My kitten won't eat kitten food. Can he eat adult cat food safely?

Yes, the adult food is a complete diet for all life stages. Usually kittens grow better with a kitten food as they do not have to eat as much to get the nutrients they need and the energy requirements. I usually feed kitten food until they are six months old then switch to adult food. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you get answers to your veterinary questions.

It all depends on what the AAFCO statement says. You will have to check if the food has met AAFCO standards for feeding kittens, adult cats, or all life stages. The crude protein, fiber, etc. is not very helpful in determining if the food meets the nutritional demand of the life stage. Below is a link to an article that explains this a bit further and will tell you where to find the AAFCO statement. https://www.petcoach.co/article/what-to-look-for-when-choosing-your-pet-s-food/ If the food is deemed nutritionally adequate, then it's OK to feed them each other's food, but keep in mind the recommended amount to feed (should also be somewhere on the bag). The biggest concern with feeding an "all life stage" food is that it gives them too much calories, which can lead to obesity. If you notice that your cats starting to get chunky, then it's important to start reducing the amount of food they get. I hope that helps and all is well with the kitties.

Hello and thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! Although it won't cause any major health concerns right away it is best to avoid letting Sparkles eat kitten food. Kitten food tends to be higher in fats and calories so it can cause an adult cat to gain weight quickly. In general canned cat food is considered much healthier for cats so perhaps you can entice Sparkles away from the kitten food by offering him canned food instead. Good luck with Sparkles and your new kitten!

Thanks for visiting Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. You may absolutely feed them Royal Canin kitten food as long as they are under 1 year of age. If they are not kittens then it’s not a good idea to feed them kitten food because this has more calories than they need and will cause them to become overweight and at high risk of developing diabetes and arthritis issues. You can try feeding them a similar adult food with the same protein in it as the kitten food. Check your local store and online store for more protein (beef, chicken, turkey, salmon, etc) options. I hope this helps! Best wishes and take care.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. It should be no problem for Kaya to eat the C/D. In fact, in households with one cat who has urinary problems and another who does not, I often recommend feeding the c/d to everyone anyway since I don't want the urinary cat to eat anyone else's food. (That being said, if urinary cat will stay our of Kaya's food, a kitten food IS more ideal for Kaya for the next couple months at least.) Best wishes to you and your kitties!

So I agree that adult food should be fed to adult cats and kitten food should be fed to kittens. Kittens need more calcium and phosphorus to help them grow properly. They need more calories because they are usually more active than adult cats. Adults that eat kitten food for a long period will usually gain too much weight. If they become obese this can cause secondary problems like obesity and diabetes. Kittens who eat adult food occasionally will have growth abnormalities or poor weight gain. I hope this helps!

I think the schedule is reasonable and fine to stick with. Try to keep the majority of the kitten’s being the kitten food. That way most of the food intake will support their growth and development. If you have trouble finding food in the store, you might look online as you can often find it for reasonable prices. Ideally the kittens would eat all kitten food until they are about 11 to 12 months old. You could also feed a canned food that is meant for all life stages as this will support growth as well. I hope this is helpful and please feel free to post any additional questions.