are toxic for kittens. These foods are:
Additionally, when you feed them fish and meat, make sure they have low-fat content to avoid digestive issues. You can also get cat food for all ages but you should ask your vet before buying that.
Side-effects of feeding cat foods to a kitten:
If you keep feeding cat foods to your kitten for a long time, they can suffer from health issues such as malnutrition or renal problems. Let me tell you about some of the adverse effects of feeding adult cat foods to your kittens.
If you don't switch to a proper diet, your kitten will be suffering from malnutrition in no time. Kittens need fatty acids and nutrients like potassium, calcium, and phosphorus, and you should include these elements in their diet to give them a healthy life.
How to choose the best adult cat food:
Once your babies are grown up, you need to get the best adult cat food for them. There are so many brands out there, so the choice can be overwhelming sometimes. So here are some tips that will help you to get the best cat food.
- Choose food that comes with an excellent balance of protein, fat, fiber, nutrients, vitamins, and carbohydrates.
- Made with high-quality recipe and ingredients
- Comes with an age-appropriate formula
If you feed premium-quality food to your cats, you will see the results in their growth. Some of the signs of sound cat-health are:
- Shiny fur
- Great muscle tone
- Healthy bones and skin
- Firm and small feces
- Bright eyes and clean teeth
And even after giving them the proper diet they are having health issues, you should consult a vet to figure out the real problems if they have any.
Wet or dry: which food is the best for kittens?
Wet foods come with more moisture content and promote water intake. So your kittens will be well-hydrated throughout the day, which will help them with excellent renal activity.
Moreover, wet foods have different textures and tastes, which makes them tastier. And these foods are easy to digest, so they are amazing to include in your kitten's diet.
By contrast, dry foods are a more concentrated source of nutrient energy, and the crunchy texture supports sound oral health. But they contain a higher amount of calories, so they are not quite a healthy choice for your kitten's weight management.
For the best result, you can use a mixture of both wet and dry kitten food to ensure your adorable babies' better growth. Moreover, it will reduce the food cost as dry foods are relatively cheaper than wet ones.
Final verdict:
If you have multiple pets or new at this type of parenting, it’s normal for you to ask questions like can kittens eat adult cat foods or not. Hopefully, you have got your answers, and now you can enjoy raising adorable kittens to a healthy, happy cat.
