catfood?????

Question

i have an 8 week old kitten, a year and a half old maine coon, and a 9 year old tabby. are there any brands of catfood out there for all ages of cats? because i have tried to buy senior food and kitten food and they all eat the kitten food!

i don't want them all eating kitten food as my vet said there is so much protein in it, it can make my other cats gain weight.

Answer 1

I feed my cats Friskies. They all love it.

Answer 2

Your vet is living in the dark ages. Everyone is now aware that high protein, low carbohydrate foods do not make people (or cats) fat. None of the extensive medical training that vets have received in the past have ever included nutrition courses on what to feed small animals (they do get some education about stock animals, such as cows, pigs, etc.)

Cats are obligate carnivores and need high meat protein foods. "Kitten" food, "Senior" food are all commercial marketing ploys. Do you think the mother cat brings her kittens special "kitten" mice when she weans them? There just is no logic in that at all. Same for "senior" cats, they don't go looking for "low-calorie" mice as they age.

The two older cats and the kitten can eat the same food if it is a high protein, high quality food without corn.

Eagle Pack (32% protein), Natural Balance (34% protein), CA Natural (36% protein), Nature's Logic (38% protein). Good quality food for both the cats. The higher the protein content the more expensive the food. Steak costs more than beef stew.

So I would go into these foods for both the kitten and the older cats. Eagle Pack and Natural Balance are the least expensive and I would use two to three different kinds for the cats' food. Use a couple of bags of the less expensive stuff, then use a bag of the more expensive stuff. Cats should not have one single food all their lives, variety is very important. Also switching foods on cats has to be done gradually. Click on my name at the icon for a "recipe" for changing successfully.

Science Diet (a very inferior food) kitten food is $2.09 a pound, Iams (also a poor quality food) is $2.50 a lb. Purina One (also a low-quality food) is $1.72. So feeding the quality foods is not going to cost big bucks.

Answer 3

Listen to Old Cat Lady, she knows what she's talking about.

I can't believe the people recommending CRAP like Whiskas and Nine Lives! Ugh! I feel bad for their cats.

Any quality cat food will be fine for both cats and kittens. Kittens do not get "special kitten diets" in the wild, so why do we insist on giving them this in our homes? It's a marketing ploy, plain and simple.

Most of the high-quality foods are good for both cats and kittens. The brands I recommend to people are Wellness, Nature's Variety, Solid Gold, Natural Balance, Innova Evo, and Wysong's. I know some of these brands have special "kitten formulas", but a few of them don't. You'll find good brands that say they're good for all life stages.

Your basic feeding guidelines should be to avoid meat by-products and corn. If the ingredients list has these items in it, avoid the food. It's pretty simple. Look for foods made with REAL meat (a real meat should be the first listed ingredient), and have more nutritional fillers like peas.

Answer 4

Try the Science diet for senior, adult and kitten food and feed them in different rooms. I have to do this with mine. I have a 19 year old, a 16 year old, an 8 year old and a 5 year old.

Answer 5

I have 4 cats and a dog and with every cat I have fed them Meow Mix and now since i introduced the puppy i have to mix puppy chow and meow mix coz the dog eats the cat food and the cats eat the dog food :) so i mix it but I think meow mix is the best, you have different choices of original and seafood.. since u have a kitten maybe Cat chow by purinea would be good til your kitten gets older but its a little more expensive. I have fed my cats the Meow Mix no matter what the age and seems to do fine since u have all ages and so are mine. On the back of each bag of food there is a chart of how much food each age of cat can have. I have never had the problem of my cats over eating so i just keep the bowl full. Your older cats eating the kitten food isnt going to hurt them but since they are older to them it taste like candy so they shouldnt eat too much. It is better to feed your kitten older food than your older cats eating candy :) take care.

Answer 6

The reason why they like the kitten food better is because it is higher in fat. That's what the kitten needs to grow up healthy. I would continue feeding all of them the kitten formula just because the kitten needs it so much. The other cats may gain some weight in the meantime but once the kitten is big enough you can change back to your maintenance food for adults.

Answer 7

Kittens need kitten food

adults shouldn't eat kitten food. If you feel you have to narrow it down buy kitten food for the kitten and adult food for the 1.5 year old and the 9 year old. but for optomum health and all it is best to get kitten food for the 8 week, adult food for the 1.5 year old and senior for the 8 year old.

Answer 8

Kitten food has alot of nutrients in it so just keep buying that since they seem to like it anyway. It won't hurt any of the other cats.

Answer 9

I had 4 cats and I feed them all the same thing Meow Mix and they all done very well. the vet told me as long as they eat it and are healthy that was what mattered.
if your older cats gain a little wait play with them more to encourage exercise they will shed those few extra pound.
Good Luck

Answer 10

You can but cat food like Meow Mix - it is made for all cats in general.

Answer 11

try purina one chicken and rice its really good stuff and it would be really good for the kittens as well