my kittens keep eating the older cat's dry food...?

Question

though they are fed in totally different rooms, at opposite ends of the house, the kittens, as soon as they get a chance, go for the older cat's adult cat food. i have been trying to stop them just on general principle, because i don't think the older cat would like it if she finds them at it, but they outnumber me, they are faster and slippery too. so...
could this turn into a health problem for the kittens, and if so, any ideas to help me keep them off the older cat's food?

o - i should add they are about 4 months old.

i have been tring to puty the older cat's food out of the kitten's reach BUT the older cat is getting too old (and fat) to jump very high, and the babies are pretty good jumpers, so that's not really an option.

mj:
all my cats eat mostly canned food, though the older cat likes to eat deli meats and raw hamburg and the like - she gets plenty of those too. during spring, she also eats chipmunks and rabbits that she hunts herself.
the kittens are rescues and when we first got them they drank twice their own weight in milk for a few days. then of their own initiative, they went to canned cat food. when i have noticed them eating too much dry, i have taken the dry away and increased the canned food a little. you see, this is the mojave desert, and so we make sure they always have as much moisture as they need.
dry food is only a backup, a little something in case they get hungry between meals. none of them eat so much of it that i would worry about their health.

Answer 1

This isn't so bad. It would be worse if your older cat were eating the kitten food. He would probably end up with the cha cha's, since kitten food is so much richer. You can offer kittens a supplement of wet kitten food from the can if you are concerned about them not getting enough protein. As a breeder, I can assure you this isn't a dangerous situation. Kittens are just greedy buggers. Be sure to offer enough of the adult cat food so that your older cat is getting enough. You could even lay out a second bowl. Cats always eat the food they are not supposed to. Food is always tastier from "the other bowl". Good luck, but don't worry too much.

Answer 2

Oh, those little devils! I have to pick up and put down food bowls at breakfast and dinner, for health reasons. It's a drag, believe me. Some of my guys don't ever go up on the counter for food. Kittens seem to be able to hang from the ceiling if they are motivated.

It's really not good for your older cat to have food down all day long (see Anitra Frazier's book, "The New Natural Cat"). She explains the reason very well. And if she is stressed by the new additions this is not the time to retrain her. She deserves to have her own bowl as the senior member of your house.

There is no health danger from the kittens eating the older one's food. They are always hungry and should be able to eat when they are hungry.

Sorry I don't have a good solution for you.

Answer 3

I don't think that any serious problems will arise from their eating the older cat's food. However, if I wanted to keep a kitten out of something I would put it somewhere that only the older cat could get to. Hope this helps!

Answer 4

It's probably not the end of the world if they get into it once in a while. Of course, kitten food is ideal, but it will be fine if they get into the older cat's food.

Try putting your older cat's food on a counter or a table (any high surface) that she can reach but that they kittens can't.

Answer 5

The kittens are stealing the food cause they can....You should be feeding them dry food at this age. I realize that you live in the desert, but if you always have plenty of fresh water available they will be just fine. With my rescued babies that I hand fed, when they got old enough to eat dry food, I always weaned them off the canned food. I also live in a desert community, and they are all fine. The ones that I found homes for and keep in touch with are still on dry food only. I feed both only because I have some older cats who do need the moisture provided by the canned food.

Hope this helps and thank you for rescuing.

Answer 6

I have 4 cats that range from 10 years to 1 year. I have encountered this problem everytime I have introduced a new kitty to the household. I talked to my vet about this at length. My cats are all self-fed & have been since I got them. I dont have any weight problems in any of them so self-feeding is much easier.

My vet recommended that I just mix the adult cat food & the kitten food. That way the kittens are getting higher levels of protein they need at their age, & a little kitten food will not hurt the older cat unless you have an obese one.

Maybe self-feeding will work for your kitties. Its not harmful for sure, but I know its a challenge with having the little ones!

Good luck!

Answer 7

Kittens, like infants need increased levels of some nutrients, hence kitten food. Talk to your vet. There may be some way to supplement the kittens diet so they won't have a problem. I know how hard it is to keep one cat out of another cat's specialized diet.

Answer 8

There is something in the Cat Food that your Kitten, is lacking. Ask your Vet. what a good healthy, food would be for your Kitten, & tell them about your Kitten eating the adult, dry food, so they can get the right answer for the problem.

Answer 9

Ditch the dry food!

Here's why:

http://www.catinfo.org