Is it OK for an adult cat (3 yrs old) to eat kitten food and drink milk?

Question

I have a beautiful black and white long hair domestic cat named Della. She is my pride and joy! Recently a very pretty tiny kitten was abandoned in my front yard. I mixed formula and syringe fed her for about a week. Then after a few days of kitten food mixed with milk I started feeding her just kitten food and offering her water along with a little milk to supplement. My problem is now Della will not eat anything but kitten food and drink nothing but the milk. This is a very young kitten still probably not 6 wks so I feel as though she needs extra care. Should I just blow it off as a bout of jealousy and humor her or should I feed them in separate rooms at specific times. Della has shown no real anymosity toward Pitty Pat and in fact seems to have maternal instincts toward her. What do you guys think? It may be a silly question but I really love my cats and would like to hear your thoughts.

Answer 1

well actually cats through their life will drink milk and eat kitten food because basiclly all cat food taste the same to a cat and all!! cats love fresh milk.

say hi to your kitty for me :)

Answer 2

Kitten food generally isn't that different from regular cat food aside from it being much fattier. Usually kitten food doesn't come in "flavors" like adult food does, so naturally they prefer the stuff that tastes the best. If the kitten is gaining weight like it should be then there's no problem with just letting him eat the adult food. If you really want the kitten to have actual kitten food, try science diet Nature's best, Ocean fish flavor. The cats go crazy for it. You can also try switching all the cats over to kitten food until your kitten is a year old, but they may get a little chunkier. Lots of options, just do what's right for all of your cats and everyone will be happy.

Answer 3

I don't know why it's not okay because my cats are 3, 4, and 6, they eat kitten food all the time. The milk part might be bad for the cat's stomach because over time their bodies just can't digest the milk properly so that might be a problem. Try taking the milk and watering it down more and more until it's just water over time your cat will grow to enjoy water more and more. Milk is a once in a while treat not an everyday treat. For the kitten food problem, I have learned that if you add water to the dry cat food with a little liquid beef broth, that they us ally can't tell the difference, or even if you just pore the beef broth over the cat food your cats will, enjoy it.

Answer 4

It is okay for Della to have some kitten food. But I agree, you don't want the kitten food to be her main diet because it could cause her to gain weight!! Your kitten needs to stay on the kitten food until she is one year old. Make sure you are feeding her a name brand food, such as Purina kitten chow. You could also try feeding Della her adult food mixed with some of the kittens food. That way she will still think she is getting kitten food....my cats LOVE kitten food too! But really try to keep Della from drinking any milk!! Milk is hard on cats digestive system and can cause diarrhea!! If your kitten is 6 wks old you should start reducing the amount of milk that she gets or she will also have diarrhea. I feed baby kittens that I raise, Purina Kitten chow with warm water over top of it. They love to drink the water off of it and then eat the soft food.

Answer 5

Her eating kitten food will only possibly make her gain some weight, it has more taste than reg. cat food and she likes it. The milk if she can tollerate it also does no harm. As the kitten grows stop the milk and just give the kitten food and then switch her to adlut cat food. Cats are picky and like changes in food. In time she will see this is what we are both getting to eat , she won't starve even though she doesn't eat for a few days until her tummy says well maybe I better eat a lil.

Answer 6

Cats are very funny and yours seems passive-aggressive. She could be eating the kitten's food as a way of marking her territory.

My daughter has gone through this twice when introducing a new cat to the household. The original cat started out eating the new cat's food, then she got a little pushy, then aggressive.

Adult cat and kitten food formulas are different. Your big cat should have it's own food.

I think she went to a Purina Cat Chow website (http://www.purina.ca/cats/default.asp) for answers on how to introduce a new cat into your home.

Answer 7

I think it is fine, she just wants the same thing the baby is having. I wouldn't worry about it at all. She will go back to her adult food when the kitten does. Maybe just not allow her to have very much of the milk, but the kitten food won't hurt her. You sound like a very good mommy to the kitten, it is lucky to have found you.

Answer 8

I'm a vet tech at an animal hospital. It reallty isn't good for your adult cat to have kitten food. Not only are there more calories, but also more protein and this can cause kidney failure in your cat if you continue to give this high protein diet. Also, cats cannot digest our milk. A little won't hurt, but it should not be allowed to drink a lot or for long periods. Hope this helps!

Answer 9

I would feed them in separate rooms at seperate times for while and see how Della handles her own food. The kitten food probably doesn't have enough nutrients in it for the older cat. Good luck, cute names btw for your cats! :)

Answer 10

It's good to see someone so concerned about the health of their pets....I doubt there are any ill effects in the short term, except perhaps excessive weight gain. Also, milk often causes diarrhea in adult cats. You could try the separate-room method, until Pitty Pat is old enough for adult food. Good luck.

Answer 11

Your adult cat should eat food for adult cats, since kitten food has many more calories and Della will gain too much weight. It's important for cats to drink water - I never gave any of my kittens or cats milk.