What age does a kitten start on adult cat food?

Question

I just got a kitten a couple of days ago from the Humane Society. It is 6 months old and a couple of days. And I want to know what age can she go off kitten food.

Answer 1

You should wait until the kitten is 1 year old before switching it to adult food and, when you do, do it gradually. Start by mixing in the adult food with the kitten food more and more until it is only eating adult food.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

I have about 20 kittens and cats both who live with me on my 40 acres. All of them are outside except for one. They can begin eating adult cat food anytime after they are weaned which is usually between 6-10 weeks. However if you want your cat to have the extra nutrition in kitten food I would wait untill the cat is about 9months to a year old.

Answer 4

normally about 6 months old maybe start off by mixing the adult food with the kitten food in small amounts for your cat to get used to it,then gradually put more adult and less kitten food in.. good luck

Answer 5

well, start mixing kitten food with adult food for a couple of weeks when she is somewhere between 8 and 12 months. Gradually put more adult food in, and less kitten food. There is a bit of lactose in kitten food, and when kittens get completely weened off of milk and kitten food, they become sort-of lactose-intolerant.

Answer 6

For dietary purposes, i.e. when kittens can start eating adult cat food, it's anywhere from 6-12 months. It depends, really, on who you ask.

Assuming you're asking for dietary reasons, I do have a few ideas on the subject. Making the switch from kitten to adult cat food can depend on the quality of the kitty's nutrition from birth to six months of age. For example, someone brought me a very sick kitty who had been rejected by his mother and was starving to death. Because he was denied his mother's milk and was forced to wean himself on dry adult cat food, he missed out on a lot of nutrients that would have helped him grow. At about 2 months old, he was half the size of his litter mates. After he was brought to me, I kept him on kitten food until he caught up in size for his age, he was about a year and a half when I switched him to adult cat food.

If the kitty has had proper nutrition growing up, then, imho, I would switch at around 9-10 months of age.

It's best to make the switch over a period of about a month. Just start mixing adult food in with the kitten food, gradually increase week by week until they are eating 100% adult food.

Kitten food is very high powered food with a whole lot of calories for the little guys to burn up. Once they've done most of their growing and their level of activity decreases, you want to switch to an adult maintenance type food so you don't end up with obese kitties.

Answer 7

I think vets recommend 1 year old to go on adult food. Kittens still grow until then.

Answer 8

They say 6 months old, but it varies, I started mixing the adult and kitten food together

Answer 9

Kitten Food for Kittens
Give Your Little Kitten the Right Start for Growth and Development
Your kitten will probably have been already weaned when he or she first arrives at your house, and, hopefully, will be eating a high-quality food designed for kittens. If so, it will probably be best to continue him on the food he is accustomed to, to avoid the inevitable tummy upsets of a quick food change. If not - if your kitten has been eating a lesser-quality (grocery store) food, you'll need to convert him over to a more appropriate kitten food gradually. Start by adding a small amount of premium kitten food to his existing food, then gradually increase the amount each day. You will likely find that once your kitten tastes the higher quality food, he will nose through the kibble to find those morsels. At that point, you can make the switch complete.

Dry Food Versus Canned

We'll start with dry food first, simply because of its convenience, and because many cat "parents" continue to feed dry food.

Sponsored Links
Purina® Kittenwise
A program just for kitten owners. Fun, facts, and savings - Free.
www.kittenwise.com

Cat Urine Behavior
problems? Products and advice that really work at CatFaeries.com
www.CatFaeries.com

Ask Cat Health Questions
Veterinarians, Vet Techs & Other Cat Experts Answer You Online ASAP!
www.JustAnswer.com
However, for a longer, fuller life, you should try to convert your kitten over to canned food as quickly as possible, with dry food given only as "snacks" or "treats." More information on dry vs canned foods can be found in my article, Canned Food - the Real Staple for Cats.

Unlike adult cats, kittens will eat only as much food as they need for adequate nutrition, so free-feeding of dry kitten foods will work, if that is what you need for your own household.

Here are my Top Picks of Premium Dry Kitten Foods.

What About Adult Cat Food?

Kittens are not just miniature cats. Kittens' growth and development need extra protein, fat, vitamins, and minerals to get the right start in life. The extra protein is needed for growth and development of strong muscles and supporting tissue; fat is essential for fatty acids, as a carrier for fat-soluble vitamins, and for the additional calories for energy, according to this excellent article from PetEducation.com. Minerals, of course, are needed for the development of strong teeth and bones.

While adult cat food will not "hurt" your kitten in the short term, it is selling him short on the extra nutrients he needs for active growth, which takes place throughout the first year of his life. Save the adult cat food for your big guys, and give your kitten what he needs: kitten food, for his first year.

good luck

Answer 10

vets say 1 year. i weaned my cat off kitten food at 8 months n she was ok.