How long on kitten food?
Jessica
Hi everyone,
My 2 kittens are 6 mnths old now, and I'm still feeding them kitten
food. About what age should I move on to adult food? I've been leaving
them food out constantly, instead of feeding them at certain times, they
seem to be going through their food like crazy. Should I limit how much
I give them? (They eat about 2 full cereal bowls every 3 days). Or is
it that the kitten food isn't as filling?
Jessica
Miche
In article <32FF41...@uiuc.edu>
Jessica <co...@uiuc.edu> writes:
The kitten food is as filling, it's just that growing kittens need a
lot more energy (and hence food) than adult cats. You're doing the
right thing by free-feeding them; most cats won't eat more than they
need, and it's a good way of making sure they're getting as much as
they need to grow. Most cats should start on adult food at about one
year of age. If you have any questions or concerns about how much your
kittens are eating, call your vet. Vet techs will often answer simple
questions over the phone free of charge.
Miche
Miche
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David A Thomas
Jessica (co...@uiuc.edu) wrote:
> My 2 kittens are 6 mnths old now, and I'm still feeding them kitten
> food. About what age should I move on to adult food? I've been leaving
> them food out constantly, instead of feeding them at certain times, they
> seem to be going through their food like crazy. Should I limit how much
> I give them? (They eat about 2 full cereal bowls every 3 days). Or is
> it that the kitten food isn't as filling?
Actually, it's supposed to be *more* filling.
At this age, kittens can consume as much as *three times* the calories
of a normal adult diet, without putting on excess weight. They need
all the nutrition they can get, since they are growing and very active.
It's fairly common to give them kitten food until they are 10 to 12
months old.
--
David Thomas (da...@micro.ti.com)
Texas Instruments, Houston (713)-274-2347
Jerold Pearson
In article <32FF41...@uiuc.edu>, co...@uiuc.edu wrote:
>Hi everyone,
>
>My 2 kittens are 6 mnths old now, and I'm still feeding them kitten
>food. About what age should I move on to adult food? I've been leaving
>them food out constantly, instead of feeding them at certain times, they
>seem to be going through their food like crazy. Should I limit how much
>I give them? (They eat about 2 full cereal bowls every 3 days). Or is
>it that the kitten food isn't as filling?
I asked this same question about 2 months ago and a number of folks suggested
I could switch to adult food at about 9 months. (I also free-feed my two guys
with dry food only.) So I started to mix in the kitten food (in smaller
and smaller proportions) with the adult food when they got to be about 9
months. Everything is A-OK. The cats eat it with no fuss, and they are just
as healthy and rambunctious as ever. It's also worth noting that I asked my
vet the same question, and he too said it's perfectly fine to switch over at
about 9 months old.
Bon apetit!
Jerold Pearson
jpea...@stanford.edu
Cathy Moore
Jessica wrote:
>
> Hi everyone,
>
> My 2 kittens are 6 mnths old now, and I'm still feeding them kitten
> food. About what age should I move on to adult food? I've been leaving
> them food out constantly, instead of feeding them at certain times, they
> seem to be going through their food like crazy. Should I limit how much
> I give them? (They eat about 2 full cereal bowls every 3 days). Or is
> it that the kitten food isn't as filling?
> Jessica
Jessica,
According to my vet, you should keep kittens on kitten for one full year. I
don't know how big your cereal bowls are, but it appears to be about right.
You need to understand that they are just growing, and like kids, tend to
start eating you out of house and home at about this age. I would keep them
on the kitten food until they reach one year of age.
Cathy Moore