My kitten eats adult food. Can my cats share food when free-feeding?

The best food with the most research are typically science diet, Purina or royal canin. You can find any formula that is made for young, adult cats to share. They make an optimal care or indoor adult made for young adults

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.

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.

Some cats prefer one type of food over another. I would just leave dry food out for him to nibble on and then feed him small amounts of canned food twice a day. He has plenty of teeth that he should be able to chew small kibble. He will begin to eat more dry as he continues to get older and gets hungrier. I hope this helps!

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!

The bags usually over estimate the amount of food animals need. I would recommend feeding about 75% of what's on the bag/instructions IF that's the only thing your cat is eating. If they are eating half wet and half dry, decrease the amount proportionally. Another (easier) approach, is to ask your veterinarian for a recommended calorie count for each cat. Most adult cats need about 200 calories per day and young, intact cats need anywhere from 2-3 times this amount.

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!